Shake Off

I struggled to get into this novel, despite a longstanding affection for thrillers, mysteries and espionage yarns. This one, despite a very promising premise, plods, ambles and meanders. Perhaps the details of tradecraft and all the routine precautions of Michel's existence is more like what day-to-day life is like for a 'real' spy, but if you're more than 100 pages into the book (as I was) and still have no idea of what the point is and are wondering whether it will ever pick up, that's a sign of trouble.

Yes, it eventually got a bit better, but never really delivered on the promise implied by the fact that the spy in question is working for the Palestinians, and trained by the Soviets, while working undercover in London and then finding himself on the run. That should have made for drama and a book that was at least somewhat hard to put down. Instead, I kept putting it down and forgetting to pick it up again. Yes, the writing is very good, which boosts it from a 2/2.5 star rating. The pacing, however, is a real problem -- and that's coming from a reader with a high tolerance for character-driven novels. 3.2 stars. I don't need formulaic poorly-written novels, but I also can't imagine what might prompt me to pick up this book for a re-read. Had it not been an Early Review book, probably wouldn't have finished it at all. ( )

This is the first time I've read a spy story told from a non-American perspective and it was quite good. It was a well-written and told story. I would recommend it to anyone who enjoys the spy genre.

If you train someone to be a spy, don't be surprised if you can't find him when he runs off. ( )

This is a really entertaining spy thriller, set in the late 1980's. The story is told though Michel, a young Palestinian man who was orphaned in the 1982 attacks on the refugee camps in Beirut. He is taken in by a Lebanese family and educated. A mysterious "uncle" enters his life and he is sent to Cyprus and then Germany to finish his education. At the same time he is trained in the black arts of the professional spy. Michel thinks he is advancing the Palestinian cause and working for the PLO as he carries out missions for his handler couriering documents and laundering money. His world changes dramatically when his "uncle" who became his handler, is shot down in the street in Berlin. After that, Michel is chased throughout Europe by Israeli Mossad agents who are after a document that Michel obtained from a courier. It's an exciting chase that eventually leads to Scotland and a surprising revelation about Michel's handler. There's even a happy ending, which seemed unlikely. I highly recommend this book, especially to fans of spy thrillers. Also, it provides a rarely heard perspective on the ongoing Palestinian struggle with Israel.

I received my copy of the through the Early Reviewer program. ( )

This book was billed as a spy thriller and high action. I didn't think it had a lot of action, but was a well-written story about a young man who is a Palestinian. The books tells the story of his life, how he came to be an undercover agent. , and mainly focuses on his life as the undercover agent. I enjoyed the story. ( )