The Helsinki Affair

The Helsinki Affair by Anna Pitoniak, 355 pages

Amanda Cole is stuck in a boring CIA posting in Rome when a Russian man comes in and tells her that a U.S. Senator is about to be assassinated in Cairo. When her boss refuses to act, Amanda finds herself leading the Rome CIA station and leading an investigation into the corporate blackmail and espionage scheme that led to the senator's murder. Along the way, she discovers that her father — Charlie, a CIA agent who is just months away from retirement — may have played an instrumental role in the plot...but for which side?

Bouncing back and forth in time between Amanda's investigation and the titular events 30 years earlier, this is a twisty, often confusing spy-filled plot, in which it's never clear who can and should be trusted. I'm not much of a spy novel fan, and this one didn't do much to change my mind. But for those who can't get enough of the Cold War in their fiction, it might be worth a read.

An Unsuitable Attachment / Barbara Pym 256 pp.

An acutely observed story of the doings of a mostly working-class London church and its members in the 1960s.  The plot revolves around Ianthe Broome, a woman raised among wealthier folk who is looking for love while deluding herself that she isn't, and Penelope, another young woman who is frank about her search for love but seems to go about it in the wrong way.  They and a wide cast of others take a springtime trip to Rome which moves the relationships forward.  Interesting, and a bit strange.  The characters, especially while in Rome, make incessant anti-Catholic remarks which lends a moronic feel to much of the dialogue.  (They aren't Pym's opinions, obviously; she is only showing us what people of this time and place would say.)  Still, it wears thin, and there isn't enough to the plot to make the dated tone worthwhile.

The Imperfectionists

The Imperfectionists/Tom Rachman 272 pgs

This book is about an English language newspaper published in Rome. At the same time, it is NOTHING about an English language newspaper published in Rome, it is about people who have a connection to the paper but it is so much more. A little bit of history, a bit of psychology, each chapter focuses on an individual and also gives a bit of the history of the founding of the paper and the relationships of the historic principle characters. I was very taken by the individual stories but was sad when I realized the format that I wouldn't hear more from each. Somehow Rachman brings it all together and that is not a problem. The characters all seem very real and their quirks quite possible. Very enjoyable book! - Christa