There's a really simple, satisfying structure to this book that revolves around killing people. You find out pretty early on how many people are going to be killed by one of the characters (an assassin) so for the rest of the book you're comfortable among the chaos, the pizazz, the shocks and revelations.
It's a very clever way of constructing a plot, but the book is full of all kinds of lovely touches that will make any thriller fan grin. I love those satisfying moments that make me feel like a story is oozing joy from the pages, through my fingers, into my belly. Nice work, Joe Schreiber.
I suppose I should tell you a bit about the plot. There's a crazy European Chick. Some people die. It's delightful. I won't tell you any more than that because I hate it when reviews give away any plot details of a thriller. The writer has worked very hard to give you the tingle of excitement that you get when you don't know what's going to happen next and you just have to find out. I'm the last person in the world who'd want to ruin that.
There's a bit of blurb on the back of the book that in my opinion gives away too much, so don't read that either. Just read the book. It also says on the back of the book that if you like 'Kill Bill' and 'Kick Ass' you'll enjoy 'Au Revoir, Crazy European Chick'. That might be true, but it's a lame comparison. This book is far more interesting. If you really want a movie comparison, it's a lot (a LOT) like 'Collateral', the Tom Cruise/assassin thriller.
As a writer of assassin thrillers myself, I welcome another angle on the genre. This one's a gem. It's loads of fun, genuinely exciting and funny. I think there's already a lot of hype around this one, but for once the book deserves it. The shame is that the hype (so far) seems to ignore the depth of the book. It's not just a book of blood, action, chase blah-blah-blah. It's much better than that. A proper good read.
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