The Rare Earth Exchange

All the ingredients of a great book: compelling characters, suspense, terrorism, high-level government corruption and a great plot, are combined with some really off-beat elements to create a story that will stay with you. One of the characters is a ten-year-old girl, who is wise beyond her years. She provides a dose of wisdom and morality, and a surprise at the end. The elements of the plot involve some very high-tech features of the "corruption-proof" exchange for minerals used in production of modern electronics, which create an astonishing ending. Yet human greed prevails over the highest of technologies.

Rare Earth – a commodity we can’t live without.

Can you imagine and Airbus A340’s computer systems being attacked by a virus? No, I couldn’t either. I thought they would be “hack-free” but unfortunately the pilots on an Airbus who first think that there is a glitz in their computer system, discover on landing at Paris Orly Airport, they sadly find out that the computers have been well and truly hacked when the plane bursts into flames, consuming not just this plane which has returned from Malaysia, but all planes in its vicinity.

The flames and dust have barely settled when John Spencer-Lariviere, his wife Victorie Angagneur and Luc Masseron (who run a private intelligence agency) are called by Hubert de Méricourt, head of the French Intelligence and Counterintelligence. They need to ascertain whether there’s a link between this accident/terrorist attack and the supposed suicide of ex-President Pierre-André Noblecourt

The story moves at a blistering pace with action both in France and Malaysia. However, I don’t think it was the action that held my attention, but the detailed account of a product called Rare Earth and its place in the world of electronics and computers. Because of its uses, even with an international board regulating the production of this commodity, there is still infighting and corruption amongst the nations who produce it.

And to add to this mix; there is the manufacturer of an Atomic Clock, the most accurate time keeping device known but is it being used to allow inside trading?

The combination of the fast-paced search for those responsible for the catastrophic attack on Paris Orly Airport, the unexplained death of the ex-president and the team’s efforts in trying to unravel who is responsible, had me unable to stop reading until the end.

I love it when I come away from a book having gained knowledge on a subject other than just reading a thriller. This book held my interest from the first line until the end. I’d maybe heard of Rare Earth in passing, but had no idea how important it is in our everyday lives.

The other thing about this book is that I obviously noticed the characters involved, but where I’d normally nit-pick as to whether they made an impact on me or not; I hardly noticed them simply because the storyline was so well written.

This book has been translated from French into English. Unfortunately, I can’t find the name of the translator but whoever did it, has produced a translation that is flawless.

Thank you Le French Books for introducing this exceptionally gifted writer’s work for us English speaking readers.

Treebeard

Breakaway Reviewers received a copy of the book to review.

John Larivière, his wife Victoire and their colleague Luc, have been asked by their former bosses at French Intelligence to look into some suspicious activities. Firstly, there has been an aircraft incident at the Paris Orly Airport and at the same time the former President of France has been found dead at his home. Was it suicide or murder? The former President was responsible for setting up the Rare Earth Exchange, a trading center for strategic and rare earth minerals based in Paris and Malaysia. There are fears that it may be somehow connected to his death. But how? In a world where no one seems to trust each other it will be up to John, Victoire and Luc to find out what really happened.

In this, an interesting and complex story, nothing is as it appears and everyone seems suspicious as well as corrupt. It takes place in both Paris and Malaysia, giving readers a glimpse into international scenes of intrigue and mistrust. The pace is fast moving and filled with incident after incident that will keep readers turning the pages. It's a well written, enjoyable espionage thriller with an ending I didn't really expected.

‘The plane’s antivirus program froze the download for thirty seconds and then authorized installation.’

The plane lands at Orly Airport, and then explodes. Other planes explode, the terminal is on fire, many lives are lost. The former French president, President Pierre-André Noblecourt, should have been on that plane. His survival is short-lived – he is found dead at his home: did he commit suicide, or was he murdered? How are these events connected? The former president had been responsible for establishing the Rare Earth Exchange, a trading centre for strategic and rare earth minerals, based in Paris and Malaysia. Was this in some way connected to his death?

