Pretense

Who is killing the prime ministers of Eastern Europe, and why? First it was the Prime Minister of Slovakia, then, just days later, the Prime Minister of Poland. Interpol officer Marek Farkas, heading a team of Poland's top intelligence and internal security experts and aided by CIA and U.S. Army contacts and various European police forces, soon finds himself on the trail of, and often outwitted by, two separate but interlinked teams of assassins. This is hardly a perfect thriller: the dialogue is sometimes wooden ("You may recall that this question followed my admission that we—as in, the United States Government—were aware that both the weapon and the bullet were of American origin") or corny ("I am convinced that these two show more assassinations are the work of one mastermind with a singular purpose"), the exposition sometimes clunky ("There they were greeted by the ship's Executive Officer (XO), who welcomed them onboard, then briefed them on the location and use of the EEBD (Emergency Escape Breathing Device), in the event of a fire or smoke onboard"), and there's a Stephen Hunter-esque fascination with the minutiae of weapons tech (if you've ever wondered what "sixteen discrete but interrelated variables" can affect the trajectory of a sniper's bullet, Di Frances enumerates them—with bullet points, no less). But the plot is a hoot, zipping along from page to page, the action never flagging until, by the end, you're completely sucked in. Be forewarned, this is the first of a trilogy, and as such there's no real resolution, just an ending that prepares you for the next volume. Now I can't wait to finish the story! show less

Reminding me so much of James Bond, staying at high-level hotels, dining lavishly, and executing clever well-planned assassination assignments, this attractive, highly educated and worldly couple has been hired by a generous unknown and well funded, political instigator with specific and mysterious assignment requirements. They are being chased through the capitals of Europe by a respected Interpol detective who, by the client's gamesmanship, gets close but never quite captures the assassins. A co-conspirator is associated to them by their client. He’s a brute who has none of the couple’s finesse but who can be charming in his own right. The shock generated by his last assassination assignment threatens the fate of both show more assassination teams.

The book ends with another well-executed escape but without disclosing the name of the client or his political purpose. This disclosure has been left to another book in the series.

Pretense is the first of a series that I intend to keep reading. This first book is well written with a pace that keeps your interest. I couldn’t help but cheer for the handsome couple even though they are the criminals in this series. show less

Book one of the imbroglio trilogy. The leaders of two eastern Europe countries are assassinated. Investigators from Interpol and Poland team up with a CIA agent from the US and try to discover who is committing the crimes.
The plot moves very quickly and this book is a fast read. The writing is simple, and well done. At times the banter between the members of the investigating team gets a little tedious.
I enjoyed the book and look forward to the other books in the trilogy.

I received this book as part of LibraryThing’s Early Reviewer program.

Pretense by John Di Frances is an exciting read with plot twists that surprise and a cliffhanger ending that left me wanting the next in the 3-part Imbroglio Trilogy to appear quickly. The story is told from two perspectives – that of the criminals who smoothly carry out deadly attacks against high-profile political leaders in eastern Europe, and the investigative team including Polish police, Interpol agents, and an American CIA agent. The clues left behind point to multiple possibilities, and the team is led down dangerous paths all over Europe by the mastermind behind the criminals.

The author helpfully identifies the various weapons and agencies by their full show more names and the acronyms that he uses after the initial references. The locations are well-described and seem realistic. I found the dialog a bit stiff at times, but that doesn’t really distract from the fast-moving storyline. I would have liked to know more about the internal and personal lives of the investigators, and what drives them to go after the bad guys.

All in all, a good, quick read. show less

Imagine a Brexit-like event taking place in eastern Europe. Several countries seriously consider leaving the European Union, but unknown parties are seriously opposed to the plan. So seriously opposed that they take very deadly action in order to advance their own unknown agenda. That is the image that came to mind as I read Pretense, by John Di Frances.

Di Frances has written a novel with a plausible plot line combining international intrigue, high tech black ops and an unknown person behind the scenes orchestrating events for unknown reasons. I quite enjoyed reading the book and following the storyline as it gradually unfolded. I thought that it was well-written and entirely plausible. Being the first volume of a trilogy, there are a show more number of issues that are unresolved, particularly who is behind the scenes driving the action, and for what purpose? Which will be a good reason for me to read the second volume, The Bait, when it becomes available. show less

The story is good; I'm hooked and looking forward to reading the next book. I only have it 3 stars for two reasons. First is the dialogue; no one talks like that. The author is trying too hard. And I'm pretty sure that no one in those kind of positions would talk to a female counterpart the way these characters do. Such condescension. Which brings me to reason 2- character development, especially female characters. These women are supposed to be the top of their respective fields, but the author treats them like props. They are talked down to, leered at, and definitely treated like second class citizens only there because they are "beautiful". I liked the story, but he needs to work on the characters.

Two European prime ministers have been skillfully executed while the assassins are able to stay one step ahead of an elite international investigation team. It's not that it's a bad story but it's spoiled by the wooden writing that tries, and fails, to suggest action and speed. Given the style there is little in the way of character development. The ending was disappointing because this is only the first book of a trilogy and obviously the story is continued there. I have no intention of reading further.