Kate Moore, stay-at-home mom and secret CIA agent, is back in this sequel to the Expats. During the course of what looks like a basic terror attack, she must figure out what is really going on. Fast paced, and very intricately plotted, you'll have to pay attention to keep up with the rapidly changing events. A quick but mostly entertaining read, I did get bogged down in details a few times. But each new chapter brings a revelation and a twist you didn't quite see coming, and keeps you waiting for more. Probably a 3.5, rounded up to 4 for originality and great storytelling. And anything set in Paris is always fun to read! Many thanks to NetGalley and Crown publishing for the e-arc!

Chris Pavone is the real deal. The Paris Diversion sees the return of CIA employee Kate Moore, the protagonist from his first novel, The Expats. This taut, intense thriller is his best to date, and that’s saying a good deal. Lucky me, I read it free thanks to Net Galley and Crown Books, but you can get it tomorrow, May 7, 2019.

Kate wears many hats, moving deftly from professional spy to primary caretaker of two children, one of whom is medically fragile. Her husband Dexter calls himself an investor, but he’s basically just a weasel. His weak character comes into play in a big way in this story as he is tied to a shady financial deal that in turn is tied--though he doesn’t know it-- to a terrifying terrorist event that takes place in the heart of France:

“She gasps. She is surprised at her reaction, like an amateur. She has never before seen anything like this. No one here has. What she sees: a man is standing all alone in the middle of the vast open space, looking tiny. He’s wearing a bulky vest, and a briefcase sits at his feet, the sort of luggage that in action-adventure films follows around the president of the United States, a shiny case lugged around by a tall square-jawed man wearing a military uniform, a handsome extra with no speaking lines. The nuclear codes…Yes, Dexter was right: that’s a suitcase bomb.”

Events unfold seen from the viewpoints of several different characters. In addition to Kate, we have the bomb-wearer; his American driver; the sniper assigned to take the bomb-wearer out; billionaire Hunter Do-You-Know-Who-I-Am Forsyth; and a mysterious woman using the name Susanna. Points of view change frequently, and the brief chapters become even briefer as the story unfolds, creating even more suspense. Pavone (that’s three syllables—Puh-vo-KNEE) has keen insight into the lies weak people tell themselves to justify their poor choices, and at times he is wickedly funny. Favorites here are the internal monologue of our ass hat billionaire; the moment Kate takes down the security guard; and the exchange between Kate and Hunter’s assistant, Schuyler.

Because I spend several hours of every day reading, I can almost always put a book down, even an excellent one. For the best books, I reserve good-sized blocks of time when I won’t be interrupted, and these are the ones I read with joy, rather than out of duty to the publisher. But it’s been awhile since I stayed up late because I had to know how a book ended. The prose here is so tightly woven that every word is important; in most books of the genre, there’s a winding down period at the end of the book after the climax has been reached and the problem resolved. In contrast, Pavone moves at warp speed until almost the last word of the last chapter.

I have rarely seen a male writer that can craft a believable female character, and Pavone does that. I appreciate his respect for women. In addition, it appears that Kate may have met her own Moriarti, and so I suspect both she and her nemesis will be back. I hope so.

To say more is to waste words, an unfair tribute to a bad ass writer who wastes none. Get this book and read it. You won’t be sorry.

This reads like and will make a very good movie. That's not entirely a compliment for the novel. Kate Moore, a CIA officer running an off the books operation in Paris (none of this part of it is realistic, btw), finds herself dealing with a crisis- a man with a bomb at the Louvre. Her kids are safe at school but she's worried, a bit, about her husband. At the same time, a financial king pin finds himself dealing with the same crisis, although it slowly becomes clear that not all is what it seems. This is the second Kate Moore book and it might help to have read the first (I did) because then you'll have perspective on The Who's and the whys of this financial (sort of) thriller. It is well written and fast paced but somewhere along the way, it lost its heart. Susanna's love for Matteo is one nice touch as are the scenes with Ibrahim. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. This is a good travel read (especially for those who have been to Paris and recognize like Kate that they only know certain areas of town).

