• International
  • Politics
  • Sports
  • Books
  • Television
  • Contact
No Result
View All Result
CN News Today: Latest News Online
Copyright
Privacy Policy
  • International
  • Politics
  • Sports
  • Books
  • Television
  • Contact
No Result
View All Result
CN News Today: Latest News Online
No Result
View All Result
Home Books
A Spy Thriller That Mixes Fact and Fiction to Harrowing Effect

A Spy Thriller That Mixes Fact and Fiction to Harrowing Effect

CN News Today: Latest News Online by CN News Today: Latest News Online
July 6, 2021
in Books
Reading Time: 3 mins read
0

THE COVER WIFE
By Dan Fesperman

Spy thrillers have always had a complex relationship to history. Even the most escapist fantasies rely on familiar backgrounds like World War II or the Cold War to supply context and credibility, raise the stakes and, most important, provide the villains. Yet, being popular fictions — at least that’s the hope — spy stories naturally push against fact as well, rewriting history, whether as wish fulfillment or what-if, worst-case scenario. In “The Cover Wife,” Dan Fesperman charts a different, braver course, working his fiction seamlessly into the facts, writing his characters into the past and weaving his story into the warp of history’s nightmares. The result is a sharp, smart novel that hits fast and hard, its reverberations echoing after the last page is turned.

Claire Saylor is a C.I.A. agent stationed in Paris, which is not too bad, considering she is under a shadow owing to professional and personal transgressions during an op gone wrong in Berlin. She is summoned to a private rendezvous with none other than Paul Bridger, the kind of “essentially unknowable” mystery man who keeps a place overlooking the Bois de Boulogne but also heads off for annual solo trips to the remote American West. In other words, he’s irresistible, and the very partner with whom Claire was entangled back in Berlin. This time, Bridger has a weird one up his sleeve; Claire will be attending an academic conference in Hamburg, posing as the wife of an obscure American scholar of Arabic and Aramaic, who is about to be thrust into the limelight, and perhaps the cross hairs, with his scandalous reading of the Quran.

The scheme seems ridiculous to Claire: a book tour, arranged by a C.I.A.-backed foundation, using the poor prof as bait in an attempt to draw out possible terrorists. To muddy matters further, Bridger has a second assignment for Claire, this one so secret even her colleagues can’t know: to check out the young Islamic extremists gathering at a Hamburg mosque. Toss in a dastardly C.I.A. higher-up looking for redemption, an F.B.I. agent spying, essentially, on the C.I.A., a couple of other characters with double duties of their own and, oh, yeah, the actual German security service, and the pot is ready to boil.

There are some missteps along the way. The writing is sometimes less than fresh (Paul’s blue-green eyes invite you to “swim straight through to his soul”) and characters with dramatically important secrets seem to think undercover, even when the narration is deep in their minds. Are they dissembling even to themselves? Or just conveniently staying in character for the reader’s sake?

But these quibbles matter little as the story picks up speed, and Fesperman plays to his strengths, fashioning gripping plotlines out of his deep knowledge of history and politics, setting and culture, sketching in C.I.A. operatives, Muslim extremists and F.B.I. agents with equal credibility. I was particularly taken with how he manages to shift the tone of the narrative as momentum builds. Early scenes seem ripe for romantic comedy — secret agents with a secret romance reconnecting; a nerdy, married professor who is thrilled to share his bedroom with a charming agent disguised in dreary Midwestern clothes she’d never wear at Paris station — or even farce: The professor’s blasphemous discovery — one that made actual headlines back in 2004 — is that the “virgins” promised by the Quran to Jihadist martyrs might more accurately be a mistranslation of “raisins.” But as violence erupts and the truth unravels, we find ourselves in a thriller, one that is all the more chilling for running right into fact, and then diving straight into the darkest days of our own recent past. And here the author uncovers a deeper truth, about human limitations and the consequences of systemic failure. In the end, “The Cover Wife” lands like a punch in the heart, or an arrow finding its mark. Or a stolen plane flying into a tower on a clear blue morning.

Previous Post

Book Review: ‘Fox & I,’ by Catherine Raven

Next Post

Debut Novels by Jesse McCarthy, Gabriel Krauze and Mohamed Mbougar Sarr

Related Posts

Review: ‘Mount Chicago,’ by Adam Levin
Books

Review: ‘Mount Chicago,’ by Adam Levin

by CN News Today: Latest News Online
August 7, 2022
0

<p class="css-798hid etfikam0"...

Read more
Poems in Practice and in Theory

Poems in Practice and in Theory

August 6, 2022
‘Mothercare’ Takes a Hard Look at What Happens When Duty Outlives Love

‘Mothercare’ Takes a Hard Look at What Happens When Duty Outlives Love

August 4, 2022
Review: ‘The Last White Man,’ by Mohsin Hamid

Review: ‘The Last White Man,’ by Mohsin Hamid

August 4, 2022

Recent News

Roy Keane warns Manchester United to make a winning start or Cristiano Ronaldo situation ‘could get ugly’

Roy Keane warns Manchester United to make a winning start or Cristiano Ronaldo situation ‘could get ugly’

August 8, 2022
SP Chief Akhilesh Yadav to Start Tiranga Campaign with Padayatra from Kannauj, Meet Families of Freedom Fighters

SP Chief Akhilesh Yadav to Start Tiranga Campaign with Padayatra from Kannauj, Meet Families of Freedom Fighters

August 8, 2022
Money Laundering Case: ED to Produce Sanjay Raut Before Special Court in Mumbai

Money Laundering Case: ED to Produce Sanjay Raut Before Special Court in Mumbai

August 8, 2022
As ‘RCP Row’ Unravels Threads of Coalition Fabric in Bihar, RJD Waits on Side With Stitching Needle

As ‘RCP Row’ Unravels Threads of Coalition Fabric in Bihar, RJD Waits on Side With Stitching Needle

August 8, 2022
Roy Keane warns Manchester United to make a winning start or Cristiano Ronaldo situation ‘could get ugly’

Roy Keane warns Manchester United to make a winning start or Cristiano Ronaldo situation ‘could get ugly’

August 8, 2022
SP Chief Akhilesh Yadav to Start Tiranga Campaign with Padayatra from Kannauj, Meet Families of Freedom Fighters

SP Chief Akhilesh Yadav to Start Tiranga Campaign with Padayatra from Kannauj, Meet Families of Freedom Fighters

August 8, 2022
Beautiful during sunrise with illuminated buildings on the River Thames at Tower Bridge and Financial district in City of London, England.
CN News Today: Latest News Online

CN News Today: Latest News Online
View the latest news and breaking news today for U.S., world, weather, entertainment, politics and health at News Today

No Result
View All Result
  • International
  • Politics
  • Sports
  • Books
  • Television
  • Contact

© 2022 JNews - Premium WordPress news & magazine theme by Jegtheme.

We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. By clicking “Accept”, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies.
Do not sell my personal information.
Cookie settingsACCEPT
Manage consent

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously.
CookieDurationDescription
cookielawinfo-checbox-analytics11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics".
cookielawinfo-checbox-functional11 monthsThe cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional".
cookielawinfo-checbox-others11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other.
cookielawinfo-checkbox-necessary11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-performance11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance".
viewed_cookie_policy11 monthsThe cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. It does not store any personal data.
Functional
Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features.
Performance
Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors.
Analytics
Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc.
Advertisement
Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads.
Others
Other uncategorized cookies are those that are being analyzed and have not been classified into a category as yet.
SAVE & ACCEPT