John Grisham really can write. This novel too is well written, but the plot of espionage is somewhat woolly. Joel Backman, once the power broker in Washington languishes in prison after a scandal involving military secrets, when he is suddenly pardoned by outgoing President Morgan. He is spirited off to a safe house in Bologna where he is helped to acquire a new identity. Unfortunately for Joel the CIA are not playing straight. They wanted him pardoned only because he has secrets squirreled away somewhere and they are keen to see who tries to kill him first: the Russians, the Israelis, the Chinese or the Saudis.
Joel’s problems make for an interesting if not enthralling read, he spends much time in Bologna with his handler-guard Luigi, and studies intensely to master Italian, and Italian social customs and ways of dressing while plotting how to escape. The book is an enjoyable read even if the plot-tension is something less than we are used to. The moral conflicts in the novel are often solved as a typical spy-plot, where the scope justify any means.
A.D. (Ireland, 2005)