The Correspondent: A Novel Review

The tension starts early and doesn't let up much. Her reporter is the kind of character you follow closely without fully trusting, which is exactly right. Some readers will find her hard to like, she's driven to the point of self-harm, but I'll take that over another likable blank.

What I appreciated most: the twists actually hold up. They're not there to slap you. They grow out of who these people are, so when the story turns, it turns for a reason. A lot of thrillers treat you like a mark. This one plays fairer.

A couple of the subplots wander off and just don't come back. I kept waiting for one thread to matter and it dissolved. Didn't wreck anything. But it's there. Fast, gritty, grim about how much of a life a career can eat.