Ilium by Lea Carpenter (2024)
Yes, we know we promised film reviews, but we were just reminded that this superb new novel just hit the stands and libraries.....a sharp, deeply plotted excursion into international espionage for which NetGalley and the publisher gave us an advance copy to read and review. And we didn't want to waste a minute here without letting you know about a top notch book you should jump to the top of your "To Be Read" list......
This is very much a deeply perceptive character driven thriller and far far away from the high octane adventures of Jason Bourne or James Bond.
"Ilium" resides more in that morally vague, treacherous world of John le Carre espionage. It's like a deceiving hall of warped funhouse mirrors where worldly-wise, duplicitous jaded spies think nothing of using their 'assets' as emotional bait as means to justify their ends. And their clandestine wars with each other seem last forever, an endless cycle of missions and the revenge they generate.Plunged into this world is the unnamed young English girl who serves as the book's narrator and anchor. She's been wooed and married by Marcus, over 30 years her senior and something of an 'international man of mystery'.........also an apt description of Marcus's lifelong best friend. Raja.
Marcus's young wife is persuaded to ingratiate herself into the family of the equally mysterious wealthy Edouard. She's merely to observe but it's clear that in some way, Edouard's in the crosshairs of those veteran spymasters, Marcus and Raja.
At the reclusive family's scenic compound at Cap Ferret on the coast of France, our young fledgling spy at first embraces her adventurous and potentially dangerous new life. But while she forms a loving bond with Edouard's young son Felix, twists and surprises begin to reveal themselves.....and there's an inevitable but still shocking conclusion coming toward her..... with all the brutal ironies that come with spies devoting their lives to their 'tradecraft'.
"Ilium" functions as a literary fiction thriller, so this is not a book for readers who crave perpetual shootouts and hairbreadth escapes. But its total immersion into character development kept me glued to the story from beginning to end. Every person here holds their own secrets, backstories and motives that propels the action and makes the finale all the more powerful.
It's been some time since I've read this particular type of thriller, wary of confusing plots and excess verbiage. But author Lea Carpenter perfectly combines the drama and mystery as her prose peels off the unseen layers to her characters. Overall an expert voyage through le Carre territory. Well done in every way.....so put on your trench coats, brush up on your secret passwords and slide into a world where nobody's to be trusted.....and nobody's quite who they say they are....5 stars (*****)
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