The Paris Diversion

Kate Moore #2

by Chris Pavone

From the New York Times bestselling author of The Expats. Kate Moore is back in a pulse-pounding thriller to discover that a massive terror attack across Paris is not what it seems - and that it involves her family

American expat Kate Moore drops her kids at the international school, makes her shopping rounds, and meets her husband Dexter at their regular cafe a leisurely start to a normal day, St-Germain-des-Pres.

Across the Seine, tech CEO Hunter Forsyth stands on his balcony, perplexed that his police escort just departed, and frustrated that his cell service has cut out; Hunter has important calls to make, not all of them technically legal.

And on the nearby rue de Rivoli, Mahmoud Khalid climbs out of an electrician's van, and elbows his way into the crowded courtyard of the world's largest museum, in the epicenter of Western civilization. He sets down his metal briefcase, and removes his windbreaker.

That's when people start to scream.

Everyone has big plans for the day. Dexter is going to make a small fortune, finally digging himself out of a deep financial hole, via an extremely risky investment. Hunter is going to make a huge fortune, with a major corporate acquisition that will send his company's stock soaring. Kate has less ambitious plans: preparations for tonight's dinner party--one of those homemaker obligations she still hasn't embraced, even after a half-decade of this life--and an uneventful workday at the Paris Substation, the clandestine cadre of operatives that she's been running, not entirely successfully, increasingly convinced that every day could be the last of her career. But every day is also a fresh chance to prove her own relevance, never more so than during today's momentous events.

And Mahmoud? He is planning to die today. And he won't be the only one.

Genres: Fiction, Thriller, Mystery, Suspense, Mystery Thriller, France, Espionage

379 pages, Kindle Edition

First published May 7, 2019

About the author

CHRIS PAVONE is the New York Times-bestselling author of international thrillers including THE EXPATS and, most recently, TWO NIGHTS IN LISBON; his sixth novel, THE DOORMAN, publishes May 20, 2025. Chris's books have appeared on the bestseller lists of the New York Times, USA Today, Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, Chicago Tribune, and IndieNext; have won both the Edgar and Anthony awards, and have been shortlisted for the Strand, Macavity, and Los Angeles Times Book Prize; are in development for film and television; and have been translated into more than two dozen languages.

He has written for outlets including the New York Times Book Review and Magazine, the Telegraph, and Salon; has appeared on Face the Nation, Good Day New York, All Things Considered, and the BBC; and has been profiled on the arts’ front page of the New York Times. He is a member of the Authors Guild Council, International Thriller Writers, and Mystery Writers of America, for which he has served as an Edgars judge.

Chris grew up in Brooklyn, graduated from Midwood High School and Cornell University, and worked in publishing for nearly two decades at Dell Magazines, Doubleday, the Lyons Press, Regan/HarperCollins, Clarkson Potter, and Artisan/Workman, in positions ranging from copy editor and managing editor to executive editor and deputy publisher; he also wrote a (mostly blank) book about wine, and ghost-wrote a couple of nonfiction books. Then his wife got a job in Luxembourg, and the family moved abroad, where Chris raised their twin boys and started writing THE EXPATS. They now live again in New York City and on the North Fork of Long Island with an Australian Labradoodle named Wally.

Reviews

[Paromjit · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the second in the Kate Moore series by Chris Pavone, with Kate now settled in Paris running a CIA Paris substation. It might possibly have helped me to have read the 1st in the series because to be honest, it took a long time for me to get into this, although once I did, it turned into a compulsive and fast paced read. In the beginning, we have various characters perspectives on what is turning out to be a disturbing and unsettling day, but the style of writing is dispassionate, and consequently it is difficult to care for them. In what is ostensibly looking to be the kind of terrorist attack with various targets that Paris has experienced in its recent past, turns out to be nothing of the kind, as the title hints, this is The Paris Diversion. For Kate Moore and her husband, Dextor, the past is about to come and trouble them in the present.

