Chris Pavone’s latest novel, “The Travelers,” highlights international locales and reluctant spies.
In this book, writer Will Rhodes works for Travelers magazine, and his duties take him around the world. He’s married to Chloe, who deserves better, since Will uses his charm to get the story and enjoys being in the company of beautiful women. Surprisingly, even though his marriage is starting to crumble, he hasn’t cheated.
Yet.
Temptation wins when Will meets Elle, an Australian fashion model. The next morning, he discovers he has been set up. Ellie isn’t a model, and their passionate night was a lie. To insure that Chloe doesn’t find out, Will must now use his job to spy for the CIA. And keeping his missions secret from his wife will further strain their marriage.
The first quarter of “The Travelers” has too many characters and situations to resolve, and Will and the other characters are a bit hard to like.
Pavone finally kicks up the narrative when Will is forced to become a spy, and things become interesting.
