The Expats by Chris Pavone (352 pgs., CD)

New York Times Best Seller
Edgar Award Winner
Anthony Award Winner

"Sly... Pavone strengthens this book with a string of head-spinning revelations in its last pages...The tireless scheming of all four principals thoroughly exceeds all sane expectations." - The New York Times

This book was a page turner. I picked it up based on the reviews stating it was a "suspenseful spy thriller".

Kate Moore is a working mother in a state department job which appears pretty mundane. Her husband, Dexter, is an IT guy with no aspirations for advancement. They live comfortably but modestly. When her husband is offered a lucrative job in Luxembourg she leaves her "double life" and they start life as expats. Very quickly she grows bored of being a stay at home mom and her keen eye and curiosity set off a series of questions in which she is determined to find the answers. Every time you think you have a grasp of what is going on, the author throws in a turn of events.

I loved it, there is a little bit of adult material, but it is not blatant or overwhelming. Ask me personally if you have questions.

Rumor has it the movie rights have been picked up.

All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr (544 pgs, CD) 5 star

Marie-Laure, blind at age six, lives with her father in Paris. He builds her a miniature of her neighborhood to help her navigate the streets. He is the master of locks at the Museum of Natural History and when they must flee due to Nazi occupation they travel with a very valuable jewel to family in the town of Saint-Malo by the sea.

Werner, a German boy grows up interested in fixing radios and this skill lands him at the academy for Hitler Youth. As Werner gets involved tracking the resistance and traveling to the depths of the war, he ends up in Saint-Malo where he crosses paths with Marie-Laure.

Doerr's descriptions are vivid and moving. This book was ten years in the writing. He is based out of Boise, Idaho. Other books by him - About Grace, Four Seasons in Rome, and several story collections.


Interview with Anthony Doerr 3:44