Mahmoud Khalid is wearing a suicide vest and carrying a briefcase that is a cause of concern for the authorities, is it a dirty bomb or similar? Mahmoud knows that this is the day he is going to die as the crowds flee in fear all around him. Ibrahim Abid, a police sniper of Morroccan descent is the man who raises the alarm on Mahmoud. Paris is becoming a city of police sirens and traffic jams as emergency procedures are put in place in response to the perceived threats and dangers. For Kate, it's a normal day as she plans for a dinner party that she is less than keen on but will help to embed the family further into the local community. Her marriage to Dexter is plagued and troubled by the silences between them, Dexter knows nothing of her work, he is planning his latest venture to get rich quick after his last endeavour ended in disaster, but despite Dexter's shortcomings, and there are many, Kate cannot quite let go of her marriage. 4Syte CEO Hunter has plans to increase his wealth quite considerably today, but is hit by a blackout in communications, and taken to a safe house, with his PA Colette, when threats against him and other US businessmen are made. There are bomb threats in Hong Kong and Mumbai, and in Venice, a mother 'Susanna', not her real name, is making financial trades.

Pavone writes a thrilling espionage story with a wide cast of characters, there is suspense and tension galore and there is twist after twist as it slowly becomes clear that nothing is as it seems. The slow reveals about the characters and the truth of what is actually going on is expertly done. I particularly liked Kate, living with a problematic marriage, the fear of losing her job, having experienced professional disasters in Seville and Copenhagen, and aware that the orders she has followed has meant she has ruined the lives of so many. She is a woman of gumption and courage as she sets out to protect Dexter and her family in the fight of her life. I would recommend this novel to those who enjoy espionage reads and thrillers, just be prepared for it to take a while to get going and it would help to have read the first in the series. Many thanks to Faber & Faber for an ARC.

[Kat · Rating 5 out of 5]

THE PARIS DIVERSION was exciting. One of the sequels to “The Expats” with the same characters included, CIA agent Kate Moore is still living in Paris with her family, running covert operations and trying to keep things afloat in her private life. Her husband is involved in his business deals, as he was before, and this tale is told from many perspectives. There is a multi-pronged terror attack going on in Paris, and it’s not entirely clear what’s at stake, who the players are, or what they want. But the tension is very real, and I found myself completely riveted.

As we gradually get further in and what’s going on becomes… if not entirely clear (which is the fun of any good CIA book), at least less murky, I found myself sucked in by the complexity of the plot, all the players out on the chess board, and how everyone fit together. This was very, very well plotted. And then as things become crystal clear and you REALLY start to understand… oh gosh, it’s soooo good.

[Patricia · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved, loved THE PARIS DIVERSION, an unrelenting action and espionage thriller! Kate Moore is a perfect main character who is an American ex-pat living in Paris. Everything starts when an apparent terrorist with a dirty bomb stations himself outside of the Louvre. I highly recommend this novel!

[Carole · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Paris Diversion is the second Chris Pavone novel featuring expat Kate Moore and her family. As per the title, most of the action takes place in Paris, the City of Light's historical landmarks playing a major role in this story: Notre Dame de Paris, the Tour Eiffel, the Louvre, the Arc de Triomphe, the Seine and the Champs-Elysées. Kate and Dexter Moore and their young family are American expats who have made their home in the French capital city. Dexter is an on-line stock trader while Kate has established and runs a secret cadre of operatives. What starts as an ordinary day soon spirals into chaos: a well-organized terror attack takes over the city. It soon becomes clear that Kate's family is somehow involved. To know what follows, I strongly recommend you read The Paris Diversion. It is a fast-paced thriller that delivers plenty of suspense and tension. Thank you to Faber & Faber and NetGalley for the e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

[Maine Colonial · Rating 2 out of 5]

I liked the intricate plot of this thriller. It’s also a sort of heist plot, and I do like heist stories. Pavone is a good writer and the pacing moves right along.

While that’s all to the good, I’m lukewarm about the book in part because so much of the plot relates to Kate’s husband, and he’s such a jerk. He’s feckless, an inconsiderate husband and father, petty and not too bright. Here’s Kate, running around Paris risking her life and, ludicrously, buying a Lego set because she can’t trust him to buy that critical birthday present for his son. It’s completely intentional on Pavone’s part to portray the husband this way, but it irritated me.

Also, Kate’s character doesn’t do much for me. She’s a cold fish and doesn’t have any other traits to grab my interest. She doesn’t make wisecracks, she doesn’t have a sense of humor, none of that. She’s smart and resourceful, but that doesn’t make her a character a reader gets invested in.

