Review: A WORLD I NEVER MADE by James LePore

Thanks to Julie from FSB Associates for sending me this book!

Life takes an interesting turn when Megan Nolan, a young American journalist investigating terrorist cells in Morocco, meets a handsome Saudi national who offers her easy access to the region where the terrorists are known to hide. Lahani, however, is not what he seems to be and Megan soon finds herself running from invisible assailants.

Fast forward a year and Pat, Megan’s father, is called and asked to travel to Europe to identify his daughter. As his journey leads him to clues that Megan has left for him to find, Pat travels across Europe with a French police detective trying to find out what happened to his daughter but is soon on the run himself from unknown assailants.

This book contains all the elements of a readable thriller: suspense, exotic locations, evil-doers and good guys and a touch of romance thrown in. Though I did not find the characters to be completely believable because they fit a mold too well, – Pat is tall and handsome and his daughter a beauty - I found their character flaws believable enough to lend the story a certain realism. They have life baggage to lug around and that added plenty of colour to the story.

The plot could have been stereotypical because the bad guys were French and Saudi Arabian, but it was saved from that fate by having characters both good and bad from those cultures. Gypsies were also featured fairly prominently in the story line and that added interest as well. I was slightly confused about the plot here and there but that probably had more to do with having to put the book down for two days while I was busy.

The story is told from two perspectives – Megan’s and her father’s. As it follows Megan, the reader is taken back a year to events that eventually lead up to Pat’s involvement. Then, it’s forward in time and we see things from Pat’s perspective as he desperately tries to figure out who is after him and why.

I recommend this book for those who enjoy fast-paced, suspenseful novels with a touch of the exotic.