'The Accident': book review
Chris Pavone's suspenseful thriller is set in the worlds of book publishing and global media; also reviewed: Anne Thompson's 'The $11 Billion Year,' Felix Martin's 'Money: The Unauthorized Biography' and Caeli Wolfson Widger's 'Real Happy Family'
NEW YORK DAILY NEWS
Sunday, February 23, 2014, 2:00 AM
Chris Pavone follows up "The Expats" with “The Accident,” about a provocative and dangerous book manuscript.
- Publisher: Crown
- Genre: Fiction
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“The Accident,” Chris Pavone’s followup novel to his debut best seller,
“The Expats,” is a slick blend of suspense and savvy as a media
overlord’s choke hold on the power establishment is threatened by, of
all things, a manuscript.
Wolfe Media, ruled by Charlie Wolfe, ascended by breaking exposés on two dozen websites before consuming newspapers and television stations across the world. In the U.S., its cable channel is a loud, haranguing presence and a ratings triumph.
All of that is jeopardized by a manuscript that shows up on the desk of
Isabel Reed, the “once-famous” literary agent at Atlantic Talent
Management. Reed used to be known for the high-profile books she
shepherded onto the best seller lists. But she’s getting older and,
slowed by a personal tragedy, is falling behind the hot young things
creating buzz in publishing.
Reed knows that what’s revealed is explosive. Wolfe, who has political ambitions, killed a woman in his youth and turned to his powerful father to hatch the coverup. As malignant is the disclosure of the CIA’s involvement in the company’s exposés. It seems Wolfe Media scoops may have been hand-delivered by the agency, the equivalent of a public execution for a targeted politician or businessman.
What the literary agent has reason to doubt is the veracity of the charges, particularly since the title page reads “The Accident by Anonymous.” The email address listed proves defunct. Reed is finally convinced when her assistant, who had a first look at the manuscript before she turned it over, is murdered.
Pavone’s marvelous setup is the prelude to an effective thriller that
intercuts scenes from Anonymous’ life on the run, a rogue CIA officer’s
pursuit with lethal intent, and Reed’s sometimes quavering efforts to
protect the property on the way to publishing it. Also, her life is at
stake since she can’t unknow what she has learned even if the manuscript
“disappears.”
Wolfe Media, ruled by Charlie Wolfe, ascended by breaking exposés on two dozen websites before consuming newspapers and television stations across the world. In the U.S., its cable channel is a loud, haranguing presence and a ratings triumph.
“The Accident” follows a literary agent as she tries to determine the veracity of an explosive manuscript that has landed on her desk.
Reed knows that what’s revealed is explosive. Wolfe, who has political ambitions, killed a woman in his youth and turned to his powerful father to hatch the coverup. As malignant is the disclosure of the CIA’s involvement in the company’s exposés. It seems Wolfe Media scoops may have been hand-delivered by the agency, the equivalent of a public execution for a targeted politician or businessman.
What the literary agent has reason to doubt is the veracity of the charges, particularly since the title page reads “The Accident by Anonymous.” The email address listed proves defunct. Reed is finally convinced when her assistant, who had a first look at the manuscript before she turned it over, is murdered.
Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/music-arts/chris-pavane-accident-book-review-article-1.1618728#ixzz2uC7q2c9b
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