I would certainly read another Pavone book, but I’m not sure it would be the next Kate Moore book (after The Ex-Pats and this book).

[8stitches 9lives · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Paris Diversion is the second thriller in the Kate Moore series and much like its predecessor it is thoroughly packed to the rafters with action, so much so that it gets quite difficult to grab a moment to breathe and consider how the pieces all combine into the bigger picture. It really is non-stop. I recommend you, as almost a necessity, to have read the first book as much of the storyline here has direct links back to The Expats and may be very confusing otherwise. As well as the relentless pace and action, this is a well constructed and plotted espionage thriller with many twists in the tale.

The story is told from a plethora of different perspectives and given that many were peripheral characters or somewhat inconsequential meant they were hard to place and differentiate from one another as most of them were shrouded in mystery with very little detail about them given. However, once you get on top of the multiple threads and perspectives in morphs into an engaging, intriguing and brilliantly gripping read. The twists and reveals continually come at you and nothing is quite what it seems. This unpredictability runs throughout and keeps the sense of tension rising until the satisfying conclusion. Recommended to those who enjoy espionage, thrillers and all-action stories. Many thanks to Faber & Faber for an ARC.

[Ash · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was incredibly excited for this book. I absolutely loved The Expats. I loved the character of Kate, the setting, all the twists and intrigue. So i was very excited when i heard that there would be a sequel starring Kate. And then i didn't like it. We meet up with Kate after some time has passed from the previous book. Her family is now living in Paris, she has recommitted herself to her marriage, and is enjoying Paris.

This story is told from multiple points of view, including a suicide bomber. I usually hate stories with multiple POV characters, but that didn't bother met this time. I was just bored. I was bored with Kate thinking about her marriage all the time, i was bored with all the talk of stocks, even though it was important to the story. I also felt like the idea of multiple terrorist threats/attacks in one day was a little too on the nose for our times.I also kept feeling like i'd missed a chunk of story, because i hadn't read Pavone's last novel, even though it wasn't part of Kate's series. I was vastly disappointed when i was so excited to read this.

*ARC supplied by Netgalley for an honest review

[Andy · Rating 2 out of 5]

I received this book free from Goodreads in exchange for an honest review.

The blurb on the front cover says it’s smart and suspenseful. But the novel starts with the moronic pseudo-word metropoli (for the plural of metropolis) on the first page, so it’s not that smart. As far as suspenseful goes, the title tells you that all the action at the beginning is a DIVERSION, so that’s a sort of a spoiler there.

Mainly though, I disliked it because pretty much all the characters are truly awful people. They are literally all criminals (Including Kate). I didn’t care what happened to them. The one exception was the sniper who has an unoriginal but at least somewhat valid and interesting drama to deal with. Unfortunately, his ending is rather implausible.

Another annoying thing was the constant hinting at Kate’s job without telling us even though it seems obvious (it wasn’t surprising) and this isn’t the first book in the series so that was just confusing.

Within its sociopathic universe it does hold together, and the hardcover has some pretty photos of Paris.

[☮Karen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Previously I read The Expats (#1 in this series) and The Travelers. Both felt very fun and entertaining to me; both were reads of hardcovers so probably subject to my own interpretation to an extent. Here I listened to the audiobook and while the narrator was very good, the content was not entertaining or fun. It felt very serious, which is fine, but also very confusing, not fine. There were a couple of twists but really not very surprising given the title of the book.

So probably more like a 2.5.

[Lisa Wolf · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Paris Diversion is author Chris Pavone's follow-up to his 2012 debut, The Expats . In The Expats, we meet Kate Moore, a former secret agent now living a life of domestic boredom as a wife and mother while her husband engages in some shady high finance dealings. The book is terrific and tense and surprising, so definitely check that one out!

Now years later, we re-meet Kate living in Paris, her boys a few years older, her husband mildly to incredibly annoying, and her career back in full-swing, running her own espionage bureau with only the loosest of ties to the US government.

The Paris Diversion takes place over one very dramatic day, as Kate and husband Dexter prepare for a dinner party -- and a complicated plot revolving around terror threats and corporate sabotage unfolds in the city around them. As Kate plunges into action, unable to convince herself to stay on the sidelines, it becomes clear that Dexter's hands may not be entirely clean. Meanwhile, we meet the various players in this international web of intrigue, some bit players, some criminal masterminds, and some merely pawns who find themselves useful or expendable in different ways.

