Ilium: A Novel

by Lea Carpenter

Set in the dark world of international espionage, from London to Mallorca, Croatia, Paris, and Cap the gripping and suspenseful story of a young woman who unwittingly becomes a perfect asset in the long overdue finale of a covert special op

The young English narrator of Lea Carpenter’s dazzling new novel has grown up unhappily in London, dreaming of escape, pretending to be someone else and obsessed with a locked private garden. On the eve of her twenty-first birthday, at a party near that garden, she meets its charismatic and mysterious new owner, Marcus, thirty-three years older, who sweeps her off her feet. Before long they are married at his finca in Mallorca, and at last she has escaped into a new role–but at what price? On their honeymoon in Croatia, Marcus reveals there is something she can do for him—a plan is in place and she can help with “a favor.”

This turns out to be posing as an art advisor to a family on Cap Ferret, where Marcus asks her to simply “listen.” A helicopter deposits her at a remote, highly guarded and lavishly appointed compound on a spit of land in the Atlantic. It’s presided over by an enigmatic, charming patriarch Edouard, along with his wife Dasha, children Nikki and Felix, and populated by a revolving cast of other guests—some suspicious, some intriguing, perhaps none, like her, what they seem.

Brilliantly compelling, this is a spellbinding and unexpectedly poignant story of a long- planned, high-stakes CIA-Mossad operation that only needed the right asset to complete.

240 pages, Paperback

Published February 11, 2025

Reviews

[Viktoriia Denysenko · Rating 3 out of 5]

The story kept me engaged all the way through, However, it felt like a plot twist was coming, but it never happened. Overall, a good story, just a bit too many Russians for my taste.

[Margaret · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well-written spy novel that explores the human relationships and secrets that form around such work. I enjoyed the prose style a great deal as well as the character development. The pacing was good, and it kept me hooked to the end.

[Adrienne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Like a spy thriller, Ilium reads with an ongoing sense of suspense. Unlike many thrillers, the focus is squarely on the psychology and choices of the characters. The pace is not frenetic, and the writing is spare and focused, in some places creating a lovely correspondence with the setting.

[Ron Walker · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book held my interest for the most part but nothing really stands out. Much of it was rather predictable. It did get more interesting toward the end.

[Bia · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked seeing a spy thriller, a genre with mostly men as the MCs from my experience, from a female MC’s perspective this time!