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)

Good story

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

Intrigue and wondering if the main character was 'involved' in everything that was taking place around her.

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

No........I listened to it over a few days time. Not a page-burner.

Any additional comments?

Good story, good plot, interesting ending.

Thoroughly Enjoyed It!

Where does The Expats rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

Among all the audiobooks I have listened to so far, I would put Expats in my top 10.

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

Yes it did. I found myself wondering what was going to happen next quite a bit.

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

Kate was my favorite character.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

I laughed a few times.

Would be better as a movie

I have to say I enjoyed it -- and would recommend it -- but there is something definitely missing (aside from plausibility, which is not a "must" for me if the story is well done). Perhaps there are a tad too many plot twists (except that this also happens to be one of the things that keeps you hooked). Perhaps the main character is a tad too cold (except that is what makes her "life" remotely believable). Still, the performance is excellent and I couldn't stop listening. Just when you think you have figured out what happens next, something else does.

I enjoyed it.

Overall this is a good story. The bouncing back and forth from scene to scene without noticed can be a bit confusing at times. I'm sure that in the novel itself it's obvious based on type choices but audibly can be a bit challenging. Other than that I thoroughly enjoyed it.

A Remarkably Creative Story

Any additional comments?

This was a great story, and the narration was good, but it was sometimes hard to follow because the author jumped back and forth in time, and because it all took place in a relatively small area in Europe, I wasn't always sure what time period we were in. Aside from that, the author is extremely creative and wove a story that was hard to stop listening to! It could have just been "operator error" because there were times it really took some concentration to follow the storyline.

The jumps in time and place are jarring

Any additional comments?

I bet it comes across better on the page, but I felt the jumps within the story were distracting.

More twists and turns than an eel

Wow! Certainly kept me turning pages. This book reminded me of Gone Girl in that I could never anticipate the next revelation. Of course one had to suspend belief, but isn't that why one reads fiction? I was fascinated. Good fun!

Too many red herrings

I think if this novel had been written in a more linear style, I would have enjoyed it more. I don't have a problem with flashbacks but this jumps around in time so much that it can be diffcult to follow, especially when you're listening to it. The author uses some French phrases and most of the time doesn't translate them. I don't think you lose a lot but why bother using the lines if they don't matter? The narrator did an excellent job.

unusual story, well-written

This book definitely does not follow predictable plot lines and is well-written and beautifully read. I would characterize this work as intelligent entertainment and there is absolutely nothing wrong with that. The jumps in time, however, are frequently sudden and if you are not paying attention (or have fallen asleep!) you may be a bit confused about what is taking place.

Kept me finding excuses to keep listening!

Oh my goodness, this was a great spy story! There were so many twists and turns and I kept reconsidering who was good and who was bad in the story. The narration was quite good to keep all the characters believable. The plot.....ex-CIA, the FBI, a secretive husband, cyber theft, banking (sort of).....it had it all. I highly recommend this one!