So the first book I’ve read this year is The Accident. And wow.

The Accident the second book I’ve read from Chris Pavone, the first being The Travelers. And I don’t know what kind of writing world this guy is from, but it’s a whole lot more interesting than mine.

The Accident follows 24 hours in the life of a manuscript anonymously delivered to literary agent Isabel Reed, an unauthorized tell-all biography of media mogul Charlie Wolfe, complete with a damning accusation of murder and a cover-up. Meanwhile, Wolfe hires former CIA operative Hayden Gray to track down and destroy the manuscript. And the author is hiding Zurich, with a surprising connection to the author, the agent, and the cover-up. As the day progresses, Isabel finds everyone close to her that has encountered the manuscript mysteriously murdered, and she desperately searches for someone to trust. That someone turns out to be Jeffrey Fielder, an agent at another publishing house, and a longtime friend. As this one harrowing day progresses, we see how far Charlie Wolfe’s reach extends and the lengths to which he is willing to go to make sure this manuscript never sees the light of day.

Like The Travelers, The Accident starts very slowly – the first act took six or seven attempts to get through – but it finishes strong as the action unfolds. Strangely, though, even though The Accident is the earlier work, the pacing, the action, and the storytelling seem a bit stronger here. Isabel Reed is a very likable protagonist; an everywoman dropped in WAY over her head. I respected her smarts as she used common sense to get past most of the obstacles put in her way.

I was very impressed with The Accident, and I’m becoming a fan of Chris Pavone. I’m going to have to find The Expats and see what that was about.

Rating: 4 stars

#2017 #bookreview #Thriller #ChrisPavone #TheAccident #writing