This is fast-paced espionage at its best, though I was one of those who had read The Expats several years ago which took away the elements of surprise in this book. I did appreciate Pavone’s notes on the social situation in Paris, probably not what tourists think of when they think of the City of Lights. When Kate observed that Paris already had sharp shooters in strategic high places, she noted, “This is how a police state happens, isn’t it? An emergency that never subsides. Everything is getting worse all the time, so the far-right steps in and promise to solve it all....the police suit up, and never stand down.” She concludes, “The military has become a permanent presence, the new normal....everyone is getting used to it.” Through Ibrahim we see what this “police state” looks like through the eyes of a minority immigrant.

I agree totally with Kate when she ruminates on stock-market speculation, as more like a game than a legitimate profession. It’s like poker or sports betting - I’ll take the Redskins plus points.” A pet peeve of mine.

I did struggle with Dexter. I didn’t like him before and I didn’t like him now. He seemed unlikely to possess the level of expertise that was attributed to him given his bumbling, ill-disciplined and procrastinating ways. He was totally unsympathetic. He had “the excess of confidence that can come with an insufficient of experience....that nincompoop over there can do it, so can I. He was “like any other overextended entitled American who thought he deserved everything.” I honestly don’t see how he didn’t trip over his own shoelaces.

Hackers too often make major headlines when they gain private information on thousands of citizens through security breaches. Computer skills and it rewards are at the core of 21st century espionage. Pavone leaves us with a cautionary note: “But the digital age shrunk the world exponentially, with every new database, every app, every electronic instruction to which we involuntarily submit ourselves in exchange for the promise of a more convenient life, while in the meantime dragging everyone else into a global surveillance state.” We can’t just blindly accept the easy access without taking responsibility for the costly results.

I thought of Mad Magazine’s Spy vs Spy comic when I finished reading, only those spies were in the field and wore trench coats. These spies blend in with the rest of society, hard to spot, hard to catch. The end was a surprise and I suspect a set-up for the third book in this series.

A one day lunch n Paris where everything goes wrong and who can you trust. Revenge is what this story is about but is the cost too high? A question all should ask as revenge has a cost. Even the best planned strategy can go wrong.

The Paris Diversion is another superb book and a great follow-up to The Expats. Chris Pavine hits out of the park again!

Expats Kate and Dexter have been in Paris a few years. Kate is CIA with a compromised past. Dexter is day trader with a compromised past. Today will test them and much of Paris as well. A suicide bomber is at the Louvre, CEO Hunter Forsyth, hopes today is the day he will make billions, but his wireless goes out, CIA shows up at his door and insists on sequestering him away from the danger.

As the story plods along, we find that the suicide bomber is a diversion--the crooks are hoping to take down Hunter Forsyth's co. and make millions.

It's not a terribly interesting read.

I was incredibly excited for this book. I absolutely loved The Expats. I loved the character of Kate, the setting, all the twists and intrigue. So i was very excited when i heard that there would be a sequel starring Kate. And then i didn't like it. We meet up with Kate after some time has passed from the previous book. Her family is now living in Paris, she has recommitted herself to her marriage, and is enjoying Paris.

This story is told from multiple points of view, including a suicide bomber. I usually hate stories with multiple POV characters, but that didn't bother met this time. I was just bored. I was bored with Kate thinking about her marriage all the time, i was bored with all the talk of stocks, even though it was important to the story. I also felt like the idea of multiple terrorist threats/attacks in one day was a little too on the nose for our times.I also kept feeling like i'd missed a chunk of story, because i hadn't read Pavone's last novel, even though it wasn't part of Kate's series. I was vastly disappointed when i was so excited to read this.

