The Expats

A Novel

By: Chris Pavone

Narrated by: Mozhan Marnò

Length: 12 hrs and 23 mins

Publisher's summary

The international thriller that Patricia Cornwell says is “bristling with suspense” about an American abroad who finds herself in complex web of intrigue.

Can We Ever Escape Our Secrets?

Kate Moore is a working mother, struggling to make ends meet, to raise children, to keep a spark in her marriage... and to maintain an increasingly unbearable life-defining secret. So when her husband is offered a lucrative job in Luxembourg, she jumps at the chance to leave behind her double-life, to start anew.

She begins to reinvent herself as an expat, finding her way in a language she doesn’t speak, doing the housewifely things she’s never before done - playdates and coffee mornings, daily cooking and never-ending laundry. Meanwhile, her husband works incessantly, at a job Kate has never understood, for a banking client she’s not allowed to know. He’s becoming distant and evasive; she’s getting lonely and bored.

Then another American couple arrives. Kate soon becomes suspicious that these people are not who they say they are, and she’s terrified that her own past is catching up to her. So Kate begins to dig, to peel back the layers of deception that surround her. She discovers fake offices and shell corporations and a hidden gun, a mysterious farmhouse and numbered accounts with bewildering sums of money, and finally unravels the mind-boggling long-play con that threatens her family, her marriage, and her life.

Stylish and sophisticated, fiercely intelligent and expertly crafted, The Expats proves Chris Pavone to be a writer of tremendous talent.

©2012 Chris Pavone (P)2012 Random House Audio

Critic reviews

“A stunningly assured first novel.... An intricate, suspenseful plot that is only resolved in the final pages. The juxtaposition of marital deceptions and espionage is brilliantly employed.... A must for espionage fans.” ( Booklist)

“Brilliant, insanely clever, and delectably readable, this debut thriller breaks the espionage genre bounds with its American-as-apple-pie heroine... Pavone displays the best characteristics of the form and will earn a faithful and yearning readership.” ( Library Journal)

“Fans of John le Carre and Robert Ludlum will welcome [this] meticulously plotted, psychologically complex spy thriller.... The sheer amount of bombshell plot twists are nothing short of extraordinary, but it’s Pavone’s portrayal of Kate and her quest to find meaning in her charade of an existence that makes this book such a powerful read.” ( Publishers Weekly)

Could have been better

I was expecting more...more details about the protagonist's domestic life, her dilemmas around secret-keeping, more about the husband's various undercover projects.More details about balancing the wife's soccer-mom life with the spy life.

This story did not resonate because, in typical spy novel style, it's all action, events and facts, with little or no insight into the characters. The story lines have great potential, however, and I'd love to read a "do-over" by this or another author.

Add to the "something's missing" feeling the constant jumble of time frames and you get an extremely difficult read.

Narration was excellent, though, and I did find a use for this listen, finished it by using the book as background noise while engaging in other activities. At times, logic would win out.

In all fairness, I suppose I could give it another try. It's just that, in this book anyway, the author seems to be trying way too hard to be oblique and arcane - it's genre-bending without the logic and narrative skills to engage the reader and sustain the story. I am only commenting on the work - not on the skills and creative vision of the author, by whom I'd love to see more.

It took aa long time to get "hooked."

Perhaps if I had the written pages to refer to I would have been able to follow the frequent jumps in time. The story was hard to believe but the author pulled that off in the end.I am hesitant to recommend this book.

Spies and kids - who knew?!?

With the advent of the television program "The Americans" and the fact that I've been to many of the locales in the novel, this book was quite enjoyable. As a story, perhaps not quite as tight as it might have been, but it was a terrific read.

My only criticism is that I had inklings of the outcome early on - but maybe that's because I'm really familiar with the genre. I very much enjoyed the narrator and the fact that it was "read," not "dramatized."

Never underestimate a smart woman

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Really enjoyed this read. The main character is very well developed which allows the reader to really become engrossed. The story is crazy far fetched, but that is part of the appeal, I think. A great book if you enjoy espionage and are dubious of marriage.

Of note, I totally did not guess the ending. I love a book that catches me off guard. Fantastic first book from Pavone.

cia agent unskilled at basic depeption

I enjoyed the overall story but the numerous instances of our main character, seasoned ex cia agent, unable to manage basic deception tactics his a sour note.
additionally, secondary characters are pretty flat.

The book is obviously written by a white man

Too many stereotypes. Too obvious a plot. But the details are ingenious and add spice to an otherwise underwhelming, and often impossible to believe story. Ive listened to the end just because of the amazing voice of the narrator.

Fantastic story.

A really great story. Original and evolving plot line that keeps on developing. Loved it.

Boring

Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or why not?

No. Hard to follow due to narrator not being able to differentiate between characters.

What was most disappointing about Chris Pavone???s story?

Slow. Soooo slooow. Exposition is necessary. We need to know how the characters got the situation in the book. The author takes exdposition to the extreme. Halfway through the first part I realized that absolutely no action had taken place. It was all background information on the characters. In fact action only picked up in the latter part of the second part. I never cared for the characters and neither the author no the indifferent narrator make me care. On several ocassions I considered turning it off.

Could you see The Expats being made into a movie or a TV series? Who should the stars be?

No.

Lots of Twists and Turns

Great story. I can't even fault the narrator. Where the audio fails is in the editing. There's several story lines going at once which all converge in the end. The production/editing is slapdash which leaves the listener wondering exactly where in the story they are. Would've been a much better listen if the editor had employed pauses, or some other device, to signal the changes in story lines.

A good bland story

Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or why not?

The story is good, but a little lacking in substance. The narration equals this as well. You sort of expect a great climax, but my reaction was, 'that's it?'
Disappointing...

What three words best describe Mozhan Marno’s performance?

As 'exciting' as the book.