Ann DiPietro: Honeymoon havoc

Dear Great Book Guru,

I am looking forward to the Sea Cliff Civic Association’s annual Progressive Dinner which will be in a few weeks. Is there a popular new book I could read beforehand in case there is a lull in the conversation? 

Progressive Dinner Diner

Dear Progressive Dinner Diner, While I’m sure there will be no lulls, I do have a book sure to spark conversation: John Grisham’s latest thriller “The French Illusion.” This is somewhat of a departure from his usual legal thrillers, more of an international spy tale. 

We meet Paul and Chelsea Tanner shortly after their elaborate Annapolis wedding attended by three hundred guests. The couple is embarking on a storybook honeymoon in Paris when, a few pages in, they are kidnapped in an intricate cyber based plot. 

We read with horror as their families are contacted and instructed to pay millions of dollars in ransom money or they will again never see the young couple. What appears to be a straightforward kidnapping of wealthy Americans turns out to be a multidimensional tale of terrorism, counterterrorism, hidden motives, family secrets, and cyberwarfare - a truly fascinating take on the world as we are coming to know it. 

When a young lawyer is hired by the CIA, the novel takes on the legal aspects we have come to associate with Grisham. With the CIA, the FBI, and French intelligence agents all becoming involved, the scope of this crime widens. 

This is a fast read - a day or two brings you to the end of a very memorable tale and definitely a conversation-starter…highly recommended.

Would you like to ask the Great Book Guru for a book suggestion? Contact her at annmdipietro@gmail.com.