Burned

August 18, 2014
An overly familiar story line mars Plame and Lovett’s second novel featuring CIA agent Vanessa Pierson. Vanessa, who works for the CIA’s counterproliferation division, has an appointment to meet an asset, Farid, outside the Louvre in Paris. Farid could help her catch the international terrorist Bhoot, who eluded her in 2013’s Blowback. Instead of Farid, Vanessa spots a suicide bomber just before he blows himself up. Many bystanders are killed or injured, but not Vanessa. Later, Bhoot contacts her to claim that another organization was behind the explosion. Her path to determining whether Bhoot is being truthful follows well-trod terrain, including a mole hunt and a torrid relationship with a colleague that she endeavors to keep secret. Readers may be disappointed that Plame, who served in the same CIA unit as Vanessa, provides the kind of insider details to be found in any standard spy thriller. Agents: Elyse Cheney, Elyse Cheney Literary (Plame); Theresa Park, Park Literary (Lovett).

September 15, 2014
In former CIA spy Plame's second novel, covert operative Vanessa Pierson is again pitted against rogue arms dealer Bhoot, who, she's surprised to discover, isn't in possession of a miniaturized nuclear prototype smuggled out of Iran. If he isn't, who is? The untrustworthy Bhoot makes direct contact with Pierson for the first time ever following an explosion outside the Louvre that nearly kills her. He says he had nothing to do with the suicide attack, but does that mean that True Jihad, a new group claiming responsibility for it, does? And are they the ones with the device? Assigned to a special task force headed by the patronizing French intelligence director, Pierson and her enigmatic lover from the series debut, Blowback (2013), tiptoe around their hidden steamy romance when not sleuthing side by side. Another of her informants is killed, and on the way from Paris to Turkey, identities are blown. But certain dark secrets remain in place. Following their solid first effort, Plame and co-writer Lovett (creator of the Dr. Sylvia Strange series) run aground. The first 100 pages are plodding, the writing filled with cliches and unnecessary descriptions of how dangerous even a tiny nuke is. And once things get going, Burned still lacks a certain spark. Part of the problem is Plame hasn't yet decided how tough she wants Vanessa to be. While her klutziness is meant to be part of her charm, would someone in her position still be asking which "thingy" on her spy pen to press to record conversations? For that matter, after decades of James Bond stories, are there any enemy spies left who would be fooled by such a bug? All the elements are in place for a satisfying thriller, but Plame's sophomore effort disappoints.

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October 15, 2014
CIA officer Vanessa Pierson, who debuted in Blowback (2013), is still chasing notorious international arms dealer Bhoot, this time with a miniature nuclear weapon at stake. A suicide bombing outside the Louvre, where Vanessa goes to meet an asset, is considered the arms dealer's work. But Bhoot denies responsibility (soon claimed by the terrorist group True Jihad) and connects with Vanessa, claiming they both had been betrayed and leaving Vanessa looking for a mole. Complications abound: Team Viper, the task force running the operation to find Bhoot and the nuke, is an international group that includes Lebanese-born French agent Aisha, a loose cannon who has a personal history with Vanessa's lover, agent David Khoury, who's also on the team. And maverick Vanessa is a non-official cover officer who can be disavowed in case of trouble. ExCIA agent Plame and suspense author Lovett make a good team, spinning a brisk tale of espionage in vivid European settings and adding some surprising turns (including the religious affiliation of the deadly zealots), together with a conclusion that will leave readers hungry for the next in this series.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2014, American Library Association.)