There is no doubt about it, The Accident by Chris Pavone is a thriller – and I loved it. As you know, thrillers are not exactly my thing, but when one this good comes along it grabs you by the throat. And probably the reason I liked it so much is because it is a thriller set in the publishing industry. That’s the hook that really grabbed me.
So imagine this, a manuscript for a book that will bring down a multimedia conglomerate and put the CIA in a very uncomfortable situation if it comes to light. And this manuscript has just been delivered to the one agent who can make it happen. Almost from the moment Isabel finishes reading the manuscript her life is in danger and people around her are found dead, but she manages to stay one step ahead of them. Compelling, isn’t it?
Pavone is a wonderful writer. He manages to mix the world of intrigue with the literary effortlessly. He gives us rogue CIA agents who can quote Hemingway and makes it realistic. He tells the story from multiple points of view and a great deal of ambiguity. There are questions that we don’t know the answers to. For much of the novel you think you know what is going on, but can’t be one hundred percent sure.
In addition to being a thriller set in the publishing industry, Pavone has also expressed some fairly pointed opinions about the book industry in general in The Accident. Certain themes keep cropping up, such as the rise of e-books and e-readers. His characters loath them. He has also gone to lengths to include a viable and much loved independent bookstore in his novel. And looming over everything is the possibility of an indie press going out of business or being bought out by a large conglomerate. Pavone is very clear about where he stands on these issues.
Who would like this book? I have wanted to read Pavone since his debut novel, The Expats, came out in 2012. He takes the thriller genre to unexpected places and intellectualizes it a bit. By some strange coincidence, the Expat life and the publishing industry are both worlds I have lived in and want to read about. From here I will definitely go on to read The Expats.
I received a copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.
52 books or bust 
I’m really looking forward to reading a book by Chris Pavone this year. Either this or The Expats, I can’t decide. This books seems like a great read based on your review so I’m going to push it up in my TBR stack. It’ll be interesting to know what the characters of this book think about e-readers (I love my simple Kindle).
If you’re kind of obsessed with the book industry like I am, then you’ll love The Accident. Yes, it is slightly implausible, but then most thrillers are.
Great review. This book is in transit for me at the library right now, so I’ll be reading it soon. I love that it’s set in the publishing industry.
If you love the publish industry thing, then you’ll love this. I can’t wait to hear what you have to say.
I just saw something about this book on twitter this morning – namely that it was a thriller set in the world of books. Obviously that was enough to land it on my TBR list. Glad to read a little more about it here! Definitely looking out for this one.
I have less than 100 pages left with this one and I’m just about to wrap it up now, loving it way more than I thought I would. The publishing aspect is such a great, different way of looking at a thriller!
I’ve found thrillers really hit or miss for me and there are definitely times when I get burnt out on the cliches of the genre. This sounds like a good one though, so I’ll keep it in mind next time I’m looking for a thriller to pick up 🙂 I’m glad it worked out so well for you!
Good to know! I’m reading it right now actually!
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Looking forward to reading this. We felt very mixed about The Expats, some humdinger errors that marred the whole read (but we know that goes against the grain of generally superlative reviews).
I haven’t read The Expats yet, but when I do I’ll keep my eyes open for these humdingers. Thrillers aren’t generally my thing so maybe I was overly generous.
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