*ARC supplied by Netgalley for an honest review

The Paris Diversion is a sequel to Chris Pavone’s first novel, The Expats which was favorably reviewed twice on MRB. Protagonist Kate Moore is a clandestine CIA operative who lives in Paris with her day trader husband, Dexter and her two children. One fall morning in Paris sirens begin to blare as a suspected terrorist enters a public square outside the Louvre Palace wearing a vest packed with explosives and carrying a suitcase presumed to contain a nuclear bomb.
Simultaneously, the CEO of a major tech company, Hunter Forsyth is escorted to a safe house by body guards he mistakenly believes are loyal to him. Instead he is being unwittingly detained on a day he is expected to announce a major acquisition by his company, 4Syte. Coincidently, Dexter has a personal grudge against Forsyth and has sold a massive amount of 4Syte stock short with expectations of a plummet in the company’s value. So Kate’s job is to figure out what is actually happening in Paris and who is truly responsible, all the while hoping the incident does not involve her husband.
Chris Pavone is on the fast track. This Edgar and Anthony awards winner has already written three best sellers and this one due to be released next month will surely follow. His complexity of plot, his scrambling of seemingly unrelated events, and his ability to tie it all together very late in the story, all adds to the anticipation and ultimate thrill ride.
Thanks to Netgalley for the advance look.

Back in 2012, I read The Expats by Chris Pavone. I loved it! It was an international thriller, telling the story of a couple who pick up and leave the US so the husband, Dexter, can take a lucrative job in Luxembourg. They jump at the chance to start a new life abroad with the promise of a much higher standard of living…only catch is that Kate has been leading a double life, with all sorts of entanglements and plot twists. It was reminiscent of Ludlum at his best, or LeCarré (who is always first rate). So, when I saw that Chris Pavone’s latest book continued the saga of Kate and Dexter, still in Europe but now settled in Paris, I was happy to have the chance to read an advance copy in return for my honest review.

The Paris Diversion opens with Kate dropping her kids off at school and going to meet Dexter for coffee. Just another day for their new life they began after they got out of Luxembourg after some nifty adventures unraveled in Expats. Across town, two other primary characters are going about their mornings: In one location, tech CEO Hunter Forsyth is puzzled as to why his police protectors are leaving him to head to the Louvre and he can’t get any connectivity on any of his devices. And then there is Mahmoud Khalid, who climbs out of a van, carrying a metal briefcase and wearing what looks like a bomb vest.

So, everyone’s plans for the day seem ready to explode (some more literally than others), and the story evolves to reveal Dexter’s plan to make a fortune at the expense of his adversary, Hunter Forsyth. Hunter is hoping to make a major announcement about an acquisition that will enrich him even further, and Mahmoud is just planning to die and take a lot of people with him.

There are lots of plot twists and a boatload of tension, as Kate realizes “There is no such thing as safety for anyone, anywhere. Not anymore.” Her experience with the CIA has made her wary of everyone, as “…CIA halls were suffused with the miasma of testosterone and Kate was under a more or less constant threat of getting dismissed, getting ignored, getting rejected.”

I love the way today’s danger IRL is woven into the story: “This is how a police state happens, isn’t it? An emergency that never subsides.” And the characters are well-drawn, with the big surprise for me being Pavone’s skill at writing a woman’s thoughts: “Kate wants to look to other people the way she sees herself. She wonders if anyone, ever, has attained that goal.”

There are multiple viewpoints in this story, which can make it challenging to keep straight unless you are able to sit down and just read until it’s done. Good idea to block out time for this one, because once it starts, it grabs you and you need to hang on and enjoy the ride!

I’m a big Pavone fan, with this one and The Expats being my favorites. Five stars.

Yay! Kate Moore is back. I enjoy Pavone’s books, but The Ex-Pats was my favorite from his backlist. I was thrilled to see Kate Moore return in this sequel. It does not disappoint!!

Pavone’s latest entry, and the second in his Kate Moore series, lives up to the quality of his previous novels. This is not high literature. Rather, Pavone provides us with edge of the seat, teeth clenched action filled with twists and turns the reader can’t always predict. He has mastered this genre, although Kate’s vow to change that comes at the end of this novel can hardly be believed. Maybe that’s just what he wants us to question. I await his next book eagerly.

A sequel to The Expats, The Paris Diversion marks the return of Kate Moore, an erstwhile CIA operative who’s escaped with husband Dexter and sons to a Paris after the disastrous goings-on in Luxembourg that occupy most of the earlier novel.

