Les Fous de Benghazi

SAS #191

by Gérard de Villiers

Afin de contrer les Islamistes prêts à prendre le contrôle de la Libye post-Kadhafi, les Américains tentent de rétablir une monarchie constitutionnelle en Libye, avec le petit-fils du roi Idriss, renversé par Kadhafi.
Le prétendant au trône, Ibrahim Al Senoussi, qui habite Londres, vient au Caire pour prendre des contacts.
Or son vol échappe de justesse à un attentat avant son atterrissage au Caire : un inconnu tire sur son avion un SAM 16 STRELA.
Qui a voulu le tuer ?
La CIA envoie Malko au Caire pour séduire la compagne d’Ibrahim Al Senoussi, un ravissant mannequin anglais, afin d’en savoir plus sur ses contacts. Cette mission en apparence agréable va se transformer en parcours à haut risque.
Mais rien n’est simple au pays du peuple Libou…

« Il y a bientôt un an, il [Gérard de Villiers] a publié un roman sur la menace des groupes islamistes dans la Libye post-révolutionnaire, lequel mettait l'accent sur les djihadistes de Benghazi et sur le rôle qu'a joué la CIA pour les combattre. Le roman, Les Fous de Benghazi, est sorti six mois avant la mort de l'ambassadeur américain J. Christopher Stevens et comprenait des descriptions du centre de commandement de la CIA à Benghazi (un secret étroitement gardé à l'époque), qui allait devenir central dans la controverse sur la mort de Stevens. » Robert F. Worth, « G. de Villiers : enquête sur un phénomène français », Revue des deux Mondes, n°3758, juillet-août 2014, p. 38).

Genres: Fiction, Espionage, Thriller, France, Audiobook, Spy Thriller, Mystery

320 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published June 1, 2012

About the author

Gérard Adam de Villiers est un écrivain, journaliste et éditeur français.



Gérard Adam de Villiers is a French writer, journalist and publisher.

Reviews

[Jim Fonseca]

DNF. I'm not giving a rating since I gave this about 50 pages but did not finish. Spy thrillers are not my genre but I thought I would give this one a try because it was translated from the French. I found it formulaic and a lot like a James Bond thriller - alternating scenes of intrigue, sex and action. In those 50 pages I did not find any local color because all the action to that point took place in airports and modern hotel rooms.

But...if thrillers are your genre you very well might like this book because it has sold 120 million copies worldwide! Here is the book jacket summary:

THE MADMEN OF BENGHAZI, available for the first time in the U.S., is a gripping, racy, ripped-from-the-headlines espionage thriller set in volatile post-Qaddafi Libya.

Gérard de Villiers (1929–2013) spent his five-decade career cultivating connections in the world of international intelligence, which allowed him to anticipate geopolitical events before they occurred—and to masterfully blend fiction with an insider’s knowledge of international affairs. Published from 1964 until his death in 2013, his bestselling SAS series of 200 spy novels, starring Malko Linge, was long considered France’s answer to Ian Fleming, with Malko as his James Bond.

Its hero, Malko Linge, an Austrian aristocrat, spends his time freelancing for the CIA in order to support his playboy lifestyle.

When terrorists try to shoot down a plane carrying Libyan prince Ibrahim al-Senussi, it is clear that someone wants him dead. But the CIA has its own plot for the prince: Now that Qaddafi has been overthrown, al-Senussi is their best bet to set up a constitutional monarchy and stem the Islamist tide in Libya. The CIA, which needs Malko as much as he needs them, sends the Austrian aristocrat to Cairo to learn more about al-Senussi’s plans by seducing his companion, a ravishing British model. This mission is enormously appealing, but also proves enormously dangerous, as the same madman of God who is trying to kill al-Senussi also takes aim at Malko. (less)

[Razvan Banciu · Rating 3 out of 5]

Less advertising as usual, in fact almost nothing, less action and brutality and somehow surprisingly less "amorous" activity involving Malko.
Not a bad one, as it contains (as usual, for de Villiers stories) some pieces of true history, facts, names and places, but it seems somehow unfinished. So, average at its best...

[Lisa · Rating 1 out of 5]

I received this from Fistreads. I would thank RHC, but the book was an absolute disaster that I DNF at... 30% give or take.

