A World I Never Made
by James LePore
Copyright: 2008. 2009
Pages: 262
Rating: 4/5
Read: April 1– 5, 2011
Challenge: Criminal Plots Reading Challenge
Yearly Count: 17
Format: Print
First Line: Dad, I don’t owe you or anybody an explanation, but I think you’ll appreciate the irony of a suicide note coming from a person who has abhorred tradition all of her life.
Blurb: Pat Nolan, an American man, is summoned to Paris to claim the body of his estranged daughter Megan, who has committed suicide. The body, however, is not Megan’s and it becomes instantly clear to Pat that Megan staged this, that she is in serious trouble, and that she is calling to him for help. This sends Pat on an odyssey that stretches across France and into the Czech Republic and that makes him the target of both the French police and a band of international terrorists. Joining Pat on his search is Catherine Laurence, a beautiful but tormented Paris detective who sees in Pad something she never thought she’d find – genuine passion and desperate need. As they look for Megan, they come closer to each other’s souls and discover love when both had long given up on it. Juxtaposed against this story is Megan’s story. A freelance journalist, Megan is in Morocco to do research when she meets Abdel Lahani, a Saudi businessman. They begin a torrid affair, a game Megan has played often and well in her adult life. But what she discovers about Lahani puts her in the center of a different kind of game, one with rules she can barely comprehend. Because of her relationship with Lahani, Megan has made some considerable enemies. And she has put the lives of many – may even millions – at risk.
Review: I received this book as part of the Pump Up Your Book blog tour. This was definitely a thrill ride of a book from the first page. The storyline was a little more complex than I really prefer in my books and alternating storylines aren’t my favorites either, but overall I still enjoyed it. The characters were very well-developed. I don’t read a lot of political thrillers overall, but I really enjoyed this one. Mr. LePore is a very talented author, he definitely has a way with descriptions. To be completely honest, the plot felt a little bit rushed, but I think that was because he was trying to have such a complex story in a short 262 pages. I would highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a good thrilling roller coaster ride of a book! Having just previously read and reviewed Blood of My Brother, I can only hope that Mr. LePore has a long and prosperous writing career.