The American Mission
Palmer’s first novel offers an insider’s look at the world of American diplomats stationed in foreign countries. He lived the role for 20 years, so Palmer knows the subject cold. His brother, Daniel, and his late father, Michael, are both accomplished thriller writers, so an ability to write crime fiction clearly runs in the family. Alex Baines works in the U.S. State Department, but he is helpless to intervene when a massacre occurs in Darfur in 2006. Years later, his career in shambles, an opportunity lands in his lap to start over and recover his reputation. Unfortunately, a moral quandary quickly develops: what appears to be in the best interest of his job and career may not be good for the people of the Congo. Palmer creates full-bodied characters and an intriguing story that showcases the difficult choices ambassadors face on a daily basis. Pair this one with John le Carré’s The Constant Gardener (2001). --Jeff Ayers