I didn't like the writing style. It was too simplistic for my tastes, or there would be unnecessary words used, making it awkward and clunky. There are random sex scenes cropping up, the descriptions so bad that it'll be fodder for my nightmares. It had gotten to the point that I questioned whether this book was a practical joke, or purposely used to make readers cringe.

I do not understand how one of the biggest publishers in the book industry published (or about to publish, my version was a uncorrected proof) a novel for all intents and purposes makes laugh in sheer disbelief.

[Kathy · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is a mediocre spy novel set in Libya. I think the author's true purpose in writing it was to be able to write about sex, sex, and more sex. He spent more time talking about how big each man's penis was than doing actual character development. The only reason I'm giving a 2 is that it killed time on an airplane trip - it's an easy, fast read.

[Lauren · Rating 1 out of 5]

I received this book from Goodreads as a giveaway.

Malko Linge is an Austrian that contracts with the CIA to complete some rather dicey missions. This time he's called to Egypt after a missile narrowly misses an aircraft containing the future king of Libya. Not knowing that he was the target of a terrorist attack, al-Senussi is bringing his beautiful British girlfriend with him to enjoy Egypt while he does the easy dealings of a future king. Malko is to seduce al-Senussi's girlfriend to gain information about who would want to kill him. True to any CIA contractor, this puts him in danger while he tries to save al-Senussi's life.

There were parts of this book that didn't make much sense. If you're looking to find out about why someone is looking to kill you, I don't think seducing the girlfriend would be high on the list for finding information. Wouldn't searching the person's personal items help more with that? Given that this book is littered with graphic sex scenes, I honestly think this was just a ploy for the author to be able to introduce more sex in to the book. It was a cheap ploy and didn't drive any plot further or make the book any better.

If I hadn't researched this author, I would've assumed he was a debut author. This book reads very simply and seems amateur. I wasn't impressed with this at all and wouldn't recommend it to anyone.

[Aengus · Rating 2 out of 5]

Remeber when you were 12, and you heard that Harold Robbins wrote "dirty" books, and then you found a copy of "The Carpetbaggers" at a yard sale for a quarter? You hid it in your book bag, rode your bike home and then waited until your parents were asleep before you read it And when you did you were SO embarassed.
Not because of the constant gratuitous sex. Because of the terrible, terrrible writing. That's what "The Madmen of Benghazi" reminds me of.
Gerard de Villiers is often referred to as the "French Ian Fleming" (talk about damning with faint praise.)
""The Madmen of Benghazi" follows his Bond light stand in, Malko Linge, as he heads to Egypt to protect a wealthy Libyan prince for the C.I.A. Yes, the C.I.A.apparently spends a lot of money subcontracting bodyguard/hit man work to wealthy, oversexed Austrian playboys. Villiers is widely cited for his politically astute plots, and his knowledge of spy craft, but there's nothing here that you couldn't find out flipping through back issues of Time magazine. The Malko Linge books have sold millions of copies in France. Go figure. They think Jerry Lewis is a genius too.

[Judy LeBlanc · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyed the story but a few things bothered me, the ending was unclear - did Malko escape back to
Cairo in one piece, did Ibrihiam dump Cynthia and become leader of Libya,and why does Malko not think of his fiancee once during this adventure? He didn't send a message or think of her at all once he left home for Cairo. Maybe if I had read past books some of this would be clear but having not heard of them I was in the dark. The writing is fab, descriptive narrative was spot on, a fast paced book. Didn't take long to read so great for a weekend laying in a hammock!

[Amberlori · Rating 2 out of 5]

I received this book as a "First Reads" from Random House. I generally like a good, entertaining fast paced thriller and based on the back cover, I expected that from this book. Instead I was disappointed to find a juvenile writing style, lack of plot ( really, why did the Austrian agent Malko have to seduce Cynthia? Couldn't they just have told her that Al-Senussi was being threatened and had her help them that way? ) and sex scenes that served no purpose and sounded like a pubescent teenager had written them.

I tried to give it the benefit of the doubt and think perhaps it was in the translation that the quality of the novel was lost, but by the end I was just happy to be finished reading it. Even though the end left far too much unanswered as well.

Based on this novel, should I come across another by Gerard de Villiers, I would not be picking it up.

[Andrew · Rating 3 out of 5]

I see how M. de Villiers has written "a hundred books."

