The Ambassador (The Diplomat Thrillers #1)
SEARCH IN  
Click here to buy posters
In Association with Amazon.com
 
ORDER EBOOK
 BUY THE EBOOK
  
 
It’s no big secret that the political activity that’s reported by your favorite news source is really just the tip of the iceberg. Every day, agreements and alliances are made and broken without making headlines. In The Ambassador, author and former diplomat Tom Fletcher follows one man’s quest to fight through the politics to uncover the truth.

The story begins on a typical night for Ambassador Ed Barnes—another event at the British Embassy in Paris, where he’ll connect with all the right people before giving a speech that seems to say everything while actually saying very little. But then, in the middle of his speech, the unthinkable happens. A human rights activist who’s taken refuge at the Embassy dies on camera, sparking international outrage. Though the governments involved decide to rule it a suicide, Ed isn’t convinced, so he sets off around the world in search of answers.

As Ed travels from Paris to Oxford to Copenhagen and beyond, he slowly pieces together information about what happened that night at the British Embassy—and why. In the process, though, he faces plenty of dead ends, a whole lot of family drama, and layers upon layers of lies and cover-ups and dangerous plots. Ed’s story is definitely complex, loaded with politics and conspiracies—and that tends to make it a difficult one to follow.

From the beginning, the author introduces a multitude of characters: embassy staff, fellow diplomats and other colleagues, family members, journalists, activists, and more. And as Ed continues his quest for answers, he encounters more and more characters—so many, in fact, that it’s nearly impossible to keep track of them all without taking notes. The story, too, is incredibly complicated, with all of these different characters possibly caught up in one conspiracy or another—from secret political alliances to technological warfare to personal vendettas—or connected to one another in unexpected relationships.

After reading this novel, you’ll be left with absolutely no doubt that the life and work of a diplomat is incredibly complex—but it also makes for some slow and heavy reading. Had the twists and turns, the conspiracies, and the cast of characters been simplified just slightly—so readers wouldn’t have to spend so much time and effort trying to recall all of the details—this diplomatic thriller would have been a little more satisfying.

If you enjoy diving into the deep, dark secrets of politics, you may find this insider’s take an intriguing one—but you’ll need to set aside plenty of uninterrupted time to be able to wade through its endless complexities. If you prefer stories that you can follow without taking detailed notes, this one isn’t for you.


Listen to the review on Shelf Discovery:

Submissions Contributors Advertise About Us Contact Us Disclaimer Privacy Links Awards Request Review Contributor Login
© Copyright 2002 - 2024 NightsAndWeekends.com. All rights reserved.