March 13, 2017
Foreign Service human rights officer Kate Hollister, the heroine of this solid international thriller from U.S. Foreign Service veteran Palmer (The Wolf of Sarajevo), gets transferred from Cuba to Bishkek, the capital of Kyrgyzstan, the country where she was raised—and where her parents were murdered at the behest of Kyrgyzstan’s “President for Life,” Nurlan Eraliev. Her familiarity with the place, its language, and its culture will help her with her mission to identify the leader of Boldu, a revolutionary group. Kate has to navigate both the supersecret underground movement and the intrigues of the embassy, particularly the more hawkish elements from the CIA, whose motives are suspect from the beginning. Palmer makes the nuances of diplomacy come alive, capturing the contrast between the tedium of diplomatic work and the dangers of espionage. At times, the action is gripping, but Kate is much too earnest to make this a truly compelling novel; her story pales in comparison with that of Kyrgyzstan. Agent: Meg Ruley, Jane Rotrosen Agency.
March 15, 2017
Katarina Hollister is a second-generation U.S. foreign service officer who's been expelled from Cuba on her first tour and sent to Kyrgyzstan, her late mother's homeland.That suits Kate fine, as she attended high school there during her father's diplomatic mission. She speaks fluent Kyrgyz and has strong ties to the people and culture--but not to its dictatorial government. She blames president-for-life Nuran Eraliev for the murders of her parents, and naturally she hates him for it. Kate's Uncle Harry, the current U.S. Ambassador to Kyrgyzstan, asks her to get inside the underground democracy movement, learn the identity of its leader (who has the nom de guerre Seitek), and let him know the U.S. can help. This unusual plot setup, with the main character nearly as Kyrgyz as she is American, lets the reader see the action up close and in vivid, colorful detail. Kate's mission is just as personal as it is official, as she seeks friends and an aunt swept up by the oppressive regime. She must infiltrate Prison Number One for answers and then escape the clutches of the torturer-in-chief nicknamed Torquemada. That will take doing what's possible, not what's perfect, her uncle advises: -You should never allow the best to be the enemy of the good.- But CIA Station Chief Larry Crespo's advice is less avuncular: -sometimes, sweetie, you have to take your favorite dog out behind the barn and shoot it.- Crespo accuses Kate of violating -every imaginable principle of diplomatic practice,- but rules are made for fictional heroines to break. On the other side, the dictatorial system eats its own, and Eraliev and his henchmen are -dancing in the dragon's jaws.- A fine read with a heroine too honorable to shoot the dog.
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April 15, 2017
Palmer, a 20-year veteran of the U.S. Foreign Service, brings his experience to bear in this satisfying thriller. His latest, following Secrets of State (2015), once again showcases the life of a diplomat. Foreign Service officer Katarina Kate Hollister is assigned to Kyrgyzstan to work with her uncle in offering assistance to a resistance group fighting the government and its corrupt president. Meanwhile, the U.S. is negotiating a controversial agreement with Kyrgyzstan, so extra care is needed to keep support of the rebels a secret. Having grown up in the region, Kate seems a natural for the assignment, but there are more forces at work than she realizes, eventually forcing her to make a bold choice that could jeopardize her career. Not surprisingly, Palmer does an excellent job of incorporating details about how our government works overseas into the story's thriller elements. A good choice for anyone interested in real-world diplomacy.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2017, American Library Association.)