Book Details
- Date Read: February 21, 2022
- Publication Date: February 2019
- Rating: 4.0 / 5.0
- Format: Physical Book
- Page Count: 320
- Listening Time: 10 hours 50 minutes
- Print Publisher: Random House Trade
- Audio Publisher: Random House Audio
American Spy Book Review
American Spy by Lauren Wilkinson a slow burn novel that blends an intelligence mystery with the protagonist’s personal reflection on her career and life. Marie is a Black woman in the FBI, navigating a stalled-out career, when she is asked to join a task force in a Burkina Faso.
As she befriends the new president and works towards a coup that will remove him from office, she begins to question her personal beliefs, her role in her family, and ultimately her morality. It’s a well-executed blend of literary fiction and political fiction, set in 1986.
If you are a fan of undercover mysteries and political plotlines, this will hit the mark with a slow-paced unveiling. Don’t go into this expecting an action plot or a tense read, though it holds attention just as well. I was gifted this book by my husband and I’m not sure I would have selected it on my own, yet it ended up being one of my memorable reads last year.
Content warnings: Death, Gun violence, Sexism, Racism, Emotional abuse