Spies. Sex. Libya. More sex that's there because it is - not because it advances the plot. This really is the whole review, and I suspect could be the review mutatis mutandis for his books set in other locales. On the other hand, it's a classic page turner (which is how it got to three stars) that can be read in a day or two. But that's the way it's designed.

Also on Twitter and Tumblr.

[Adam McPhee · Rating 1 out of 5]

Points for doing the research, but demerits for... everything else.

[Doubledf99.99 · Rating 2 out of 5]

I enjoyed the locales of the action, and that was about it. I'd still like to read some of Villiers earlier books.

[Frank Hood · Rating 2 out of 5]

I received this book as part of First Reads. It's the first First Reads novel I've done.

Sadly, I came away from this book disappointed. I've heard decent things about de Villiers' books, but this one seemed to just be a romance novel with some action scenes. Overall it was shallow, which is even worse when you consider the events were based during actual events on the ground in Libya in the final days of Qaddafi's regime. If you want something mindless to read with weak action scene and too-graphic sex scenes, then this is the book for you. If you're looking for something more complex, then I'd shy away from choosing this.

[Jake · Rating 2 out of 5]

Was really pumped to finally get my hands on a Gerard de Villiers book as he has been such a hit overseas. Nevertheless, this is a misogynistic erotic novel with cut-and-paste current events masquerading as something more sophisticated. Really I could look past the gratuitous sex (I'm not a prude after all) if the whole plot wasn't about a dude helping the CIA by getting in another woman's pants. I suppose that's why he's so popular. Again, sex scenes don't make me blush but the thing read like a second rate John Le Carre writing a porn script.

[Phlip · Rating 3 out of 5]

Trash....but good trash. The erotic content is so sophomorically written it is laugh out loud funny. The spy stuff ain't so bad. This book (and I suspect it's 200 odd cohorts - de Villiers was rather prolific) is like a Five Guys burger...simply put together, exceptionally tasty but of uncertain quality and definitely not good for you. To be enjoyed in small doses!

[Camilla Monk · Rating 3 out of 5]

This brings back childhood memories of reading my stepdad's SAS when my parents weren't looking!

That being said, while the political / strategical aspects are well-handled and very well researched as usual, plot is overall unrealistic and the sex scenes are even more jarring than I remembered. :/

[Charles Green · Rating 3 out of 5]

French author Gerard De Villiers wrote hundreds of thrillers during his lifetime, and became well known in Continental Europe. Working in France periodically during the late 90's I became aware of his books and would have liked to have tried one, but for some reason they had never been translated into and published in English and my French wasn't good enough to tackle a whole novel. Therefore, when I became aware recently that English translations had started to be published in the US, I picked up the first of these, 'The Madmen of Benghazi', to see if De Villiers lived up to his reputation as the 'French Ian Fleming'.

The answer, it transpires, is no; De Villiers is no Ian Fleming. Partly because his writing style is entirely different to Fleming's and partly because De Villiers novels, beyond having a playboy secret agent as their recurring central character, are completely different to Fleming's Bond novels in both substance and tone.

In terms of tone 'The Madmen of Benghazi' is a strange hybrid. On the one hand you have De Villier's hero, Austrian Aristocrat and freelance Secret Agent (yes really) Marko Linge, hired by the CIA seemingly for his ability to seduce attractive women out of their underwear at will. Marko as a character and his glamorous, globe trotting, lady killing ways seem like someone from another age, as if he'd accidentally crossed over from a mid-70's airport 'bonk-buster' from Jackie Collins or maybe a Harold Robbins. On the other hand the central story, set around Cairo and Benghazi after the falls of Hosni Muhbahrak and Colonel Gaddafi, feels ultra-contemporary and is in many ways a rather hard edged tale, with suicide bombings, missile attacks on planes and murky tactics being pursued by all sides.

De Villiers just about manages to marry up these two, rather contradictory elements without Linge's presence, or even existence, within the story feeling too preposterous, but its a delicate balancing act that has the odd wobble.

