Ilium

A Novel

By: Lea Carpenter

Narrated by: Tanya Cubric

Length: 6 hrs and 49 mins

Publisher's summary

Set in the dark world of international espionage, from London to Mallorca, Croatia, Paris, and Cap Ferret: the gripping and suspenseful story of a young woman who unwittingly becomes a perfect asset in the long overdue finale of a covert special op

The young English narrator of Lea Carpenter’s dazzling new novel has grown up unhappily in London, dreaming of escape, pretending to be someone else and obsessed with a locked private garden. On the eve of her twenty-first birthday, at a party near that garden, she meets its charismatic and mysterious new owner, Marcus, thirty-three years older, who sweeps her off her feet. Before long they are married at his finca in Mallorca, and at last she has escaped into a new role–but at what price? On their honeymoon in Croatia, Marcus reveals there is something she can do for him—a plan is in place and she can help with “a favor.”

This turns out to be posing as an art advisor to a family on Cap Ferret, where Marcus asks her to simply “listen.” A helicopter deposits her at a remote, highly guarded and lavishly appointed compound on a spit of land in the Atlantic. It’s presided over by an enigmatic, charming patriarch Edouard, along with his wife Dasha, children Nikki and Felix, and populated by a revolving cast of other guests—some suspicious, some intriguing, perhaps none, like her, what they seem.

Brilliantly compelling, this is a spellbinding and unexpectedly poignant story of a long- planned, high-stakes CIA-Mossad operation that only needed the right asset to complete.

©2024 Lea Carpenter (P)2024 Random House Audio

Critic reviews

“Sharp and riveting, Ilium is a literary novel that reads like a psychological thriller. As a masterful and beguiling storyteller, Lea Carpenter is the perfect guide for this journey to a secret place of intrigue and betrayals.”—Yiyun Li, author of The Book of Goose

“A spellbinding espionage novel. Carpenter’s nuanced understanding of character and identity raises profound questions about love, loss, and the reality of war. Ilium is both mesmerizing and sublime.”—Clémence Michallon, author of The Quiet Tenant

“Ilium goes well beyond offering an exciting take on espionage literature. Lea Carpenter has built an entirely new wing onto the genre. Intricate, propulsive, rendered with deft emotion, this female-centric spy story has a deeply human heart.”—Christopher Bollen, author of The Lost Americans

Sophisticated Spy Story

Creative story telling with commanding language the characters are fully drawn a satisfying listen highly recommended great narrator

Been done

Nice character study of the civilian swept into international espionage. But a hard to accept context that careful professional spies and assassins won’t suspect or research a new person dropped in their laps.

Well-paced storyline with great characters

Loved it! Short novel that is well constructed and packed with action and emotions. Compelling development of characters.

Intelligence expected of the reader

Loved the narrator. A brilliant story of espionage and its victims. So well constructed. Sorry it’s over!

Fantastic story and super talented narrator

This is such an intriguing story and artfully performed by the narrator. Highly recommend this novel.

Excellent

I've really enjoyed this book. The plot is interesting, the story is well paced, and the characters are nicely developed. Espionage novels are not usually my thing but this one drew me in.

Not a compelling heroine

Dislike heroine/spy. Self centered, not credible. This reader not drawn in to character, rather bored by her

Dull

it's hard to believe that a spy novel could be this boring. I stuck it out, but it never really caught my interest.

Wants to be more than it is

She writes a “ spy” story from the point of view of a woman unwittingly recruited by the CIA, in a highly unlikely plot. But really it’s a supposedly psychological study of the kind of people who become spies, with a rather sentimental relationship with a child thrown in….it is trying to do too much , and does none of it quite well enough, in my opinion.

Implausible

I bought this based on a glowing NYT review. I was so disappointed. I am afraid that at nearly every turn, I just couldn’t buy that the events in this story could ever really happen. This started with our central character’s marriage (cringeworthy and of adolescent dreams), and went on from there. I stuck it out hoping that there might be some clever twist, but nope, it just got more preposterous. Where to go for a credible review these days?