John Di FrancesRecensioni

There's a decent story beginning here, but the truth is that the book just need more work. The story and the characters needed more depth, and the writing itself needed more time/work. As is, I'm afraid the book reads like an un-edited first draft, and I suspect the writer trusted more in his own career experiences and background than he should have, depending on those alone to allow him to tell him a strong, worthwhile story without more work. As a result, the story itself doesn't quite have enough meat to satisfy readers who've read hundreds of books like this and will read hundreds more, and what there is here depends a lot on stereotypes that will be well familiar to the readers this book should most appeal to.

Probably, more revision and more extensive reading in the genre (on the part of the author) could have set this book up for better success, but as is, I'm afraid I can't find much within it to recommend, and there's just no chance I'll be going on to the next in the series.

Thanks to LibraryThing Early Reviewers Giveaway. Since the book was in PDF format, it kept being pushed to the "to be read " pile - hence the delay, even though I had received the book in March.
It was a fast paced thriller. As mentioned in the synopsis, you start liking the good guys as well as the bad guys as you come to understand more about them.
Even though the investigative team failed to, I had guessed the deception under way as they were trailing the assassins.
The Locales and food were very interesting and it gave a feeling of actually watching a movie rather than reading a book.
Overall, it had a Bourne feel and I enjoyed it thoroughly.
Even though it is a trilogy and the author's intent is to keep readers engaged to continue with the next book in the series, I don't appreciate the cliff hanger ending - it should ideally be a plot coming to an end and readers waiting for the next.

This began as an engaging, fast-paced thriller. But after a couple of hours of listening, I began to lose interest in the characters. My mind would wander. I could not stay engaged. Yes, there was action, but I really had to push myself to continue reading. And then in the end, there was no ending. I really dislike books that are part of a series that can't stand alone.

I received this audio book free from the publisher to review. Pretense by John Di Francis is the first book in the Imbroglio Trilogy. The book begins with the assassination of two European heads of state. There are indications that the US military may be involved. Interpol and local investigators chase the three suspects across Europe but are always a step behind. As the book progresses, it is clear that the couple and another man are the assassins and are on the run. However, as the book ends, it is not as clear whether these three are actually the perpetrators of the crimes.

The plot moves quickly. The characters are well developed and the descriptions paint a clear picture of each scene. I enjoyed the book and will be waiting for the rest of the trilogy to see what happens.

When I started this book, I was not sure I would like it. The plot was slow to materialize and the characters were hard to grasp (possibly from my inexperience with understanding Interpol). But as I continued to read, the plot took off quickly and I started to enjoy what I was reading. Just when you think its solved, boom new road to follow. I am looking forward to reading the next two books in this trilogy.

I received this book through member giveaway. First, you need to realize that this is a part of a trilogy and it is not a stand alone read. It is a fun read and keeps you guessing all the way through to the end. I enjoyed the book, although I thought the story was a little overwritten and could have used more editing. I really disliked the use of parenthetical explanations for acronyms in the text--either let the reader look them up or put them in footnotes or in a glossary at the end--it takes away from the flow of the sentences. It may just be me but I don't mind looking up things I don't understand. If you enjoy political thrillers you will enjoy this book and, hopefully, the two to follow.

I really enjoyed the plot and characters in this novel. Having the protagonists come from Eastern Europe is refreshing and the intricate timeline keeps you engaged. I did not like the cliff hanger ending but I'll read the rest of the trilogy.

While it took me a little to get into this i really appreciated the book and the whole geo-political connection with it. The book is easy to read and Di Frances does a nice job with the characters. I love that the language in the book is incredibly clean! I will definitely look for the next two books!

This is my review of a book that I did not have a chance to read. You can only imagine what I might have written had I actually seen or read a copy. I'm sure it would have been great, but instead turned into a disappointment as the publisher couldn't bothered to allow for my schedule.

I received this book in a .pdf format on my Kindle as an Early Reviewer's copy.

Pretense was riveting and suspenseful. Three assasins were wreaking havoc across Europe. They were always a step ahead of the detectives from the countries under attack. The United States was being framed. This on-the-edge-of-your-seat thriller ended with a twist and left the reader anxious to read the second book in this triology.

