I can’t say that I was too fond of this book. It’s historical fiction which I normally love but the historical bits were so heavy and stilted that it wasn’t enjoyable.

arc provided by netgalley for an honest review

Two Spies in Caracas is a political thriller about rival spies set during Hugo Chávez’s coup in 1992

We have two main characters:
— Iván Rincón of Cuban intelligence needs to find a way to support Chávez and the future of his country
— Cristina Garza of American intelligence needs to stabilize one of the biggest oil reserves in the world by eliminating Chávez’s influence

But their biggest mission is to eliminate one another before the other achieves their task. In the end they are caught in the political explosion and in their own personal feelings for one another.

Overall, this novel felt all over the place as it jumped all over the place which can be due to the fact that this is a translation.

Thank you NetGalley and AmazonCrossing for the chance to read and review an advance copy of Two Spies in Caracas.

The title, description, and cover drew me in, and I was expecting to really enjoy this novel. However, I found the writing to be clunky and a bit staccato, jumping from thought to thought without ever really lingering. I suspect this is an effect of translation rather than the writing itself, so I might be curious to read an excerpt in the original language. I also found certain descriptions off-putting - like for our American spy who happens to be a woman, the narrative is sure to let us know that her ass still looks good in yoga pants. In case you were worried she wasn't doing her desk job (complete with paternalistic boss) sexily.

I won't be cross-posting this review to goodreads or any of the bookseller sites as I'm hoping the translation might be cleaned up before eventual publication in eight months. Some major editing is needed, but the story itself has potential and could be really interesting.

Mesmerizing! The rise of the Hugo Chavez regime in Venezuela twined with the two spies duelingsilently for supremacy. Ivan , head of Fidel Castro's Cuban spies, and Cristina Garza of the CIA. Posing as a fashion industry executive and a luxury spa owner respectively, they engage in years of cat-and-mouse maneuvers as Chavez, with Cuba's help, destroys the oil-rich country. The history and analysis gives authenticity to the tale, at times seemingly a Woodward-like chronicle, that leads to an explosive climax.