The Paris Diversion

A Novel

By: Chris Pavone

Narrated by: Mozhan Marnò

"The most clever plot twist of the year." (Washington Post)

"I nominate Kate Moore, the protagonist of Chris Pavone’s sizzling new thriller The Paris Diversion, for patron saint of working wives and mothers everywhere." (Marilyn Stasio, The New York Times Book Review)

"The Paris Diversion is the best espionage novel I’ve read this year. Smart, sophisticated and suspenseful, this is Pavone’s finest novel to date - and that’s saying something." (Harlan Coben, number one New York Times best-selling author of Fool Me Once)

"Deliciously twisty.... This involving work has been skillfully engineered for maximum reader enjoyment." (The Wall Street Journal)

From the New York Times best-selling author of The Expats. Kate Moore is back in a pulse-pounding thriller to discover that a massive terror attack across Paris is not what it seems - and that it involves her family.

American expat Kate Moore drops her kids at the international school, makes her rounds of chores, and meets her husband Dexter at their regular café: a leisurely start to a normal day, St-Germain-des-Prés.

Across the Seine, tech CEO Hunter Forsyth stands on his balcony, wondering why his police escort just departed, and frustrated that his cell service has cut out; Hunter has important calls to make, not all of them technically legal.

And on the nearby rue de Rivoli, Mahmoud Khalid climbs out of an electrician’s van and elbows his way into the crowded courtyard of the world’s largest museum. He sets down his metal briefcase, and removes his windbreaker.

That’s when people start to scream.

Everyone has big plans for the day. Dexter is going to make a small fortune, finally digging himself out of a deep financial hole, via an extremely risky investment. Hunter is going to make a huge fortune, with a major corporate acquisition that will send his company’s stock soaring. Kate has less ambitious plans: preparations for tonight’s dinner party - one of those homemaker obligations she still hasn’t embraced, even after a half-decade of this life - and an uneventful workday at the Paris Substation, the clandestine cadre of operatives that she’s been running, not entirely successfully, increasingly convinced that every day could be the last of her career. But every day is also a fresh chance to prove her own relevance, never more so than during today’s momentous events.

And Mahmoud? He is planning to die today. And he won’t be the only one.

©2019 Chris Pavone (P)2019 Random House Audio

Critic reviews

"I tore through The Paris Diversion, completely caught up in the thrilling story of one remarkable day in Paris. With its twisting, high-stakes plot, all-too-human characters, and unrelenting tension, I couldn’t read it fast enough! I absolutely loved it - highly recommended!" (Shari Lapena, New York Times best-selling author of The Couple Next Door)

“A fast-paced and heartfelt thriller set in the world of espionage and terrorism that echoes the best of John le Carré." (Associated Press)

"Pavone’s timely new thriller spins through 12 hours and multiple voices to a startling conclusion." (BBC Culture)

"Thriller writing at its absolute best. With echoes of Graham Greene and John le Carré, Pavone’s novel accomplishes that rare feat of being both a nonstop adventure ride and a smart, stylish and compelling meditation on family, courage, responsibilities, and the relationships we create, for good and bad, throughout our lives. The Paris Diversion does far more than divert; it grips us from the very beginning and doesn’t let go." (Jeffery Deaver, New York Times best-selling author of The Cutting Edge)

"[A] fast-paced thriller...shelve alongside le Carré, Forsyth, and other masters of foreign intrigue." (Kirkus Reviews)

Entertaining

This was a good way to spend time recovering from tooth extraction surgery. Entertaining. Not crazy deep, not super believable, didn’t challenge the reader in any sort of concrete way, but it was a good listen.

Engaging listen

Terrific performance by the narrator, who really brought the characters to life. Story tended to get a bit confusing towards the end as the pace quickens, exciting overall

Thumbs up!

Perfect summer read ... a real page turner even though I listened to the audio version. GREAT NARRATION by Mozhan Marnò!!

Mozhan Marno is Terrific Reader of an intricately crafted Thriller

Chris Pavone’s fabulously written espionage thrillers The Ex Pat and The Paris Diversion become alive and further engrossing with Marno’s crisp, resonant reading. I was extremely disappointed to listen to Pavone’s recent book, narrated by a different, and distinctly less engrossing narrator. Bring back Mozhan!!! AND, bring back Kate! Please!

Terrific addition to this genre! AND in PARIS!

Well done and engrossing. Complex enough to keep one's attention. Love the detailed back-drop of Paris, Venice and Hong Kong with realistic details. Listened all is one day. Characters are believable.

Great part 2 - anxious for part 3

This story was a continuation of the Expats so I highly recommend experiencing that book first. This story kept up the pace and did a good job with locale and narrative. Very engaging. Great narrator.

A thriller at ease with technology and the culture of our time

This entertaining thriller is so smart and contemporary you won't want to put it down. I enjoyed how savvy and at ease the writing is about technology and the big role it plays in our world. The main character , a woman,named Kate , is a credible working mom and only slightly less believable security professional. The international atmosphere is appealing, especially Paris. There are quite a few characters and It was quite difficult to follow each of their stories. But in general at this is the best espionage type thriller I've read in a long time. Narration w
Excellent.

Intricate, well developed but the end lacked

They say a bad book with a great ending will be remembered as a good story, but a very good book with a weak ending will be remembered as a mediocre story. This will be remembered as mediocre because several issues were not tied up at the end, and it was lackluster finale - (Spoiler Alert) despite the shootout. Not enough antipathy was developed between the protagonist and the antagonist, so I didn't really care when they met at the end. We wonder about the fate of several characters who we're told are second-tier, but in fact they hold critical places in the story and we don't know what happened to them. Maybe I missed a point about the infant, but I thought she lost the baby in the middle bathroom stall? Was this live baby in the story abducted? Why else would the woman call it 'the little fu**er' without suggesting that was said affectionately? Seems the author ran out of steam to finish well.

Ok

It’s ok. A diverting read. Could have done with some editing to cut out some of the text that adds nothing to the story line (Kate’s inner thoughts etc). The plot is good. Ending is terrible.

Doesn’t hold together very well

Basic premise is a long shot - typical evil business man duped into playing along with phony officials - throw in some cheap shots at our current President- lots of moral reflections about should have, could have, ?? What do we have at the end - a feeling of 11 hours wasted!