Die Diplomatin

Not denying that I was tempted by this novel after enjoying a rewatch of the Netflix show The Diplomat. And while this was not an as-high-stakes thriller, I was equally entertained and enjoyed it for its pragmatic view on the field and the writing's quiet humor. Not to say that there weren't stakes in this. It was very good at portraying the smaller yet equally devastating events at a very human scale, that fall to the hands of diplomats to smooth over in order to maintain the fine balance between nation states. And the imprints those can leave on even the most pragmatic souls. Fricke also did a great job in keeping certain character and plot points close, so you got to connect your own dots after the reveals.