Our American Friend

What if Melania Trump had ties to the KGB all along? This intriguing premise is the basis of Our American Friend.

First Lady Lara Caine wants an author to write her biography, and she selects journalist Sofie Morse to do the honors. As Sofie develops a relationship with Lara, she learns more about Lara's childhood in Moscow and Paris, and the events that led to her father's mysterious death. Events that seem safely in the past prove to have repercussions through time, and as we glean from the present-day timeline, Sofie is in trouble (and in exile in Croatia).

I loved the premise of this novel, and found it to be an enjoyable read. It starts very slowly and rather confusingly, but revelations about halfway through the book changed the narrative and sped up the pace considerably. I read the last third of the book frantically - I had to know what happened!

There are three timelines that weave throughout this book, and that can get confusing at times. I especially had trouble differentiating between Sofie-today and Sofie-last year (and sometimes Sofie-two years ago?), and found that confusion a bit distracting, specifically when timelines would shift mid-chapter. But again about halfway through the book, things gelled into place and it was much easier to follow.

I would recommend this book to fans of political thrillers, historical fiction, and spy novels.

Thanks to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for the ARC.

Pub Date 2/15/22 #OurAmericanFriend #Netgalley