ANJA'S TEARS

In Roy’s thriller, a CIA agent stationed in Sarajevo during the Bosnian War is targeted by more forces than one.

In the summer of 1995, CIA agent Mick Caruso collects intel so NATO can end the war by stopping Serbian forces from invading Sarajevo. Mick becomes romantically involved with Maja Marković, a beautiful and intelligent Bosnian woman whose Serbian husband, Borislav, died in a bombing three years prior while on a playground with their 3-year-old daughter, Anja, who survived the attack. They share a love of music and the experience of being parents made single by traumatic means: Mick has a 5-year-old daughter named Katie and is in the middle of acrimonious divorce and custody proceedings with his abusive, unstable, and narcissistic ex-wife, Sybil. Maja is the executive assistant of Colonel Nedžad Ugljen, the deputy director of the Bosnian intelligence and security service, who the CIA suspects is involved with Iranian forces. Mick, directed by the CIA, recruits Maja as an inside informant. The risk Maja faces is enormous, and it’s not just her own safety. Anja, who’s now 6, and Maja’s parents’ lives would also be in jeopardy. Eager for the war to end, Maja agrees to help Mick, but the pace of war is fast. Before Mick is able to properly train Maja, she discovers key pieces of evidence, including plans to kidnap, torture, and execute Mick, putting her own life in danger yet again. In his latest novel, Roy presents a fast-paced historical thriller about espionage, love, and loyalty. With the backdrop of the Bosnian genocide, the appearance of historical figures like Radovan Karadžić and Ratko Mladić, and the author's own background in intelligence, the story is plausible and colored with rich details, including CIA codenames. The author’s clean prose keeps the story moving, and readers might be amused by a wink-and-nudge reference to present-day American politics. The concept is compelling, but an early twist eliminates potential character arcs and conflict, which may significantly reduce readers’ interest. Frequently awkward dialogue and underdeveloped female characters (of which there are few) don't help.

A plausible, but flawed, thriller that will both entertain and frustrate.