Blog Tour: A World I Never Made by James LePore

ISBN #: 978-0-9816087-2-3
Page Count: 262
Copyright: 2008, 2009

Welcome to James LePore's A World I Never Made book blog tour hosted by Tracee at Pump Up Your Book.  Below you will find a book summary and my review.  Enjoy! =)

Book Summary:

(Taken from inside dust jacket's flap)

Pat Nolan, an American man, is summoned to Paris to claim the body of his estranged daughter Megan, who has committed suicide.  The body, however, is not Megan's and it becomes instantly clear to Pat that Megan staged this, that she is in serious trouble, and that she is calling to him for help.

This sends Pat on an odyssey that stretches across France and into the Czech Republic and that makes him the target of both the French police and a band of international terrorists.  Joining Pat on his search is Catherine Laurence, a beautiful but tormented Paris detective who sees in Pat something she never thought she'd find - genuine passion and desperate need.  As they look for Megan, they come closer to each other's souls and discover love when both had long given up on it.

Juxtaposed against this story is Megan's story.  A freelance journalist, Megan is in Morocco to do research when she meets Abdel Lahani, a Saudi businessman.  They begin a torrid affair, a game Megan has played often and well in her adult life.  But what she discovers about Lahani puts her in the center of a different kind of game, one with rules she can barely comprehend.  Because of her relationship with Lahani, Megan has made some considerable enemies.  And she has put the lives of many - maybe even millions - at risk.

My Review:

Cover

I get a sense of the mystery of this book by looking at the cover:  The lady on it ... is it Catherine or is it Megan?  Why is she standing in a hallway all by herself?  Is she looking for someone?  Waiting on someone?  Is she friend or foe?

Plot

The book was set in European countries, which helped lend an air of mystery to the story.  The characters were extremely realistic and believable.  Even though there were some back-and-forth moments in the book, the story flowed smoothly and flawlessly.  The reader will remain engaged and wanting to know more the entire book.

Characters

Pat is Megan's widowed father.  He appears to be the strong and silent type.  He feels guilty for how he was never around while Megan was growing up.

Megan is a wanderer with a gypsy spirit.  She doesn't like to be tied down in one place for too long and her lifestyle reflects that.

Catherine is a detective helping Pat search for Megan.  She lost her husband in a bombing several years ago ... much to her relief.  She is feminine, yet strong.

If you want to know more about Pat and Megan's backgrounds, James LePore's Anyone Can Die gives you a great glimpse of that.  I previously read Anyone Can Die (see review here) and went back and re-read it after I finished A World I Never Made and found it to be a wonderful addition.

Overall

I loved this novel.  It was suspenseful and kept you on the edge of your seat until the end.  The story flowed naturally.  I would put this novel in the same category as Dean Koontz's suspense novels.  It is a definite must read for mystery and suspense fans.