Review: I Am Pilgrim by Terry Hayes

I Am Pilgrim
Hardcover, 624 pages
Atria/Emily Bestler Books, 2014
5 stars

Scott Murdoch is a member of a secret government agency, so secret that only a few in the country are aware of it's existence.  After years of living in the shadows, Murdoch decides on  retirement and writes a book on forensics as an act of closure. Instead of a quiet life off the grid in Paris, he finds himself drawn into a murder investigation at a seedy New York City hotel.  The killer appears to have committed the perfect crime and then disappeared without a trace - all while using Murdoch's book as a how-to manual.

Soon he is pressed into service by high-ranking government officials,  traveling to the Middle East in search of a lone wolf Saudi terrorist, with the fate of Western civilization hanging in the balance.

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"The world doesn't change in front of your eyes; it changes behind your back."

At 600+ pages and cover art that some might call dull, I Am Pilgrim did not immediately strike me as a "summer read," the kind of page-turner I like to take on day trips to the lake.  However, it didn't take more than the opening lines before I was hooked.  Hayes has the somewhat dubious distinction of writing the first crime scene that I've excitedly read aloud to my husband over a glass of wine at night.

This book is a rare treat - a literary spy thriller that defies stereotype.  Our hero is a young, but extremely accomplished, member of a secret government intelligence agency.  The bad guy is a young, radical, Muslim terrorist, hellbent on the destruction of Western civilization.  The novel is full of exciting chases, thrilling shootouts, and exotic locations.  It does not, however, feel tired or overdone at any point.  The book is a fresh take on the traditional spy novel.  It's filled with enough twists and surprises to keep you on your toes.  Hayes uses exciting side plots and character back stories to allow for some breathing room between tense scenes but these scenes are far from dull.  On the contrary, they serve to flesh out his characters and bring them to life in a way that many suspense novels fail to do.

Though this is a debut for Hayes, his experience as a screenwriter results in an absorbing, action packed, heart-in-your-throat read.  The pacing is perfect, building suspense in just the right spots and then unleashing the action in explosive bursts.  Expertly delivered foreshadowing leaves you breathlessly awaiting the next surprise, the next twist.  It's not difficult to imagine the blockbuster film this book will become.

In the end, this book is certainly a contender for best-of-the-year lists.  It starts as a murder mystery, becomes a spy thriller, and ends up as one of the best books you'll read this year.

(I received a copy of this book from Atria Books in exchange for an honest review.)

Book Club Pick: Come Closer by Sara Gran

Come Closer

Hardcover, 169 pages

Soho Press, July 1, 2003 (first published January 1, 1973)

I initially chose this book to host for my book club with more than a little trepidation. While I love a good horror story, especially the tale of "creeping dread" you expect from Alfred Hitchcock or Shirley Jackson, it's not everyone's cup of tea.  Frequently just saying a book is "horror" is enough to send potential readers running.  This book, however, provided some interesting discussion about whether the narrator was suffering from some sort of supernatural possession or if she was having a mental breakdown.  While it still may not be for everyone, if you're choosing a book for a club with somewhat eclectic taste, this could be a great option that's just a bit off the beaten path.

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"What we think is impossible happens all the time."

It starts with a simple tapping in the apartment, explained away as a drippy pipe, or perhaps a mouse. An urge to start smoking again and more frequent bickering with her husband. Amanda, a successful young architect, feels a vague sense of unease at the changes in her life. As time passes, Amanda refuses to accept the improbable cause for these changes, with horrifying results.

At 169 pages, it's a short book, and Gran's writing is so clean and succinct that it feels even faster. The sparse writing creates a break-neck pace that causes a sense of panic for the reader, who cannot stop racing toward the same terrifying end as the protagonist. The ambiguity in the story is one of the novel's best qualities and is what draws the reader in. Is the overshadowing of Amanda's will and her seduction the result of insanity or something more supernatural - and does it matter?  The terror Amanda feels is palpable and Gran easily transfers this terror to the reader through prose that is both subtle and hypnotizing.

This is a truly horrifying story that is not about cheap scares and gory scenes, but rather a literary approach to an easily dismissed and often unappreciated genre.

New In Paperback: The Yonahlossee Riding Camp for Girls

The Yonaholosee Riding Camp for Girls

Paperback, 432 pages

Riverhead Trade, June 3, 2014 (first published June 6, 2013)

2 stars

Thea Atwell, 15, has been sent from her family home in Florida to attend a girls boarding school for the southern elite, one at which she will learn to become an accomplished horsewoman. Over the course of her stay, she learns to navigate this world filled with young women, much different from the isolated life she led at home with her parents and twin brother, while she recovers from a mysterious tragedy in which she has played a central role.

I had high hopes for Yonaholossee after all of the rave reviews it received. It was described as spellbinding, lush, provocative, and smart. It even made Oprah's Summer Reading List.

Initially, I found the book a page turner. I was drawn into the vivid world DiSclafani described - first the hushed, sheltered world that Thea grew up in, and then the majestic wild of the mountains in which the camp is nestled. The social structure of the camp, with it's regional cliques and finishing school schedule (yes, French was a part of the curriculum) created a picture of life for wealthy young women on the verge of the Great Depression.

