The Intelligencer

The Intelligencer by Leslie Silbert

AR Reading Level: 6.2
On the library stacks: Adult fiction

My rating: 2 of 5 stars

Publisher's Description:

London, 1593: It is three weeks before the murder of Christopher Marlowe, playwright and spy in Queen Elizabeth I's secret service -- a crime that remains unsolved to this day. Marlowe is hoping to find his missing muse as he sets off on a new intelligence assignment...and closes in on the secret that will seal his fate.

New York City, present day: Renaissance scholar turned private eye Kate Morgan investigates a shocking heist and murder involving a mysterious, antique manuscript recently unearthed in central London. What secret lurks in those yellowed, ciphered pages...and how, centuries later, could it drive someone to kill?

Propelling us from the shadows of the sixteenth-century underworld to the chambers of a clandestine U.S. intelligence unit, from the glitter of the Elizabethan court to the catacombs of ancient Rome, The Intelligencer's dual narratives twist, turn, and collide as they race toward a stunning finale.

It sounded really good. So good, in fact, that my book club decided to read this book this month. The plot sounded really promising, but the execution was flat and sometimes even a little silly. I had guessed half of the ending and the other half was in no way shocking or surprising.

This Da Vinci Code knockoff took me far too long to read to be a real thriller, as touted on the cover. Parts of it were mildly entertaining, but the book is cluttered and contains lots of unnecessary details that slowed it down. I found myself skimming parts and it still took me forever to read. I also found the main character's similarity to the author to be a little cheesy, especially considering how perfect she was. I'll be interested to see how others in my group liked this one at our meeting tonight, but it's not a book I would recommend.

Book 55 of 100 for the 100+ Reading Challenge, Book 34 of 50 for the New Author Challenge, Book 16 of 25 for the Support Your Local Library Challenge, Book 12 of 12 for the Historical Fiction Challenge

Source: Library