Just Finished Reading The Travelers by Chris Pavone

The Travelers, by Chris Pavone, is a book I selected from my local public library shelves with one condition in mind: it isn't part of a series...or if it is, then it has to be the first book.  It's amazing how much fiction out there is all tied up in series, but easy to understand, I guess, since readers often feel compelled to stick with the series until it ends.  That's what I would call a "cash cow" for the author and publisher when it works...no need to create a new set of characters and scenarios, just keep issuing new installments every two or three years.  Well, The Travelers fit my criteria and I checked it out...a good story but man, did it have to get so convoluted?

Will Rhodes, the protagonist, works at a traveling magazine as a roaming journalist, visiting places scattered across the world.  His boss Malcolm Taylor often hands him packages to give specific people when he reaches his destination (and take other packages back)...the rationale is that computer systems are prone to being hacked and sometimes the old ways are more secure.  But Malcolm has a secret room in his office that he goes to, following what appears to be a different agenda than the magazine's...is he a spy, and if so, what is that agenda? Will finds himself sucked into a very complicated world of freelance espionage where the players often are completely unaware for whom they really work...his wife Chloe, a former employee in at Travelers, also seems to have a double life...what is she up to? And what about the characters Elle and Roger who have targeted Will for some purpose...what is that purpose and how well will they succeed?  All these questions and many more pervade the story, and it can be difficult to keep up with everything...the only thing for certain is that Will Rhodes has innocently stumbled into something way over his head and is now struggling not only for his marriage but also his very life...

If you like exotic places like France, Iceland, Argentina, and others and are deeply into cloak and dagger tales where you never quite know who the good guys are and who are the bad ones, then The Travelers is the book for you.  One thing it opened my eyes to is the world of the independent spy-for-hire, something that in today's world I imagine is more common than ever.  The ending of the book implies a sequel, meaning that although I thought I was getting into a standalone novel, sometimes the author has something else in mind.  Well, good for Chris Pavone, if he plans to expand it into a series...I may or may not continue with it as this genre of fiction just doesn't resonate very well with me...