The plot of The Paris Diversion is complicated, but not impenetrable, and hooked me right from the start. It's interesting to get inside the mind of Kate Moore, a woman with pretty typical worries about aging and career and family, plus others hopefully less familiar to most women -- do I have the right weapons? am I being followed? is my disguise in place? how many people will I have to kill today? The book starts off as a thriller about terrorism, but it quickly becomes clear that there's much more going on than meets the eye, and the final puzzle pieces don't click into place until the very last pages of the novel.

Do you need to read The Expats first? Not necessarily? I think The Paris Diversion would work perfectly well on its own -- there's enough backstory provided about the characters and their lives, so it shouldn't be hard to for someone to fully enjoy The Paris Diversion on its own merits. Still, if you're so inclined, I'd definitely recommend reading The Expats as a starting place. Kate is a fascinating character, so why not start with her first appearance?

I've read all three of Chris Pavone's previous novels, and thought they were all excellent. I don't tend to read a lot of spy thrillers, but these books absolutely work for me!

Review copy courtesy of the publisher via NetGalley. Full review at Bookshelf Fantasies.

[Donna Davis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Chris Pavone is the real deal. The Paris Diversion sees the return of CIA employee Kate Moore, the protagonist from his first novel, The Expats. This taut, intense thriller is his best to date, and that’s saying a good deal. Lucky me, I read it free thanks to Net Galley and Crown Books, but you can get it tomorrow, May 7, 2019.

Kate wears many hats, moving deftly from professional spy to primary caretaker of two children, one of whom is medically fragile. Her husband Dexter calls himself an investor, but he’s basically just a weasel. His weak character comes into play in a big way in this story as he is tied to a shady financial deal that in turn is tied--though he doesn’t know it-- to a terrifying terrorist event that takes place in the heart of France:

“She gasps. She is surprised at her reaction, like an amateur. She has never before seen anything like this. No one here has. What she sees: a man is standing all alone in the middle of the vast open space, looking tiny. He’s wearing a bulky vest, and a briefcase sits at his feet, the sort of luggage that in action-adventure films follows around the president of the United States, a shiny case lugged around by a tall square-jawed man wearing a military uniform, a handsome extra with no speaking lines. The nuclear codes…Yes, Dexter was right: that’s a suitcase bomb.”

Events unfold seen from the viewpoints of several different characters. In addition to Kate, we have the bomb-wearer; his American driver; the sniper assigned to take the bomb-wearer out; billionaire Hunter Do-You-Know-Who-I-Am Forsyth; and a mysterious woman using the name Susanna. Points of view change frequently, and the brief chapters become even briefer as the story unfolds, creating even more suspense. Pavone (that’s three syllables—Puh-vo-KNEE) has keen insight into the lies weak people tell themselves to justify their poor choices, and at times he is wickedly funny. Favorites here are the internal monologue of our ass hat billionaire; the moment Kate takes down the security guard; and the exchange between Kate and Hunter’s assistant, Schuyler.

Because I spend several hours of every day reading, I can almost always put a book down, even an excellent one. For the best books, I reserve good-sized blocks of time when I won’t be interrupted, and these are the ones I read with joy, rather than out of duty to the publisher. But it’s been awhile since I stayed up late because I had to know how a book ended. The prose here is so tightly woven that every word is important; in most books of the genre, there’s a winding down period at the end of the book after the climax has been reached and the problem resolved. In contrast, Pavone moves at warp speed until almost the last word of the last chapter.

I have rarely seen a male writer that can craft a believable female character, and Pavone does that. I appreciate his respect for women. In addition, it appears that Kate may have met her own Moriarti, and so I suspect both she and her nemesis will be back. I hope so.

To say more is to waste words, an unfair tribute to a bad ass writer who wastes none. Get this book and read it. You won’t be sorry.

[Cindy Burnett (Thoughts from a Page) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Chris Pavone’s new novel, The Paris Diversion, is a fast-paced and entertaining read. There is nonstop action and lots of exciting twists and turns that will keep the reader guessing until the last page. Pavone has an interesting style of writing that took a little getting used to, but once I did, he drew me into the story very quickly. He brings Paris alive with his fabulous and in-depth descriptions, and I felt like I was walking the streets of Paris with Kate as she attempted to unravel the mystery at hand. The story is certainly timely, and I loved the resolution. I did feel that I may have missed a few things because I had not read the first book about Kate Moore, but I definitely still enjoyed this book.