I won this book on the Early Reviewers program.
First of all this is the audiobook version, I have really enjoyed audiobooks lately. I found the format of this disappointing. It came as a code to download on my phone which made it difficult to listen to. I had to download an app, then download the book and then listen through my phone.
That said I did enjoy the story, I was pleasantly surprised to find different voice actors, some sound effects and music. That helped bring the story to life. The voice actors were very good, my only problem was the narrator was kind of wooden and emotionless, almost droll at times like he felt above the material.
The story was very exciting full of plot twists and turns, spies, assassins, and treachery. A cliff hanger ending sets you up for book two.
Interesting read.½

This is the first book of a trilogy about an international hunt for a trio of assassins targeting European politicians. As a crime thriller, the tradecraft of the assassins is detailed and persuasive, and the police procedural elements also are good. It’s billed as a book that demonstrates disenchantment with the European Union – the assassination targets are big EU supporters – but it doesn’t really work as a political thriller, because there’s very little politics in it. The assassins could just as well be murdering top chefs or social media gurus.
The assassins are an Irish couple, handsome and strikingly beautiful, wealthy, elegant, and socially adept (in a too-good-to-be-true way) and a more rough-around-the-edges German man, who is an expert sniper. The couple’s first target is Slovakia’s prime minister, killed by a car bomb outside a Bratislava restaurant. The German accomplishes the second murder, that of the Polish prime minister. It’s technically difficult, shooting from a distance of 640 meters into a packed stadium of excitable soccer fans.
The three escape to Berlin, several steps ahead of the multiple security services now on their trail. The cat-and-mouse game is well done and may carry you through some of the clunky writing. Technical information dumps show Di Frances did his homework. Yet the weight or length of a rifle is immaterial, of itself. Such information needs to be brought into the story. Has the sniper had experience with a rifle of that type, is its length an advantage or does it make it hard to conceal? Worst was a bullet-point list of 16 variables affecting the soccer stadium shot. Dude, this is fiction!
The plot pulls you forward nevertheless, and Di Frances has a great twist in store. Unfortunately, when you reach the end of Pretense, you’re not at the end of the story. To really understand what’s been going on, you’ll have to read book two and very probably book three. Not sure I’m ready for that.

Someone is paying assassins to kill European heads of state for some nefarious purpose, and it seems to be causing unrest. And the fingers are pointing to the American government .

We get to follow both the assassins and the detectives attempting to catch them and we still only get part of the picture. While it was a good book for driving to work, and if the next book in the series falls in my lap, I'd read/listen to it, I did not find it so spell binding that I need to get the next one in the series.

It was a decent story, kept my interest. But I did have some problems with some of the stuff some of the characters did but, then I have problems like that with most international thrillers.½

Reminding me so much of James Bond, staying at high-level hotels, dining lavishly, and executing clever well-planned assassination assignments, this attractive, highly educated and worldly couple has been hired by a generous unknown and well funded, political instigator with specific and mysterious assignment requirements. They are being chased through the capitals of Europe by a respected Interpol detective who, by the client's gamesmanship, gets close but never quite captures the assassins. A co-conspirator is associated to them by their client. He’s a brute who has none of the couple’s finesse but who can be charming in his own right. The shock generated by his last assassination assignment threatens the fate of both assassination teams.

The book ends with another well-executed escape but without disclosing the name of the client or his political purpose. This disclosure has been left to another book in the series.

Pretense is the first of a series that I intend to keep reading. This first book is well written with a pace that keeps your interest. I couldn’t help but cheer for the handsome couple even though they are the criminals in this series.

Overall I thought the story was pretty good. I listened to the Audiobook version of this book. It should be noted, this is a dramatized version with different voices for different characters and background sound effects. I'm not 100% sold on this style of book, but it worked ok for Pretense.

This book opens like a scene out of Mr. & Mrs. Smith. International assassins and intrigue. Very current, including references to recent news and using latest and future technology. The book then shifts to investigators following the case. I found the book easy to read and descriptions of the technology to be explained well. Enjoyed the first book in this new series!

This was a very interesting and mostly well written international conspiracy book. Di Frances' description of beautiful women, fancy hotels and food were a bit awkward - as if he was trying too hard to impress, and maybe pulling adjectives from a thesaurus. But aside from that, I really enjoyed the book and would be interested in reading book 2 and 3. However, I'm not sure it was really necessary to break this story into three separate books - seems a bit more like a marketing strategy than a requirement of the narrative.

2.5/5 rounded up

I received this Early Reviewers copy of Pretense through a giveaway on Library Thing.

The points of action in the book were enjoyable. They were pretty simple and to the point and that made it at least easy to read, but I probably skimmed through at least half of this book. I appreciate attention to detail but some of the descriptions of travel for example were at little exhausting. The dialogue wasn’t the best either. The conversations just seemed unrealistic and every one yelled too much. I kept picturing the characters like bad actors over exaggerating their lines.

Basically this was just a very amateur mystery/thriller novel that was sort of whatever. Hopefully the final/official copy and the next two books are better.

