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)

Great Spy Story Among Expats

Great story. Incredible writer. This is a character(s) driven story more than action. Unusual plot and written from a amoral point of view. Really liked it. Look forward to more from writer.

My one criticism is that the story keeps going back and forth over a 2 or 3 year period. In the written form of the book these delineations are probably separated by spacing between paragraphs. This creates a problem when it is being read because you have no idea sometimes or at first if the story has shifted to a different period in time. Wish there was a way to let the listener know this so we are not left guessing or lost sometimes.

Spy novel, Marriage and Car pooling

What made the experience of listening to The Expats the most enjoyable?

The married spy who has to juggle work, children, and marriage. The trusting husband and a wife who has to bring her spy skills into her marriage.

Did the plot keep you on the edge of your seat? How?

Yes. It was toward the end when you think you know the moves of the characters.. da da things change.

Have you listened to any of Mozhan Marno???s other performances before? How does this one compare?

No

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

Yes in the diner when all the cards are being put on the table and you fine there is a spy within the spy story.

Any additional comments?

I would read another book by the author.

overrated

Bought this because it was on a summer must read list. Definitely not impressed. I feel like the whole story could have been told and half the time.

How can a farfetched scenerio feel so authentic

What did you love best about The Expats?

I could feel the personal tension of Kate- woman, mom, professional, wife- all tensions I related with. I listened repeatedly it was so good- I heard new nuances each time.

Did the plot keep you on the edge of your seat? How?

Became preposterous at times, but I still wanted to learn about the next twist.

Have you listened to any of Mozhan Marno’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

No

Great fun!

I'm not sure why the book needed the sub-title ("A Novel"). Perhaps "Thriller" would have been more apt. But as the latter genre goes, this is an excellent example. It is totally outlandish, but extremely enjoyable. It is made for being turned into a Hollywood movie. And with its female protagonist and reliance on cleverness over brawn, I look forward to seeing it. Maybe Jennifer Lawrence & Matt Damon?

Great Book but hard to follow

If you could sum up The Expats in three words, what would they be?

Intracate Story

What was one of the most memorable moments of The Expats?

The final scene where all is pretty much revealed

Which character – as performed by Mozhan Marno – was your favorite?

Kate was very well done. I really connected with her.

Any additional comments?

This was a great book but the flittling back and forth in time made it difficult to listen to. The reader did a good job of catching the mood but it might be a book that is better read than heard.

Twist-a-Thom

Fun plot, great characters, and many plot twists. I hated to put this book down. My bookclub will have a great time discussing this book.

Did Not Want It to End

Would you listen to The Expats again? Why?

I don't listen to books a 2nd time

What was one of the most memorable moments of The Expats?

For me, this was when Kate was walking home and she felt someone following her. She waited for the stalker and then took action with only an umbrella and her skills.

What does Mozhan Marno bring to the story that you wouldn???t experience if you just read the book?

I thought the narrator did a fine job with both male and female voices and I never had to really think about who was talking.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

All of my listening is done during my commute...

Any additional comments?

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I liked the descriptions of Lux and Eurpoe, the weather and the surroundings and all of the minor characters. I liked Kate's comment to "ham, ham, more damn ham'. This made Kate more real to me. I felt like Kate and Dex, and Jake and Ben and even Julia and Bill had become my friends by the end of the book and I did not want to tell them goodbye. I read one review that said the book was boring but I did not think so. I have recommended this book to others.

Great First Novel Fun Listen

The Expats by Chris Pavone Narrated by Mozhan Marno is a great Audiobook available @Audible_com. This is a New York Times Best Seller and Edgar Award Winning book.

Kate Moore is a mother with two young sons and a career in Washington DC as a policy position writer and a husband who works in Information Technology (IT). Kate's husband continued to perfect his craft of a Information Security as his friends and classmates created start ups and made and lost fortunes.

When Kate's husband comes home saying he got the job he had been waiting for-his big payday-there was one catch, Kate and the boys would have to move to Luxenburg.

Kate has one month to quit her job and pack the family up while her husband travels back and forth making arrangements with his new company. Kate is becoming an Expat and a stay at home mom, with no more money worries and Europe to explore.

This all would sound great if Kate wasn't secretly a CIA agent. She quits the Agency to move with her husband who never suspects anything. You can take the girl out of the CIA but you can't take the CIA out of the girl.

Does Kate see trouble and intrigue because of her training or is something rotten in Luxenburg. Suspense fills this entire book from start to finish. The listener will want to keep on listening to follow what happens next. 

No Spoilers here, listen to "The Expats" today!

finally a novel keeps my interest until the end

Would you listen to The Expats again? Why?

Yes, actually i've already begun a second listen. I've rarely listen to a fiction book more than once but this one is that good

Did the plot keep you on the edge of your seat? How?

absolutely. great story, characters are well-developed, lots of plausible twists and turns