Listen to my podcast at https://www.thoughtsfromapage.com for fun author interviews. For more book reviews, check out my Instagram account: https://www.instagram.com/thoughtsfro....

[Annette · Rating 2 out of 5]

I read the first book in this series by Chris Pavone, The Expats, several years ago so was excited to receive this review copy from NetGalley.
It is about Kate, a mother and CIA agent living in Paris with her feckless husband Dexter.
Within the space of a few hours a number of terrorists set some bombs and a suicide bomber arrives at key sights in Paris including the Louvre. Kate races around trying to find out more about what is going on.
Unfortunately this book did not really do it for me. I ploughed on to about 40% hoping that it would get better. The premise of the story was good but I just did not find it a compelling read. There were chapters told from different viewpoints and I found this very confusing. Everything seemed to be steeped in mystery but I really felt so little for the characters that I didn’t care what happened.
Sadly only two stars from me.

[Benjamin baschinsky · Rating 2 out of 5]

I wanted to like this book. I have read others by Mr Pavone and like his style.
However, too many characters, too long and a mediocre ending . Sorry Chris, you have written better.

[Lewis Weinstein · Rating 3 out of 5]

a very complicated story that, IMO, resolved far too quickly at the end ... it did, however, keep my attention throughout

[Laura Wonderchick · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pavone can spin a take like no other and this one was high adrenaline to the very end. I would recommend reading The Expats before this one so you have the back story on Kate, her job and family.

[Marty Fried · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting, complex mystery. Lots of characters, a bit hard to follow at first, especially as an audiobook, but I enjoyed it a lot.

[N.L. Brisson · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Paris Diversion by Chris Pavone follows Kate Moore and her husband Dexter from a stay in Luxembourg in his first novel The Expats, where things started out calmly and went pretty badly off the rails. Kate worked for the US government in intelligence but, of course, it’s a secret. Dexter got lured into a scheme to hack a fortune in dirty money and his law-abiding wife finds out. She finds a way to keep Dexter out of prison but at the end of Chris Pavone’s first book, The Expats, the Moore’s marriage is a bit stormy – a very quiet storm because they are barely speaking.

After Luxembourg they travel around Europe for a while with their two children and then they settle in Paris minus the other expat couple they befriended in Luxembourg, a couple Kate hopes is out of their lives forever. Kate’s two children are now school age and she wishes she could enjoy being a full time mom, but life with the agency is just too exciting. What else would she do all day while her children are in school? And now she has been given her own little agency office to run in Paris.

Dexter works at home. He has decided to become a day trader. But it turns out that everyone, except Kate who is busy with her motherhood guilt, has revenge on their minds, and it all leads to one spectacularly messy day in Paris. If this day didn’t involve the deaths of two single fathers, a terrorist attack that immerses Paris in chaos, and threatens to nuke the Louvre it would most resemble one of those French hotel comedy/murder mysteries where everyone is sneaking in and out of everyone else’s room, sometimes with hanky-panky on their minds, and luggage is getting mixed up while people wander around in extravagant outfits and identities get confused. Perhaps to update the genre a bit this is a sort of thriller version of that Barbara Streisand movie “What’s Up Doc?”. Sadly the actual events in Paris seem a bit inappropriate to what is basically a romp, but such are the paradoxes here in the 21 st century and it is after all a thriller/romp.

The author’s chapters focus in turn on the characters, each telling his/her part of the story in small glimpses. You know that the facts will eventually give you the whole picture. You start to see or think you see through this plot – the author has left too many clues, the affair is too easy to unravel, but don’t become overconfident. There are plenty of surprises.

The Paris Diversion is not at all like a true thriller, but it is a true diversion that uses realities that have become far too normal to us. Throughout this whole crazy day the adults are having, the Moore children are safe in a good French school behind a high wall and at the end of the day will suspect nothing. How bad can things get in the space of someone’s slightly elongated school day? You won’t believe it.