It doesn't help that Linge himself is rather underpowered leading man. Besides his aristocratic roots and skills in wooing ladies the reader get's to next to nothing about him. Even physical descriptions are pretty scant, and when it comes to his background or personality he remains a pretty blank slate. Whereas with Fleming's Bond you got a sense of the inner man even if the author didn't go into a huge amount of character detail here Linge remains a cypher. Now admittedly the Madmen of Benghazi is one of De Villiers later thrillers featuring Marko Linge, and its possible that by the time he wrote it he assumed that fans would have become familiar with the hero over the course of the dozens of earlier novels so there was no point wasting time with detailed descriptions of the character, but as this book is the first to be published in English its a handicap not to be given more of an insight into mind and personality of the hero.

Especially as it makes believing him to be such an effective womaniser so much more difficult. Its easy to assume that Linge is handsome, as most fictional heroes inevitably are, but he would also need to be charming to an extraordinary degree in order to persuade women to sleep and fall in love with him so easily and regularly. Unfortunately, as the character is so thinly sketched this charm and charisma never comes across, leaving his sexual conquests feeling perfunctory rather than genuinely earned.

Which brings me on to the sex, of which there is quite a considerable quantity and most of which is quite graphic. De Villiers has something of a reputation for including a substantial amount of sex in all his books, and for not being shy when it comes to descriptions. How individual readers respond to this element of the book will depend partly on how prudish they are. Some may be offended, whilst some may simply find it superfluous to the overall story (and certainly some of the sex is entirely extraneous). Personally I found much of the sex innocuous, and certainly no worse or more graphic that anything I've read in other thrillers. My only observation is that there is just a hint of misogyny in the way the sex is presented, but that just may be down to it being written by a man.

Then again De Villiers doesn't seem particularly good at writing strong female characters. The only major one in the novel is Cynthia Mulligan, who apart from having a terrible name is essentially just a walking male fantasy; a bi-sexual, sexually adventurous, promiscuous supermodel. Like Linge she's both underwritten and feels like she has stepped out of another era, this time the Roger Moore Bond movies of the mid-70's but with more sex. Like the Bond girls from that period she's there as a convenient plot device and to be a damsel in distress. She even speaks like she's channelling someone from that period, using expressions such as 'Go easy love' and 'you ripped my knickers'. What she lacks is any personal agency or sense that she's a genuine, contemporary woman.

With the key characters being a bust, and the supporting cast offering little, its down to the underlying plot to save The Madmen of Benghazi and here De Villiers seems to be on firmer ground. The story doesn't break new ground, but Linge and Mulligan's presence aside it feels nicely plausible. It helps that its centred around recent, real world events, but the plausibility is further reinforced by De Villiers painting what seems like a realistic portrait of life in both Benghazi and Cairo. Despite having Muslims as the bad-guys it also avoids crude religious or racial stereotyping. It also offers a suitably murky view of the world of modern day espionage, where all sides are capable of nefarious practices and dodgy alliances in pursuit of their agendas, and even erstwhile allies can work against each other's interests.

As thriller plots go its not going to set the world alight, but it also benefits from being tightly written and comparatively short in length. In that respect it does share some DNA with Fleming's Bond novels, which were also succinctly written and relatively short, but that's about the only thing they do share.

Will I be coming back for more by De Villiers? Despite only giving this first effort three stars and being pretty critical the answer is probably yes. Despite its flaws I did enjoy The Madmen of Benghazi on a 'guilty pleasure' level and even in translation the book retains a certain European charm that you don't get with contemporary thrillers by British and American authors.

[Suman Yadav · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was out of curiosity for Gerard de Villiers I picked up this book and i think it proves everything that is heard about the man and his weird reputation as true. It is less of a fiction more of the style of narrative non-fiction the kind of which you read in NYT or The NewYorker - the story , character development kept at bare minimum, written in the style of pulp fiction read and lots of sex thrown in to spice it up . If being this trashy is deliberate and trashy is an form then this book achieves that quite effortlessly.
However the most significant thing about this novel is the high degree of accuracy which is pretty unsettling. It is said about Gerard that he could foretell actual events and his sources in these countries were better than many intel agencies and reading this book makes u realize that how real these could be .

