The Cutout (Caroline Carmichael)

Francine Mathews, take a bow. THE CUTOUT is a fierce and dynamic thriller that posits a truly chilling "What if?" beginning and carries us through some hairpin twists and turns.What I really appreciated even more than the inventive plot, however, was the character of Caroline, who got me in the gut. Everything she did seemed right, everything she felt I understood, and I wanted to spend a whole lot more time with her when this book was done - I can't think of higher praise than that.

While giving a controversial speech in Berlin, the Vice President of the United States is kidnapped by a known group of neo-nazi terrorists. What is surprising and shocking to CIA analyst Caroline Carmichael is that one of the extremists appears to be her dead husband, also a CIA agent, who was supposedly killed years ago in a plane crash.The Cutout is drenched with international intrigue, espionage, biological terrorism, vivid details of what it is like to work inside the CIA (thanks to the author's real-life work experience as an analyst), maps of eastern and central Europe (as to not lose the reader geographically), and marvelous psychological suspense. Francine Mathews clearly knows her stuff and she does a terrific job of leading us through the maze of espionage activities from the vantage point of one who has worked in this arena, without losing our interest. Actually, the only thing I lost while reading this book was about 6 hours of sleep! Well worth it, I might add. Highly recommended.Cris

In a heartpounding thriller that can't be topped for its intelligence and tension, Francine Mathews shows she deserves all comparisons to le Carre and Ludlum. A former CIA analyst herself, Mathews walks her readers along the scuffed linoleum of CIA hallways, through the musky smoke rising from the vendor carts of Budapest at dusk, and when least expected, it launches them headfirst into a confrontation with their most potent terrors. Mathews has authored other notable books, but THE CUTOUT is perhaps her finest to date. Readers should hang on tight...this book was a rollercoaster ride I didn't want to see end. Sequel! Sequel!

The Cutout is the ultimate page-turner--a riveting, heartwrenching plot and unforgettable characters in unique, fascinating settings. I couldn't put it down...and my family is still mad at me for ignoring them. Start it when you have plenty of uninterrupted time!

What I liked best about the book was the dilemma the main character found herself in. In most thrillers the central character is either charged with the task of find the villain or has been wronged so they have a personal grudge. What the author has done so well here is to create a central character that, for reasons that I won't mention as it will ruin the plot, is extremely conflicted about finding out the truth. I think this creates a much more real character with conflicting motivations which makes the plot that much more interesting. She also gives you a lens to view the problems in the Balkans that is, even though it is fiction, probably much more accurate and in depth then the one you get through the media. Lastly, it is a real page-turner. And those are really rare.