The Amateur American

by: J. Saunders Elmore

Published by: Three Rivers Press

Reviewed by Nicole M. Winget

Jeffrey Delanne is an American, teaching English in France, struggling to make ends meet in a country that doesn’t seem to like him very much. When he is approached by another teacher and given a tip on a very profitable and seemingly lucrative translation job, he doesn’t miss a beat in contacting the potential employer. He is plunged, terrifyingly quickly, into a seedy world of torture and tangled webs of deceit , doing things he never dreamed of. He must sort out who his real friends are and get to the source of his troubles before he ends up in prison–or six feet under.

This is a really detailed story. The detail both adds and detracts from the book. It was really easy to get hooked into the story and captured by the complexities of the characters and landscapes. On the other hand, it was easy to get a bit lost. I sometimes had trouble keeping the characters straight and in a novel this complex, mixing up the characters can leave you perplexed. This is a book you shouldn’t rush through. Take your time to appreciate the width and depth of everything that is going on and you will find an enjoyable puzzle that I can almost guarantee you won’t piece together until the very end.

My American sensibilities were trampled on a bit (I admit, I forget that some people don’t like ‘us’). But I had to laugh for most of the trampling. It was an interesting look at another country’s perspective of ‘’us,’’ told through the eyes of someone who isn’t exactly comfortable with his national roots.

Sometimes a bit confusing, but still learning towards pleasingly complex, The Amateur American is an action-packed story of an American searching to stay afloat in the underbelly of a foreign country. It is an enjoyable mystery with a sprinkling of romance, sure to please almost any pallet.

Armchair Interviews says: A read worth your time.

Author’s Web site: http://www.JSaundersElmore.com