Skip to main content
PBS logo
 
 

Book Review of The Expats

The Expats
janete avatar reviewed on + 22 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 4


Debut novelist Chris Pavone shows remarkable skill in plotting and in cranking up hardcore suspense in this tight, well-written thriller set in an unremarkable corner of Europe. Kate quits her stressful inside-the-beltway job so that Dexter, her husband, can take an assignment in Luxembourg, one of the worlds money belts where just about everyone is involved, legally or otherwise, in banking and finance. Life is good, if not a tad boring for Kate, who spends her days cooking, housekeeping and caring for her two little boys who quickly make friends with other expat children. Kate and Dexter make new friends, too, and become especially chummy with fellow Americans Bill and Julia. Julia is a decorator (or so she says) and Bill claims to be in finance. Something about their behavior makes Kates antennae go up, and, due to boredom, curiosity, and a background that makes her well-equipped to do so, she looks more closely at her new friends and her new life. I know its a cliché to say that a story is such a good read that its hard to put a book down. Ok, Im guilty of that cliché here. This is the kind of story that gets turned into a hit movie, so read and enjoy it now. 4 stars.