Kat with a K

Review: Shadow Trade

Shadow Trade by Alan Furst
Genre: Espionage
Pages: 280
Rating: 8.3

I requested this one from the library because a list I read said it was the first of Furst's (hah) spy novels set in 1930s Europe. It is not. But it turned out to be good anyway! Imagine Burn Notice but set in 1980-ish New York, and you basically have this book. The main character, Guyer, was laid off by the CIA a few years earlier and is now running his own freelance firm. He's a complex character, likeable and flawed, and his world is well-drawn. The plot got a little confusing at times, but that didn't really ruin anything; the evocation of the universe is more important than the particular details. Unfortunately, this seems to be out of print, but it's worth digging up at a library.