Author: Erika Mitchell
Publisher: Champagne Books
Publisher: Champagne Books
Date of publication: April 5, 2015
An espionage thriller for people who like explosions and
sarcasm.
CIA case officer Bai Hsu is stationed in San Diego, where
his job is to safeguard the valuable emotional collateral of some of the
world’s most powerful people (read: their kids). Just when he thinks he’s
landed the easiest assignment of all time, an operative starts targeting the
school and it’s up to Bai to figure out who the operative is after, and why.
This fast-paced story will take you from the picturesque beaches of San Diego
to a deadly blizzard in Pyongyang and make Bai question everything he thought
he knew about working in the field, and about himself.
I've never really been a big fan of spy novels, so I was pleasantly surprised by Bai Tide. Bai Hsu is a CIA agent. He finds himself on assignment at a girls' private boarding school for the rich and elite. After chasing after an intruder and almost getting himself blown up in the process, he realizes someone at the school is in grave danger.
When I think of spies, James Bond or Jason Bourne usually come to mind. Bai isn't like either of those mentioned. He seems to be pretty new to the spy scene. He's smart and brave, but he also makes some rookie mistakes. I liked him, he had a great sense of humor, which is rare in a spy. He also comes across as more human and believable. He's a character I could see myself reading more about.
The plot was pretty easy to follow and it's fast paced. That is something I usually have issues with in spy novels. They can get too convoluted and confusing with too many characters. So, it was refreshing to have a story that reeled me in and wasn't confusing. There were a couple of twists that made it that much more entertaining. It is the second in a series, but I had no trouble following the storyline. I definitely recommend this one. It's a quick, fast paced and exciting read.
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Praise for Bai Tide
“Bai Tide is a classic spy tale with
blisteringly original characters set against the up-tempo backdrop of North
Korean-American relations. Erika Mitchell turns the Asian theater of operations
into her personal literary playground for fashioning a no-holds-barred thriller
that reads like a post-modern combination of Frederick Forsyth and John Le
Carre with just enough Len Deighton sprinkled in for good measure. A thinking
man’s, or woman’s, page turner that revs in the red from artful beginning to
crafty climax.” –Jon Land, USA Today bestselling author of Strong
Darkness
“High octane action combined with the slow burn of great,
unforgettable characters. The kind of book that demands to be read in a single
long burst. Almost impossible to put down. This one will be on your mind long
after you’ve finished it.” –Ted Kosmatka, 2010 Asimov’s Readers’ Choice
Award-winning author of Prophet of Bones.
“Recommended for those who enjoy a fast-paced thriller, and
especially for anyone who read and enjoyed Blood Money. Mitchell
does a wonderful job of balancing the humanity of the story with exactly the
right pacing to keep the reader’s interest.” —Dwell in Possibility
About Erika Mitchell
Erika Mitchell is the author of Blood Money, a
standalone novel about one accountant’s efforts to take down a terrorism
financier, and Bai Tide, the first book in her Bai Hsu series.
Erika uses her lifelong passion for espionage to infuse her stories with the
fun and intrigue of the James Bond movies she grew up watching, and sets those
stories in ripped-from-the-headlines locations around the globe. When she’s not
writing, she’s raising two tiny spies-in-training with her husband in Seattle,
WA.
Find out more about Erika at her website, and connect with her on Facebook and Twitter. You can also read her
blog at parsingnonsense.com.
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2 comments:
Wow, this is high praise! I'm always especially gratified when someone who normally doesn't enjoy spy thrillers likes my book. Thank you for reading, and for this wonderful review!
I'm so glad that you enjoyed this one, particularly since it is outside your usual reading comfort zone.
Thanks for being a part of the tour!
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