throwmeabook's review
3.0
This review has also been posted to my blog https://throwmeabook.wordpress.com/2015/10/03/mrs-john-doe-by-tom-savage/
Way back in 1995, or thereabouts, I read my first Tom Savage novel, the fast-paced and chilling mystery thriller Precipice. Years later I came across an old copy of it at a book sale and re-read it once more. It was just as deliciously deceptive and thrilling as I remembered it to be. So of course, when I saw that there was a new Tom Savage thriller coming out, I had to get my hands on a copy of it. What follows are my thoughts after reading Mrs. John Doe.
Nora Baron, also known by her stage name Noreen Hughes, is a former actress and current drama/acting teacher on Long Island Sound. Wife to Jeff Baron, electronics consultant, and mother to Dana, she lives a fairly peaceful and idyllic life. After receiving a distressing phone call from her husband’s employer informing her of Jeff’s death, Nora travels to London, England to identify her husband’s body. As soon as she lands, things take an unexpected turn and Nora soon realises that not everyone is who they appear to be, as she unwittingly becomes a person of interest in a dangerous international conspiracy.
The first half of the book was exactly what I had expected from Tom Savage, a fast paced, unpredictable and compulsively page turning read. The author’s use of subterfuge and misdirection was excellent, and I found myself blindsided by some of the twists in the storyline. Nora Baron, as the main character was portrayed as a quite capable, strong woman, and an excellent female role model. We definitely need more books with women like her. However, as the story progressed, everything became a little too perfect and too convenient for even this book, which already at the get go requires you to suspend all disbelief. I found the ending actually quite predictable, having kind of guessed the outcome sometime in the second half of the book.
In the end, not at the same level as Precipice, but nonetheless a light and easy to read, entertaining spy thriller.
I give Mrs. John Doe 3/5 stars.
Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing (Alibi) for providing me an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.
Way back in 1995, or thereabouts, I read my first Tom Savage novel, the fast-paced and chilling mystery thriller Precipice. Years later I came across an old copy of it at a book sale and re-read it once more. It was just as deliciously deceptive and thrilling as I remembered it to be. So of course, when I saw that there was a new Tom Savage thriller coming out, I had to get my hands on a copy of it. What follows are my thoughts after reading Mrs. John Doe.
Nora Baron, also known by her stage name Noreen Hughes, is a former actress and current drama/acting teacher on Long Island Sound. Wife to Jeff Baron, electronics consultant, and mother to Dana, she lives a fairly peaceful and idyllic life. After receiving a distressing phone call from her husband’s employer informing her of Jeff’s death, Nora travels to London, England to identify her husband’s body. As soon as she lands, things take an unexpected turn and Nora soon realises that not everyone is who they appear to be, as she unwittingly becomes a person of interest in a dangerous international conspiracy.
The first half of the book was exactly what I had expected from Tom Savage, a fast paced, unpredictable and compulsively page turning read. The author’s use of subterfuge and misdirection was excellent, and I found myself blindsided by some of the twists in the storyline. Nora Baron, as the main character was portrayed as a quite capable, strong woman, and an excellent female role model. We definitely need more books with women like her. However, as the story progressed, everything became a little too perfect and too convenient for even this book, which already at the get go requires you to suspend all disbelief. I found the ending actually quite predictable, having kind of guessed the outcome sometime in the second half of the book.
In the end, not at the same level as Precipice, but nonetheless a light and easy to read, entertaining spy thriller.
I give Mrs. John Doe 3/5 stars.
Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing (Alibi) for providing me an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.
jonetta's review
4.0
Nora Baron is a former actress now teaching acting at a college in Long Island, New York. She's married to Jeff who's currently working in London. When Nora receives a call that Jeff's been killed in a car crash, her trip to London to identify his remains sets off a wild adventure.
I deliberately ignored the book blurb as I didn't want to know anything more about this story than what I wrote above. This is high intrigue at its best where you never know who to trust, nor can you tell the good guys from the bad. If you've any familiarity with London and/or Paris, you'll enjoy the romp through these settings as it's highly descriptive. You'll feel like you're there whether you've been there or not.
This was a very interesting story that ramped up to warp speed 2/3 into the story. Until then, it moved at a slower pace as I attempted to digest and analyze all the clues and details. I very much enjoyed this one and Nora Baron. She's quite the definition of a heroine.
(I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review)
I deliberately ignored the book blurb as I didn't want to know anything more about this story than what I wrote above. This is high intrigue at its best where you never know who to trust, nor can you tell the good guys from the bad. If you've any familiarity with London and/or Paris, you'll enjoy the romp through these settings as it's highly descriptive. You'll feel like you're there whether you've been there or not.
