D.B. John’s Star of the North is an exceptional thriller about the relationship between The United States and North Korea. Based on actual historical policies within the DPRK, the book follows three plot lines that the reader knows will eventually intersect.
Mrs. Moon has been living on a prison farm for over 20 years, but tries her luck at becoming an entrepreneur in the local marketplace. Cho is a high-ranking official in the regime who attempts to gain power and respect. The main character Jenna is an American college professor whose exchange-student sister had disappeared 12 years prior close to the North Korean border. The CIA uses this circumstance to try to woo her into becoming an agent.
While it does take awhile for these threads to come together, it is essential in developing worthwhile characters. There is not one character in the book who lacks roundness and is not fleshed out.
John’s writing is impressively detailed which heightens interest, yet doesn’t bog down the story in minutiae. This is a superior spy thriller which lacks the usual cookie-cutter good/ bad guys of the genre. I fully recommend this one.
5 out of 5 stars
Comes out on May 22nd, 2018.
Thank you to NetGalley, Crown Publishing, and the author for the opportunity to read and review this advanced copy.
Paul's Picks 