The highest levels of the French government are concerned. Hubert de Méricourt, head of the agency responsible for France’s intelligence and counterintelligence calls in Fermatown, the private intelligence agency run by John Spencer Larivière, his partner Victoire Augagneur and Luc Masseron to investigate.

Thus begins a story in which the investigation quickly spans the globe. As the story unfolds, it soon becomes clear that corruption and suspicion are deeply ingrained. People are not what they claim to be. What was Pierre-André Noblecourt’s role in this world? Who is controlling the exchange of the rare metals essential for modern technology?

And just as things start to look clear, there’s another twist (or two) to keep the story moving along. Exactly how do the members of Pierre-André Noblecourt’s family fit into this intrigue?

‘There’s just too much information, believe it or not. No single investigative body is capable of overseeing a system as complex as this.’

I enjoyed this novel, and kept turning the pages wondering what would happen next. While some aspects were relatively easy to predict, there was one aspect that didn’t click into place for me until the end. And what an interesting ending it is!

Note: My thanks to NetGalley and Le French Book for providing me with a free electronic copy of this book for review purposes.

Jennifer Cameron-Smith

This novel promises a lot - and the author is adept at raising the stakes in this French thriller which features an explosion at a major French airport -, and does this very effective strategy of hiding things from principal characters that we know, adding to tension until they discover that missing link.. In the end, despite its sheer competence and reasonably vivid characterisations, every standard scene played out as I expected. So there is an element of cliche - the couple at heart of the surveillance company have just had a baby so there are many comments abt how that will effect decisions. And in every case, I bet you could predict the way it would go. There are some unusual characters without doubt; and Luc is unpredictable (although in predictable ways) - and they break the law without much fuss to find out whatever it is they are seeking out. I like the place descriptions - from Malaysia's capital to Europe ... And there is real tension which is part of the frisson of this kind of thriller - it knows what the stakes are too. - and the team we are close to.are looking at all this, know it too. But highly worth the read - I was curious and sensed some authenticity in the reading experience and it is poignant that this story of terrorism is based mostly on French soil - so we get a sense of the urgency and damage these events have had on the country.

I am a devoted fan of Le French Book. I read everything that they translate from French into English. "Everything' is usually good and interesting mystery books. I am always aware that I am reading a translation and not the original text.
That said I was slightly disappointed in The Rare Earth Exchange. The core idea is interesting and very complicated. The characters have to do a lot of explaining in their dialogues. That's ok with me, I am usually more interested in the interaction of the characters and the writing itself. I still am not sure what all happened. A lot of people died except our heroes and heroine, the plot was figured out by people way smarter than me and I think all ended fairly happily (except for the families of the dead and the city of Paris which has a lot of clean up to do).
I have no way to prove this but I think my disappointment comes from the translation and not the original book. There were too many adverbs eg. breathtakingly beautiful and I don't believe a good writer would resort to that. The writing seemed simple and when the plot is so complicated, it felt jarring that the writing didn't match.
This is the second book of what I assume will be a series. The main characters are fascinating and live in a world that is extremely in the present--virtual terrorism. I live in Paris and although we certainly have had our share of terrorist attacks, it hasn't gone that far.. yet. So the terror and death still had the ring of 'unbelievable' to it which makes it easier to read.
One of the fun aspects of the book, for me an American living in France, was seeing the USA and it's covert dealings through the eyes of a french author. It's very different than American authors!!!
If you are a fan of Le French Book, as I am, I would encourage you to read this book. There are many far worse books on the market. I hope, as with another series that I'm a huge fan of, the translations will get better.

liked it.
good read.
will get copies for family and friends .

Beginning with an opening scene that is taut and exceedingly believable, The Rare Earth Exchange is a thriller perfect for our time. Filled with duplicitous units and government entities, it's hard to keep the players straight. Once again Le French Book has translated an exciting book into English and allowed an entirely new audience to experience the pleasures of this material. It is a joy to read and impossible to put down.

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