My problem with this novel, however, is simply how unlikable Thea is. When the reader is first introduced to Thea, she is a quiet girl, reluctant to leave her father's side. She is timid and shy but has a deep love for horses, and we are treated to hints about a family scandal that ruined her family's life back home in Florida. As Thea becomes more acclimated to her life at the camp, she has to make choices about her relationships with the other girls, as well as with the adults in her life. She does not simply make bad choices of the kind you would attribute to a girl her age, but dangerous and disturbing choices that made me question the author's purpose for this character. Thea was also an extremely selfish character, which is to be expected at her age, but without a transformation into a young woman more cognizant of her situation in life, the novel's ending was weak, rushed, and ultimately disappointing.

In addition, the other characters were not well developed and felt like shallow stereotypes. Her brother was described as an animal lover with no other apparent characteristics. Sissy, Thea's friend at the camp, was a sweet girl that everyone liked but was sheltered and foolish. The adults are even worse - her parents are portrayed as having created a "progressive childhood," but it is never explained why they kept their children so sheltered and separate, or if they had desires and hopes of their own.

In the end, this was a book I truly wanted to like, but just couldn't find much about it to enjoy.

Review: Mr. Mercedes by Stephen King

Mr. Mercedes
Stephen King
Hardcover, 448 pages
Simon & Schuster (Scribner), 2014
4 stars

Summary: Hundreds of unemployed citizens line up for a job fair in the early morning hours of a Midwest city.  A stolen Mercedes plows through the unsuspecting crowd, driven by a lone driver in a clown mask.  When the chaos is over, eight innocent people are dead and more than a dozen more are injured.

Retired police detective Bill Hodges spends his days watching talk shows, haunted by the unsolved cases he left behind.  When a letter arrives claiming to be from the Mercedes Killer, he decides to investigate on his own instead of going to the police.  In doing so, he must match wits with a crazed psychopath, for whom one murderous rampage was not enough.

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"I'm going to kill you.  You won't see me coming."

Mr. Mercedes succeeds in hitting several of my favorite reading elements: a page-turning suspense thriller, well-developed, sympathetic characters, and a seriously creepy bad guy who got under my skin.

The telling of this story in the present tense, a departure from King's regular writing style, has the benefit of moving the narrative along at a rapid pace, which in turn heightened the race-against-the-clock feel for both Brady (the murderer) and Hodges and his crew.  
At times the plot feels contrived, particularly the constant rationalization of why Hodges refuses to turn to the police for help even after it becomes clear that Brady is becoming unraveled.  This, however, does nothing to diminish the suspense of the novel, as Hodges runs into roadblocks in his investigation and Brady grows more desperate and disorganized.

As usual, King's character development is unparalleled, with a connection being forged between the reader and characters that are only alive for ten pages.  While on the surface some of the characters appear to be formulaic (the suicidal, retired detective, the brilliant tech-savvy young kid, the psychopathic maniac with mommy issues, etc.), King's development of these characters is still successful. They are sympathetic and accessible, with even Brady having his moment of sympathy (albeit a very, very brief one).

This book is classic King, probing the conflict between good and evil both within his characters and between them, though this time played out with purely human elements.  Despite not being as strong a showing as his last few novels, this was a solid start to what will hopefully be an enjoyable trilogy.

NEWS ALERT!: Mr. Mercedes First in a Trilogy

Can't get enough of Detective (Retired) Hodges and his crew? No worries!

Stephen King announced that Mr. Mercedes is the first book in a trilogy, with the second, Finders Keepers, due out next year.

Currently Reading: Mr. Mercedes

I'm a Stephen King groupie (a "constant reader" as he might say) so I was psyched to start this book.  While I love his paranormal horror writing, I've developed an appreciation for his psychological horror as well.  Written in the present tense, it's even more of a departure from his previous writing.

As much as I hated to walk away from such a compelling book, I did take a break from reading yesterday to play around on the fun interactive site that is set up to mimic Brady's basement on the official Stephen King website (the fun can be found here: http://stephenking.com/promo/mr_mercedes/the-basement/).  There are several fun puzzles and hidden activities to be found here, but be warned - if you haven't read the book at all, some spoilers will be revealed.  If you're a reader who wants to approach this book with as little knowledge of plot as possible, do not go to this site until you're at least half way through this book.

A Quick Recap

Since I'm starting half-way through the year, it seemed as though I should do a quick recap of the best books I've read so far this year.

My reading in the first half of the year has been a little light.  With a new baby in the house, some days it was all I could do to think about books, let alone actually pick it up and read one.  I belong to an amazing book club on Goodreads who are constantly feeding my addiction so, on the bright side, I'm not without a giant to-read list for the rest of the year.


Top 12 Books of 2014

In Cold Blood by Truman Capote
Death at Sea World: Shamu and the Dark Side of Killer Whales in Captivity by David Kirby
The Dead in Their Vaulted Arches by Alan Bradley
A Feast for Crows by George R.R. Martin
A Dance with Dragons by George R.R. Martin
The Silent Wife by A.S.A. Harrison
Help for the Haunted by John Searles
The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood
Reconstructing Amelia by Kimberly McCreight
You Are One of Them by Elliot Holt
Five Days at Memorial: Life or Death in a Storm-Ravaged Hospital by Sheri Fink
The Leftovers by Tom Perrotta


Okay, that list was supposed to be the top ten, but I couldn't help it...