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catechism's review against another edition
3.0
Lots to like about this debut: strong characters, good tradecraft, decent plotting. But the pacing seemed a bit off, and there were a ton of moving parts that weren't really given the right sort of attention for them to come together in a satisfying way. And there was ZERO debrief in a way that screamed "first in a series." Also, being the person I am, I wanted more of the couple's dysfunctional dynamics and fewer rundowns of all the secret compartments in their backpacks. I am very into secret compartments, mind you, I just also wanted more interpersonal drama to help balance things out. But seeing as how this is an espionage thriller and not an espionage romance, I feel like expectations were met.
jpeers's review against another edition
5.0
The Handler, the debut from M.P. Woodward, is a work of art and probably in my top 10 best espionage thrillers I've read. I had a nice long review written but I deleted the text on accident like a dumdum. Regardless, I cannot recommend The Handler enough.
Thanks to M.P. Woodward, the Berkeley Publishing Group and NetGalley for the opportunity to read an advance copy of The Handler!
Thanks to M.P. Woodward, the Berkeley Publishing Group and NetGalley for the opportunity to read an advance copy of The Handler!
vlaniganfoffimreading's review against another edition
4.0
This book straight up reads like a movie. For someone who will
watch Mr. and Mrs. Smith every single time it’s on I was sold on this high stakes political spy drama.
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Meredith Morris-Dale is a CIA case offer. She expects to be fired after a case goes wrong. What she doesn’t expect is a new assignment.
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John Dale wants out and he has one request, the only handler he ever trusted who happens to be his ex-wife.
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This was a compulsive spy thriller that I would love to see on the screen. One of my favorite things about spy movies or tv shows like #24 are the interpersonal relationships. This book gave that to us and then some! Side note: I am all about the glossary! I love that!
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Huge thank you to Bhc @berittalksbooks @thephdivabooks and @dg_reads for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.
watch Mr. and Mrs. Smith every single time it’s on I was sold on this high stakes political spy drama.
.
Meredith Morris-Dale is a CIA case offer. She expects to be fired after a case goes wrong. What she doesn’t expect is a new assignment.
.
John Dale wants out and he has one request, the only handler he ever trusted who happens to be his ex-wife.
.
This was a compulsive spy thriller that I would love to see on the screen. One of my favorite things about spy movies or tv shows like #24 are the interpersonal relationships. This book gave that to us and then some! Side note: I am all about the glossary! I love that!
.
Huge thank you to Bhc @berittalksbooks @thephdivabooks and @dg_reads for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.
vickijustwantstoread's review against another edition
4.0
Meredith Morris-Dale is a Handler for the CIA. She is ordered back to DC after her current asset is snatched, expecting to be in trouble, instead she is told she needs to convince her ex-husband John Dale to return to the CIA to help extract a former contact in Iran. Complicated doesn't begin to cover her feelings toward having to see her ex. They met when she was his Handler, fell in love, married and had a daughter. After he is suspended from the CIA they end up divorcing. Due to the circumstances of his suspension she knows he's not going to be willing to come back, especially with her boss, Ed Rance, involved. She gets the expected response but after he discovers someone tailing him in town and then finds a sniper on his property he agrees to return but only if she is his Handler and Rance is not in the loop of his whereabouts. His former contact in Iran,, Zana Rahimi, is a nuclear physicist whose daughter was killed in a plane crash caused by a misfired Iranian missile. To complicate things even more, the Russians are monitoring things and on Meredith & John's trail.
Sometimes spy thrillers are too long or too technical. This one was neither. I stayed on the edge of my seat and didn't want to stop reading. When you see the cast of characters you think, 'that's so many people to keep up with' but the story is so well laid out that I didn't have any trouble with it.
Sometimes spy thrillers are too long or too technical. This one was neither. I stayed on the edge of my seat and didn't want to stop reading. When you see the cast of characters you think, 'that's so many people to keep up with' but the story is so well laid out that I didn't have any trouble with it.
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