[Paul · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Paris Diversion – A gripping thriller

The Paris Diversion is the fourth thriller from excellent writer Chris Pavone. Since exploding on to the scene a number of years ago Pavone has rapidly become of one of the go to thriller writers today, especially where American intelligence services are concerned. He is building on what writers such as John Le Carre who is the master of spy thrillers.

Kate and Dexter Moore are living in Paris and trying to live a quiet life in a European city a long way from America. Both have an interesting past some may even say questionable morals.

Kate is dropping her children off at school, while she has given Dexter the job of finding a particular present for their son. Dexter is not quite giving his full concentration to the job, as he is watching and waiting for a financial transaction, which he hopes will make him a lot of money.

An Asian, with a bomb vest and a briefcase, that suggests a dirty bomb, is stood in the middle of a popular tourist destination, at the Louvre. The Police cannot take the shot as they are not sure what will happen, and if there is a dirty bomb that may go off if they do. What does happen is most of the police are drawn to other sites around Paris trying to secure the city from other terrorists.

Kate Moore on hearing the police sirens after a coffee with her husband heads towards her office taking using a variety of counter surveillance techniques. When she finds out about the bomber, and other information, she believes not everything is not as it seems. She seems to think this may not be a pure terrorist incident, but something more financial and that horrible feeling that her husband may possibly involved somehow.

As Kate rushes, she knows that she is up against time, and an opponent who is cunning and not willing to give an inch. She knows she will have to use all the CIA techniques she has as well as another operative, to make sure she can beat, whatever is happening during the day.

This excellent thriller, written and seen through a number of perspectives, adds to the tension, as one is able to see what is happening and understanding why. There is a large cast of characters which adds to this excellent story and helps to build the tension. The plot is excellent with twists and a complicated hero, which keeps you turning the pages of this excellent thriller.

[Denise · Rating 4 out of 5]

"...kids know this better than anyone, that you have to do it all right now, everything, because this can always happen without any warning whatsoever: you're out of time."

First of all, if you haven't read the first book in the Kate Moore duet, THE EXPATS -- STOP. This book won't make as much sense to you without doing so. Second, the synopsis provided by the publisher is clear in describing the topic and plot. I don't want to give any spoilers so won't go into anymore detail about it.

This thriller was a great follow up novel and every bit as good as the first. Ex CIA agent Kate Moore is quite an interesting character and I enjoy her personal reflections almost as much as I admire her calculating mind. She's a quick study and her ambivalence about being a stay-at-home mom vs pursuing her former career makes what she actually does with her time even more absorbing. Kate and her family are living an expat life in Paris when the events of this particular day jar her from what has become a nearly happy and satisfying semblance of domesticity. There are many characters, red herrings, cross and double cross, and a lot of action. Great tension. Remarkable writing. I really enjoyed it. You definitely won't want to miss this sequel and, dare I hope, there will be more?

Thank you to NetGalley and Crown Publishing for the e-book ARC to read and review.

[Cheryl · Rating 4 out of 5]

It has been quite some time since I had picked up and read a book from this author. In fact, it was the debut novel, The Expats that I read. I enjoyed that book a lot that I wanted to continue reading more books from Mr. Pavone but for some reason I just didn't. That is until now. Well after finishing this book, I won't be letting so much time expire between books.

Kate is the boss. She is not afraid to get her hands dirty and get right into the middle of the action. Speaking of action; there was plenty of it. For a fan of espionage thrillers, this is what I like. You can't have an espionage thriller without lots of action. It is like having warm apple pie without the vanilla ice cream. Although, you can have apple pie without ice cream but you won't enjoy it as much as there is something missing. So, as a conclusion; you need to pick up The Paris Diversion so you aren't left out wondering what you missed out on.

[Bebe (Sarah) Brechner · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lock your door and turn off your phone! Once you pick up this book, you're in another zone - this is unstoppable reading! Pavone picks up from his first story of CIA agent Kate and her secretive husband Dexter, this time in Paris, after the dust has settled on their misdeeds from Luxembourg.

Surprisingly, Pavone, in the midst of this truly spectacular, almost nonstop action story, adeptly takes on modern marriage here, throwing shade on the constant conflicts, misunderstandings, slights, hurts, resentments, and attractions that seethe under the surface. The very real problems from the first story continue to reverberate here - nothing is forgotten, forgiven, or resolved from that episode, yet. Pavone rachets up the tension and the action to produce another winner. Well done!