[Danial Tanvir · Rating 2 out of 5]

this book was not as good as i thought it would be.
it is actually about a libyan prince called ibrahim al-senussi.
he is in london,england with his girl friend who is a model called cynthia mulligan.
he then travels to cairo,egypt with her and some one tries to kill him but he is now aware of this fact when he lands in the plane.
it was british airways 777.
there is a man called malko linge who is an austrian aristocrat.
the CIA(The Central Intelligence Agency) needs malko linge for them to get to know more about him and to help them.
he then wants to find who is trying to kill him and he tries to get close to his girl friend in order to find that out and then he goes to beghanzi,libya with her where cynthia mulligan tells him that his life is in danger and then ibrahim al-senussi belives her and that is how this stupid book ends.

[Baptiste Briet · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ce récit qui commence d'abord dans une Égypte où les frères musulmans sont au porte du pouvoir, jouant un double jeu. Puis dans la Libye post-Kadafi en proie au chaos, où chaque groupe avance ses poins afin d'asseoir sa légitimité au pouvoir. Un récit exaltant, auquel j'ai eu du mal à rentrer dedans mais que j'ai trouvé intéressant au fur à mesure de l'histoire. Je trouve néanmoins qu'il y avait beaucoup trop de personnage diverses et beaucoup de factions diverses : groupes sous le QATAR, AQMI, CIA, les "cousins" (anglais) ainsi que les groupes locaux. Mais qui démontre par cela, la complexité au niveau régionale des divergences qui créé ce chaos. Ou chacun tire ses ficelles afin d'avoir de l'influence.

[Cybercrone · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm being generous here - it's really only a 1.5 at best. (I surely wish we had more stars to better rate things!!!)
Even given that it was written in 1967 it's very old-fashioned - and I don't mean that in a good way.
The one woman featured is by turns childish and hysterical unless she's engaged in sex, where she becomes each man's wet dream come to life.
The men - or at least the males - remind me of the old joke from my much younger days about how to keep a man happy. The answer was, if he doesn't have a hard-on, make him a sandwich. That's about the depth of character we've got going on here.
Anyway, I don't think I'll be reading any more of these.

[Trevor Pearson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Received a copy of The Madmen of Benghazi by Gérard De Villiers through the First Reads Giveaway program in exchange for an honest review

In 1967 King Idris of Libya has recently been overthrown in a coup d'etat by Muammar Qaddafi in an effort to be head of state. Many people wanted Idris to remain the leader but for over forty years Libya has suffered under the tyrannical rule of Qaddafi since his takeover. At the time Idris' government was losing popularity for being pro-Israeli, exacerbating national divisions and corrupting the country's oil wealth. But the anti-western riots in Tripoli in Benghazi were the key events that put Qaddafi's plan in motion. After forty two years filled with economic downturns, fear-mongering, civil wars, tyranny and oppression; the Libyan people want a change and come to terms with the fact that perhaps a constitutional monarchy wasn't all that bad than initially expected.

In 2011 London, Ibrahim al-Senussi is enjoying his life in exile pulling out all the stops to win the heart of top fashion model Cynthia Mulligan. The British government are notifying him that in a post-revolutionary Libya he could be the next heir to the throne. By planting the seed in al-Senussi's head that the potential for a new Libyan government is great and his position as the new head of state is more reality than it is a pipe dream the British and American governments have the ability to control a country on the brink of global warfare. The CIA along with their "cousins" the MI6 desperately need Ibrahim al-Senussi to be named the new head of state. They don't want an anti-western Islamic caliphate taking control of Libya, ruining their plans, and forcing defensive actions.

Malko Linge is a full time aristocratic playboy living the life as an Austrian prince and part time freelance CIA agent. Lucky for him he gets paid a king's ransom for his services, unlucky for him is that in turn he is awarded the riskiest assignments. He would tell you that his greatest skill is the passion he has for the work, what his superiors would tell you is that he has an innate ability to seduce any living and breathing women. With his lack of combative skills it makes him a realistic figure in a genre that is a proponent of the unbelievable. When he is told by his organizational superior, yet compensatory inferior boss Cairo CIA station chief Jerry Tombstone to report to Cairo for further instructions on his next mission, Malko quickly escapes his Liezen castle and is in flight to his next destination. Unfortunately for Malko his next mission involves a bisexual woman with a current ratio of sexual partners 20 woman : 1 man. At this revelation Malko must be asking himself if there is a God, but he desperately needs her in order to keep track of al-Senussi's engagements.

"The Libyan went down to work out in the gym, but not before making enthusiastic use of her body. Again, this was something that happened every morning, and even though she was bisexual, Cynthia enjoyed it. There was something very exciting about being drilled like an oil well while still half asleep."

