I truly enjoyed The Paris Diversion (Kate Moore, #2) by Chris Pavone. I did not realize that I was reading the second book in a series until I read some of the reviews. Some reviewers warned/complained that this book would not make sense if you did not read the first one. Not necessarily true. If you are a speed reader or an impatient reader who can't wait to know how everything is revealed, then this isn't your book, or maybe you do need to read the other one. However, I had no bias, no background, and frankly was satisfied and thrilled to keep asking myself, "Who done it? What is the real story? Where is all this going?"

I am not giving any spoilers. I was fascinated with the detail of devious behavior in this book as nearly every character has some level of evil that comes out. I had to laugh when the author in the acknowledgments states that he did not write this book as a terroristic manual. Maybe so, but he either has a very detailed cunning INTELLIGENT mind, or his detail to research is out of this world. I was very interested in how people succeed in being criminals and covering their tracks. To me, the story seemed so real. At first, it felt like a re-enactment of terroristic events in Paris, but then as I kept reading, I fully understood why the title is "The Paris Diversion." I am fascinated with the word "diversion". Prior to this book, I had finished a book by another author with a silly title that had nothing to do with the book. Yes, it offended my intelligence. This title neatly packages the summary and purpose of the story.

I was fascinated with all the stories, but I actually felt empathetic the most toward the suicide bomber and also his executioner. If you haven't read the book, that alone should tempt you to read it to wonder why I would say that. I also loved the ending. Not only was it unexpected, but after pages of evil and things that I could barely stomach, the ending was humanitarian. I love books with a happy ending. But yes, it was written so that there could be yet another book. I also love the idea that not every character was blinded to think that money was the solution to all the problems in the world. If this book doesn't make you want to hug your children and appreciate every moment of their lives, I don't know what would! ( )

Enjoyed the complexity. Characters were quite good. And the plot was a little twisted. Not too in-depth though from my liking. ( )

The Paris Option- Chris Pavone
This is my second attempt to read a book by the author. I didn’t like The Travelers, which I found to be disjointed and boring, and sadly the same was true, at least for me with this book.
A number of reviewers like this author’s books so I am in the minority, but the characters in the book were uninteresting and the story unfolds painfully slowly. ( )

Thriller. ( )

An interesting, complex mystery. Lots of characters, a bit hard to follow at first, especially as an audiobook, but I enjoyed it a lot. ( )