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Mischa Hiller
Hachette Audio
August 24, 2012 / ASIN: B008XDYIPY
Mystery/Thriller / Audiobook - 8 hours, 28 minutes
Amazon
Reviewed
by Jo Rogers
Shake Off
is the story of a Palestinian refugee whose family had been murdered
by extremists. Michel Khoury was alone as a child of nine, and placed
in foster care. He is recruited, educated and trained by a man named
Abu Leila, an officer in the PLO, close to Yasser Arafat. He tells
Michel his work in learning many languages will help the PLO end
the conflict with the Israelis in the Gaza Strip.
Michel is content with his life, traveling from one country to another
to learn the skills that will keep him and the packages he carries
safe from “the competition,” as Leila likes to call
the Israelis. While he lives in London, he meets and falls in love
with Helen, who lives in the apartment next to his. This complicates
things, as he cannot tell her the truth about himself. She senses
the lies and hates that he doesn’t quit lying. Still, she
has lied about her own life, so neither can complain about the other.
Then, an envelope arrives for Leila, by a circuitous route. The
courier is detained by the Israelis on the return trip. His wife
smuggles the package out. Then, things go really wrong.
Shake Offis well plotted with a strong, well-developed
protagonist. However, with the exception of Helen, the other characters
are not as well developed. They lack the fine details that make
them fully human. In the case of Abu Leila, this was a necessary
shortcoming, since to reveal his story would be revealing the end
of the story. Over all, it is a good story, well worth the listening
time. Reader Fleet Cooper does a terrific job of making even Abu
Leila come alive for the listener. Give Shake Off a listen
and enjoy a good spy thriller.
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