A fast paced story of international espionage and politics. Character development is sluggish but action predominates. I would have given this short book a better rating had there been an ending...it is not a “cliff hanger” but ‘if you want to know the ending buy the next in the series”. It does not stand alone, but is dependent on unread/unwritten ending.
Additionally, the voice and expression of primary female character in the audiobook does not match the character as described (to me at least).
The plot would be more interesting if the “professionals” did not make amateur mistakes such as being caught on numerous camera.

This is my first book from this author and I enjoyed it. Fast paced, great descriptions of places. It's the first in a trilogy and I will be looking for the other 2 when they come out. I received this from LibraryThing Early Reviewers for an honest review.

Two European prime ministers have been skillfully executed while the assassins are able to stay one step ahead of an elite international investigation team. It's not that it's a bad story but it's spoiled by the wooden writing that tries, and fails, to suggest action and speed. Given the style there is little in the way of character development. The ending was disappointing because this is only the first book of a trilogy and obviously the story is continued there. I have no intention of reading further.

A great read! From the beginning words, you are drawn into the story, from the flamboyant killers to the team of dedicated investigators to find them. Can hardly wait to read the next installment The Bait.

There are a lot of good things about this book, but I did not like the fact that it is a cliff hanger—mostly because I did not have closure when I finished the book. Instead, I was left wondering who the perpetrators really were and who was behind their actions. I personally do not normally read/buy cliff hangers because I want closure when I finish a book.

In the story, there is a well-heeled, late thirtyish/early fortyish couple, who provided a good picture of modern, well-heeled assassins, both intelligent and clever, employing current and rather avant-garde methods to do their jobs. In addition, there was a single man who seemed to be a bit older, who also was a modern assassin. In addition, there was also a person or group in the background, orchestrating the well-thought-out, clever assassinations of two world leaders. As I read the book, I was not even sure the trio really knew who the person or group was, as they seemed to be just actors in a well-developed plan. It became the job of the rapidly assembled group of reps from the involved countries and Interpol to figure out who was behind the actions and how to stop them. The story involved two assassinations, but I figured more had been planned.

The book was done well. The author definitely knows police/investigative procedures, even across international lines. Unlike so many reviewers, I did not think it was all that action-filled. Yes, there were some sections filled with solid action, but I thought, for the most part, this was a “thinking” or “discussion” book, providing the background for what was evolving, to figure out who the actual master-minds and principal actors were as well as their motives. The international group convened to figure things out was a well-versed, good cross-section of career investigators from the various countries involved, who worked well as a team from the outset. I do think the way the author had one investigator routinely pointing out sexism of the males in the group was a bit too much, and it really did not add to the story. Finally, let me just say, as I said, I do not like cliff hangers that apparently tempt readers to buy the next book in a series or the one after that and so forth. As I said, the book read well and had a fairly good plot that made for interesting reading and kept me reading. However, as I said there was no closure at the end. I feel any book or books will sell if well-written and do not necessarily need an enticement. However, I am not the author and the choice was not mine. I read the book because I committed to doing so. I received this from Library Thing to read and review.

Pretense is not a good novel.

John Di Frances has written several non-fiction books, but this is his first novel and it shows. Let me give you some examples. When a sniper is about to kill an important government figure, the tension should be building, but the author instead spends time describing the 16 characteristics of atmosphere that may influence such a long-range shot--in a bullet point list! Then he spends another paragraph or two describing the high-tech bullet itself, which was developed by DARPA. By the way, the author reminds us no fewer than three times what DARPA stands for, although most readers interested in international intrigue would already know what it means.

I'm sorry to say that the language and imagery is also not very interesting and somewhat cliche ridden. And while Mr. Di Frances proves he's done his research on weapons, it's clear from the police procedural sections of the book that he has little understanding of how massive investigations are actually done.

Wooden dialog, cliches, an unlikely plot. Mr. Di Frances needs a new editor. I'm surprised his current editor didn't do a better job.

I received this book as part of LibraryThing’s Early Reviewer program.

Pretense by John Di Frances is an exciting read with plot twists that surprise and a cliffhanger ending that left me wanting the next in the 3-part Imbroglio Trilogy to appear quickly. The story is told from two perspectives – that of the criminals who smoothly carry out deadly attacks against high-profile political leaders in eastern Europe, and the investigative team including Polish police, Interpol agents, and an American CIA agent. The clues left behind point to multiple possibilities, and the team is led down dangerous paths all over Europe by the mastermind behind the criminals.

The author helpfully identifies the various weapons and agencies by their full names and the acronyms that he uses after the initial references. The locations are well-described and seem realistic. I found the dialog a bit stiff at times, but that doesn’t really distract from the fast-moving storyline. I would have liked to know more about the internal and personal lives of the investigators, and what drives them to go after the bad guys.

All in all, a good, quick read.