This was a very interesting story that ramped up to warp speed 2/3 into the story. Until then, it moved at a slower pace as I attempted to digest and analyze all the clues and details. I very much enjoyed this one and Nora Baron. She's quite the definition of a heroine.
(I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review)
booksuperpower's review
5.0
Mrs. John Doe by Tom Savage is a 2015 Alibi publication. I was provided a copy of this book by the publisher and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
'Tis strange- but true;
for truth is always strange;
Stranger than fiction.
Tom Savage is a master at hurling unforeseen plot twist at you, so it didn't surprise me at all that he opted to write a spy novel. Tom's writing style is absolutely perfect for this type of suspense thriller.
Nora is happily married with a college aged daughter, and a satisfying career as an actress and teacher. But, the charmed life she is living comes to a crashing halt when she receives word her beloved husband, Jeff, has been killed in a car accident while on a business trip to London.
Arriving in London, Nora, finds her husband has been listed as a“John Doe” and she must identify his remains. After this awful task is completed, Nora is attacked by a purse snatcher who apparently wants to steal Jeff's personal effects, a single act that thrust Nora into the role of a lifetime.
All the world's a stage...
Cloak and dagger suspense, dark, shadowy figures, secret agents, and a diabolical terrorist plot that must be thwarted, combines to create a non-stop thrill ride. Fasten your safety belts folks and get ready for a shocking, heart pounding, unrelenting thrill ride.
I loved Nora's character because she is so cool under pressure, she thinks on her feet, doesn't give in to hysteria, stays focused, and never gives up no matter what, not only to prevent a terrorist attack, but to find out what happened to Jeff.
LADY MCDUFF:
I have done no harm. But I remember now I am in this earthly world, where to do harm Is often laudable, to do good sometime Accounted dangerous folly. Why then, alas, Do I put up that womanly defense, To say I have done no harm?
ENTER MURDERERS:
'What are these faces?”
FIRST MURDERER Where is your husband?
LADY MCDUFF:
I hope, in no place so unsanctified Where such as thou mayst find him.
Nora is pretty much a one woman show here as she must make split decisions about who to confide in, who to trust, and of course stay alive in the process. She takes on several roles and sometimes gets things right, but sometimes she finds herself in a real pickle.
Reading this story is a lot like riding a roller coaster. The car starts off at a steady pace, climbs steep inclines, speeds up, takes hairpin twist and turns, then makes sudden drops that will take your breath away. From the first page to the last, I held on for dear life, enthralled and riveted, cheering on Mrs. John Doe, every step of the way.
Taut, cleverly plotted, action packed, and tightly woven, you won't be able to put this book down, I guarantee it.
I must confess to a few things right up front. I am a very big fan of this author, and have been sitting on pins and needles waiting for this book. Tom's trademark plot twist , despite my jadedness, never fails to surprise me, always taking me completely off guard. If you can trick me, then you will have made a fan for life.
Despite my loyalty to the author, I did approach this book with a small amount of trepidation because in all honesty, spies and espionage novels are not really my cuppa, for several reasons. But, my concerns were quickly laid to rest, as there was nothing slow or plodding, or too understated about about this book, and I found the attention to detail and the pacing to be right up my alley.
If you like fast paced, psychological twinged thrillers, packed with taut suspense and action, then you will not want to miss this one! 5 stars!
casachess's review
4.0
I would like to thank Netgalley and Random House Publishing for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.
I really enjoyed this book. I found it to be very fast-paced and thrilling, with lots of twists and turns and surprises. There was so much that I didn't see coming, which was nice for a change. The book is about Nora Baron, whose CIA spy husband dies in a mysterious car accident while working on assignment in England. When she goes to England to claim his body, she gets wrapped up in a mystery that really kept me on the edge of my seat. After reading it, I had all kinds of crazy spy dreams too, so clearly the book stuck with me.
I've never read any of Tom Savage's books, but after reading this one, I'm definitely looking forward to reading more!
I really enjoyed this book. I found it to be very fast-paced and thrilling, with lots of twists and turns and surprises. There was so much that I didn't see coming, which was nice for a change. The book is about Nora Baron, whose CIA spy husband dies in a mysterious car accident while working on assignment in England. When she goes to England to claim his body, she gets wrapped up in a mystery that really kept me on the edge of my seat. After reading it, I had all kinds of crazy spy dreams too, so clearly the book stuck with me.
I've never read any of Tom Savage's books, but after reading this one, I'm definitely looking forward to reading more!
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