Argylle

 

I saw a commercial for the movie they made last year based on this book and thought it looked interesting. I was right, it was a fun read. I did not, however, see the film, and it's my understanding that the film bears no resemblance to the book. 

Aubrey Argylle lives in Thailand, where he works as a tour guide. His parents were drug dealers who were killed rather horrifically. Argylle grew up thinking his parents were in the export business. He only found out about their real profession after they died. 

Argylle is recruited by the CIA and goes through training with their top spymaster, Frances. A Russian billionaire, hoping to become the next President, promises his people that he is going to find the Amber Room, which disappeared during WWII and has never been found. I've always been intrigued by the Amber Room, so that was a fun aspect. 

I don't want to spoil too much, so I won't get into any more of the details. I don't normally read this genre (spy novels), so I don't know how it would stack up next to say, James Bond, but I enjoyed the story and the characters.