The Paris Diversion the shifts points of view to tell the complex story behind a suicide bomber who reveals himself and his deadly payload in front of Paris’ Louvre. As the cast of characters expands to include Kate, Dexter, the bomber and other members of his terrorist cell and a police sharpshooter, the story gets richer whiles covering some familiar themes to those familiar with the first book.

A riveting tale of international terror Set in Paris. Having spent time in the City of Light, I know many of the streets the author takes us through. A must read!

Shifting points of view and an intricate plot make The Paris Diversion a quality sequel to The Expats.

Kate is back. Shuffling kids to school, throwing dinner parties, and dealing with agro-moms... but at the same time running the Paris substation for the a dark side of the American government, one that is ready to deny all knowledge of her actions. There are many conflicts that are unresolved from the plot of the expats, most importantly the distrust in the marriage. Dexter's duplicity in business dealings along with Kate's secret career do not make for a very solid relationship.

Three things converge on city to set off the plot of The Paris Diversion. Mahmoud is wearing a bomb and standing just outside the Louve. Hunter is about to announce the corporate merger worth billions of dollars. And several bombs have been placed at strategic places around Paris and several places throughout the world. Someone is orchestrating a terror attack, but the question is to what end?

The protagonist is a well-developed character and Pavone spends ample time examining her motivations in spycraft and in home life. It is a unique look at the frustrating demands of a working mother. And the author shifts the narrative responsibility from bystander to supposed villains and others enough to fully round out the conflicts. I did find that at times there was a little too much background, or at least I would suggest people make sure that they have read The Expats first before continuing on to this one to understand all the nuances of the book.

Stay tuned for a knot of threads that go headlong in a particularly fast and satisfying ending. A recommended series to anyone looking for a little more out of their spy thrillers.

Another installment in a series about a very interesting expat mom in Paris who really, really would rather be chasing bad guys than picking up her kids from school and hanging out with the other expat moms. Not many know of Kate's past life and of her real job and now she is smack dab in the center of a terrorist at the Louvre, keeping her boss and family safe and planning for her son's birthday. It is a busy day. Fast-paced, intelligent writing and an off-beat loveable heroine - this is one series that will get your heart rate up. For anyone who has ever binge-watched Homeland or loves the international antics of Steve Berry or Daniel DiSilva's spies.

I have loved all of Chris Pavone's previous titles and was thrilled to find a sequel to The Expats. Kate was one of my favorite characters and I'd been hoping to see more of her! Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this title prior to publication. I couldn't put it down!

This is a fast-paced sequel to the author's previous work, The Expats. The main character is American expat Kate Moore, a CIA operative and mom. She struggles to balance her career and marriage while maintaining her role dropping off kids and maintaining the social network among the expat community in Paris. Her husband is on the verge of a big financial deal, that will solve the couples financial plight.

This is all against the backdrop of a kidnapping and stock manipulations during a terrorist threat in Paris that has the city on edge. Kate manages to purchase her son’s birthday gift and juggle solving the connections between a kidnapping and the threats to the city of Paris. While doing this she wonders if she is nearing the end of her career.

The pacing is fast and the scenes of life living in Paris give the novel a strong feel for the life an Expat. Enough details of their life are mixed with the action unfurling on the day a man stands in the middle of the Louve with a suicide vest. I like the normal details of life juxtaposed with the life Kate Moore lives as a covert CIA operative. Lego blocks and automatic weapons are part of her life.

A worthy follow up to the Expats and the world of finance and life in a foreign city. The tension of a marriage in a rough patch and the suspicions Kate has regarding her husband’s business affairs. All on a day filled with terrorist threats and the upcoming birthday party for her son. Kate struggles with the competing demands but manages to keep everything going. This is a fun and exciting read inside another world filled with excitement and ordinariness coexisting.

The Expats is a fantastic book and I'm so happy that Chris Pavone has written this sequel. Kate is a wonderful creation it was great to see her again.
This is a great book for fans of both thrillers and espionage novels.
See review link below.

Another great story from Chris Pavone! Intricate plot and great action.
Love this author! Not to be missed.