So I borrowed this book from work, not actually knowing what it was about. I was drawn in by the cover and a recommendation from one of my managers, and didn't even read the back of the book before starting it. This element of surprise did help make things more intriguing at first, but it unfortunately didn't save me from Chris Pavone's heavy-handed hints about the plot. I'm finding that too many authors lack subtlety these days; there's a difference between foreshadowing and FORESHADOWING, and Pavone unfortunately employs the latter. The book also relied on the main-character-makes-terrible-decisions trope (for someone who recently left covert operations with the CIA -- don't worry, that's revealed early on and not a spoiler -- Kate is horribly oblivious). Once again, there's a difference between utilizing believable human error and relying on utter stupidity to move the plot along. Pavone came back around toward the end with a few surprises, but nothing earth-shattering. The Expats is a great deal of buildup and suspense without much substance. The ending itself rang hollow to me -- it seemed more like an attempt to be interesting than anything else, and once again relied on a tired trope to do the job. The Expats was a lazy read, and I enjoyed it, but there was nothing that stood out or got me particularly excited. 
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 Rating: Generously, 2.5 Stars. 
 Favourite Quote: N/A. Nothing stood out enough to be a favourite. 
 Recommend: Eh, no. Don't waste your time. There are better things out there.