Customer Reviews

A Foreign Policy

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

First attempts from new authors seem to be very hit or miss in my experience. Mr. Graham-Yooll definitely hits the mark with this book. It flowed very well and kept my attention throughout. The plot and character development was solid, and the writing accessable and witty. The book was well researched, and did not insult the readers intelligence unlike some recent best selling works (dan brown's drivel). A good book keeps me up past midnight...as this one did two nights in a row. I'll be looking forward to his next book!

A lively cast of characters, a page-turning plot, and a few poignant insights into the state of international relations and US politics in particular. This was a truly enjoyable read, and I hope we'll soon be seeing more novels by this author.

More than a paperback thriller, this book is not just an entertaining read but gives revealing insights into the complexities of Middle East politics. This is a fast-paced story with a cast of interesting characters who come together in deftly managed plot. Don't miss it!!

I planned on reading this book during my commute to and from work. When I got into it, I found myself wanting to stay on the train a little longer just to get through the next chapter...and the next...and the next...

My one-hour commute each way suddenly was not long enough.

A Foreign Policy is a timely, thrilling read. Richard Graham-Yooll is an enormous new talent. I hope to see more books from him!

This book came out of the gate fast, and kept rolling. Constant tension and a multitude of plot twists make this one a page-turner.

The characters are interesting and the author has solid knowledge of the arena he covers here, making each horrific event totally plausible.

If you read before bed, plan on staying up half the night. You won't doze off reading this baby.

a very fast moving, highly entertaining page turner. Could have been written by le carre but the romance is handled better here.

In Boston Brigham Payne insurance company director Sam Payne asks his son-in-law, Guy Sinclair, an employee of the firm, to meet with him outside of work to discuss a business situation involving Saudi Arabia. At a nearby restaurant, Sam introduces Guy to Nadya Kassam who opens up her attaché case to allegedly show him something. Instead she is a suicide bomber killing herself and Sam and hospitalizing a severely injured Guy.

After Guy heals, his boss Freddie Lewis sends him to Saudi Arabia to ostensibly work a claim. He meets Musa Salech who takes Guy around town. However, the visiting American also witnesses a homicide in which the police name him as the prime suspect. As he fears for his life from criminals, terrorists, and the cops, Guy with Musa's help tries to prove his innocence but obvious allies like the Webbing-Turner company of England sell him out to the authorities while Dr. Kamilia Rutger, Nadya's step-sister, joins his side and wants to know why. Adding to Guy's fears is that he learns back home his beloved wife Diane and their ten years old daughter is threatened.

This is an interesting look at the business-terrorist complex from the perspective of a potential victim. The lead character is the last Guy anyone would believe turns into a hero as he luckily escapes death in Boston and Saudi Arabia, but becomes a champion when his beloved females are threatened. Fans of suspenseful character driven thrillers will enjoy his efforts to extricate himself from trouble and keep his family safe while also wondering like Kamilia what drove her step-sister.

Harriet Klausner

Graham-Yooll deftly weaves together the arcana of insurance with the blood-pumping excitement of an international spy thriller. I highly recommend this as a last minute Christmas gift for anyone especially those detective/intrigue readers. It's one thumping-good read with the flashpoint of the Middle East as a backdrop.

There is something of the flavor of a MacInnes thriller in A Foreign Policy. The protagonist is an insurance agent, but he is soon forced to investigate unsavory events within his own company, and many of the plot elements unfold in the mysterious and often ominous setting of Saudi Arabia. This was the type of book where I kept saying, "I'll make dinner at the end of this chapter," and then read five more chapters while my children glared at me.

I was at first distressed by what seemed a lack of characterization, but I realized soon enough that Graham-Yooll is very deft at revealing character with great word economy (despite the fact that the book exceeds four hundred pages). The real distress came from Medallion Press's sloppy copy editing; I found quite a few errors in the book that must have annoyed the author, as well!

However, aside from that, I highly recommend this thriller. Graham Yooll created a page-turner with an interesting narrative voice and a fascinating look at Saudi Arabia in the post-9/11 world. Graham-Yooll also exposes some of the prejudices and stereotypes westerners tend to have against Arab peoples, especially through a character who is part American and part Arab. Thriller fans, here's one for your library.