[Stephanie Crowe · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have always been a fan of Chris Pavone! His thrillers are captivating and I can’t wait till the next one. And Kate Moore is back along with her sophisticated spy craft and conflicts about her personal life! Riveting! Loved it!

[Karen F · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read the book’s summary. That will take you thru the first 25 chapters. It’s literally all that happened.

The narrator made the book fun. Reading it with forward energy. But the story itself felt paced even though it’s billed as fast paced.

[Melissa (Semi Hiatus Until After the Holidays) · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am very glad I went back and re-read Pavone's first three books, because all three of them have critical information that come together in the plot of this novel. I recommend starting with The Ex-Pats and working forward from there before reading this one, you'll appreciate it and understand it so much more.
I feel like Pavone should be more well-known, especially with those who enjoy spy thrillers. The Paris Diversion, like his previous novels, contains non-stop action, subterfuge, and a large difficulty knowing who is good, who is bad, and what double-crossing is going on throughout the book.
There are quite a few threads still left untied, so hopefully we'll see more of Kate, Dexter, and the crew in later books.

I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book, all opinions are my own.

[Anne · Rating 1 out of 5]

Eh. For a novel advertised as a fast paced action thriller, it was pretty dang slow! I thought it moved very slowly, too many vague lines of thought and people and not very intersection characters to boot. Nothing really hung together and made any sense til about the last third where the pace picked up. Setting it all in one day was pretty unrealistic too- at the very least nobody’s cell phone lasts as long as Kate’s did and the physical area of Paris covered is crazy, even if the city was semi shut down. I only finished it because I’d read The Expats. Recommend reading only if you’ve read the first one too!

[Jeanne · Rating 2 out of 5]

While I'm not a fan of sequels, thought I'd make an exception since I liked "The Expats." Wrong! Kate & Dexter should have been left in Luxembourg & Pavone should stick to writing stand-alones. In his closing comments, he did say that his agent chose this over another book he had in the works. Hope he finishes the other one, and doesn't fall into the series trap.

[Lisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Pavone writes a slick, action-packed spy thriller, welcoming back the enigmatic and fascinating Kate Moore from his debut THE EXPATS. He never disappoints.

[Rick · Rating 5 out of 5]

A sequel to The Expats, this book starts a few years after the heist orchestrated by Kate's husband that Kate then nullified. Lots of intrigue, complicated but clever plot, good ending.

[miss.mesmerized mesmerized · Rating 4 out of 5]

They have been living in Paris for some time now and it took Kate more than one year to finally accept that she would never be like all the other stay-at-home mothers who only cared for the children and spent their days chatting in cafés. So, she decided to return to her job. She is supposed not to ask too many questions, just to do what is necessary when she gets a new mission. Yet, that morning, things are somehow strange in the city, police is everywhere and there is a threat perceptible, but where does it come from? Another series of attacks on the French capital? Kate is good at her jobs and that’s the reason why she soon figures out that the whole scenario is aimed at somebody completely different and that this could also mean that her family and especially her husband is the primary target.

“The Paris Diversion” is the second instalment of the Kate Moore series and continues “The Expats”. It is not absolutely necessary to have read the first novel, yet, the stories are closely interwoven and directly linked. The story moves at a high pace, the whole plot takes place in only a couple of hours, it is only slowed down by Kate’s memories of her time in Luxembourg and a love story that took place some years before. The first of the two makes sense for readers who are not familiar with the first book of the series, the second, however, could easily have been dropped for my liking since it does not contribute anyhow to the actual plot.

It takes some time to see through the whole story. There are many things going on at the same time in different places and how they connect does only unfold slowly. It is cleverly orchestrated and finally, all pieces fall into place, yet, the whole set-up is not really authentic. It is quite an interesting scenario playing with all the fears of modern world: the quick changes at the stock markets, terrorist attacks on a Western metropolis, kidnapping of CEOs, secret services operating in foreign countries – you name it. Chris Pavone masterfully combined all those ingredients into one story, but, as one might assume, it was a bit too much. Nevertheless, I liked the novel due to the high pace and the fantastic protagonist: a strong woman who just does what has to be done while at the same time being completely down to earth and making wrong decisions in her private life.