After winning the heart of Miss.Mulligan as well as her body which he ravages and penetrates at any free moment, al-Senussi offers her a chance to travel to Cairo where he can communicate with important contacts and she can live like a queen. Given her top-model treatment whereby she is treated like a queen anyway, she reluctantly agrees to go with him even if it is simply for the memento of a stamp on her passport. As they land they're unaware to the fact that a SAM-14 Strela missile from Russia barely missed the plane and that a maniacal man with plenty of backers want him dead.

In 2011, Qatar's plan is for the Emir to set up a strict Islamic regime in Libya utilising the resources of the Muslim Brotherhood but more importantly the psychological motivations of a Takfiri, the most radical kind of Islamist. They found their man in Abu Bukatalla who will be the one that executes the plan. Bukatalla is a leader of about one hundred fanatics and is one of the most dangerous radical Islamist's in Libya. Bukatalla's mission as pretender to the Libyan throne is to manipulate al-Senussi into revealing his closest supporters, eliminate the leader of the Obeidi tribe and to finally kill the heir to the monarchy. They would then apply Sharia law with absolute strictness. Once that became established they could help out their fellow jihadists in their struggle against the hated infidels.

It is quite apparant that during his lifetime Mr.De Villiers had friends in high places. His foresight and his ability to forecast or intuitively anticipate political events was quite amazing. This book was politically-relevant to 2011 Libya without further exaggerations or dramatisations. This book is a short read with fast, high-octane action, hard yet stimulating explicit sexual exploits, with no chance for a soft landing. If you don't mind unique descriptions and comparisons of sexual experiences you may want to steer clear or skim over these sections, but if you like a good espionage story and a salute to a man's inner most dream than I recommend this book.

" 'Just one thing: the young lady has to change her clothes. Otherwise, people will notice her.'
He went to fetch Cynthia. Wearing jeans, a headscarf, and a modest blouse with a high collar, she was almost decent. Though when she walked, she swung her hips in a way unknown in the Quran”

[Enid Wray · Rating 3 out of 5]

A quick fun read... was perfect for on the airplane. Not so sure I'd agree that it's France's answer to James Bond, but... Interesting peak behind the curtain of both the intelligence community and the power struggle that was left behind in the period leading up to and after the death of Libya's Muammar Gaddafi.

[John Grace · Rating 2 out of 5]

What was once only published by a mobbed up, money laundering publishing house like Pinnacle is now a title of prestige and New York Times coverage. Perhaps something is lost in the translation, with simplistic prose and routine sex scenes, but the details of international politics are interesting.

[Nikos Chloros · Rating 3 out of 5]

The storyline is decent but is delivered with very little attention to detail, sloppy development and ... hurriedly. As if the author wanted to finish it up quickly so he could move on. In the hands of the right director, it could be turned into a nice action movie - it has all the elements. All it needs is some pacing and some character refinement.

[JournalsTLY]

Spy novel with sex as before , after and during the spy action.
Chief spy Mr Malko Linge always in the heat and hunt and sometimes hunted.

Historical error ? In page 219 (e-book) there was a side comment that the WW2 El Alamein desert battle was between between Afrika Corp and French (?) . French ?

[Ian · Rating 4 out of 5]

A little more modern than Fleming, but on the level of some of Flemings better Bond Books. I do remember having a little difficult understanding when it took place, as the American edition is separated from its original release by a number of years

[Ha Young · Rating 3 out of 5]

Libya after Qaddafi has been overthrown is the backdrop of the story. Different political interests intertwine to establish the next leader of the country, including those of the CIA. The setting in Egypt and Libya was the most interesting part of the story.

[Fatooma GarGoum]

Disappointed! Just couldn't get into this book. I gave up after about 15 pages. Not a writing style with any depth so I put it down UNFINISHED.

[Erik C. Thauvin · Rating 3 out of 5]

The French James Bond strikes again. I read this book in French as a teen. It's a fun read, a bit predictable, and often heavy on details that feel a lot like superfluous fillers.

[R S · Rating 3 out of 5]

Reads fast

Pretty thin plot and an abrupt forced ending, but reads fast. I wouldn’t recommend it, but it wasn’t horrible. Decent at best though.