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    The American Mission
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    The American Mission
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    The American Mission
    Audiobook12 hours

    The American Mission

    Written by Matthew Palmer

    Narrated by Erik Singer

    4.5/5

    ()

    Currently unavailable

    Currently unavailable

    About this audiobook

    Global headlines come to life as intrigue and international politics collide in the Congo in this electrifying debut thriller from Matthew Palmer.

    After a devastating experience in Darfur strips Alex Baines, former rising star of the State Department, of his security clearances, he is faced with two choices: spend the rest of his career in visa-stamping limbo or move to the private sector. On the verge of resigning, he receives a call from his old mentor with an incredible opportunity to start over, restoring both his security clearances and his reputation.

    The job isn't quite what Alex imagined it to be when he finds a shady U.S.-based mining company everywhere he turns.

    As violence in the political climate escalates, Alex struggles to balance the best interests of the United States with the fate of the Congo and its people. His loyalties are put to the test as he races to determine the right course of action.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherPenguin Random House Audio
    Release dateJun 26, 2014
    ISBN9780698167193
    Unavailable
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    Reviews for The American Mission

    4.5/5

    7 ratings19 reviews

    What did you think?

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    Review must be at least 10 words

    • 5/5
      Every so often, a book comes along that you can't put down very easily. It doesn't have to be the most mind-blowing plot, or crazy adventure, but everything in it just works together correctly. I was lucky to get and advanced readers copy of The American Mission by Matthew Palmer. I really enjoy this genre of books and am always looking for new authors and novels. The American Mission is one of those books that you can't put down until the end. It has some flaws, but all in all, I really enjoyed the book.The book follows Alex Baines, a Foreign Service officer working for the State Department. After witnessing a massacre in Darfur while he and other UN personnel stood by, he found himself stripped of his security clearances and unable to move up the career ladder. When his old mentor, Howard Spencer, asked him to join him in the Congo, Alex jumps on the opportunity to start his career again, but finds himself in a whole new set of trouble between political scandals and shady companies.One of the strong points of the book is it's plot and it's realistic nature. Books like The American Mission rely upon realism to craft an engaging plot behind all of the action and controversy. As a former worker with the U.S. Foreign Service, Palmer has first-hand experience of the work and issues with working in diplomatic positions. His knowledge clearly makes itself apparent in the book in the form of extra little details that round out each scene and environment. Even the plot itself doesn't feel too far out of line with what could possibly happen in the modern world today. Nothing felt out of place and the plot never escalated out of control.More importantly, it just was a fun book to read. The pacing was a little bit slow at the beginning as Palmer worked to set up all the parts for the end, but there were a few twists and turns sprinkled about that really kept things interesting. It's enough to keep you guessing and engaged without making things too complicated. The characters are fairly deep, each with their own motivation. I did feel that the end came a little bit abruptly. It could have used some more fleshing out, but it still was worth the wait.Overall, I totally enjoyed The American Mission. The story line was really good, the characters were interesting, and all in all, it just was really fun to read. It isn't without it's flaws, but Palmer has made a very good impression with this book. I, myself, couldn't stop reading the book until the end. If you are interested in authors like Tom Clancy and Michael Crichton, this is a good addition to your shelf. Even if you aren't, then the book will be a perfect entry point to get you really interested in the genre.
    • 4/5
      This is an amazing first novel for Matthew Palmer. Set mostly in Africa, it involves an American diplomat, a young Congolese woman geologist/mining engineer, and various other spies, politicians, and diplomats. Palmer's experience in the US Foreign Service in Africa gives the novel a level of authenticity, but it is a well told thriller, touching on many of the social and political issues of modern Africa. Read it!.I received my copy through the Library Thing Early Reviewers program in exchange for a promised review, but no restrictions were placed on content of the review.
    • 4/5
      I enjoyed this book and when I received it, I thought it might remind me of Graham Greene's "The Honorary Consul."In this story the reader follows Alex Raines. He was a rising star in the state department but after witnessing a massacre at darfur, it took something out of him.He needed something but didn't know what. Then he got a call from his mentor who asked him to join him at the US Embassy in Kinshasa where he would be the number three man on the staff.One of the first assignments is to act as mediator between a militarist chief and a number of people he kidnapped for ransom. He does a good job and meets Marie Tuolo, the daughter of a village chief.Later, he's asked to be the go between from a mining company and the Congolese village where the company wants to mine. In this village he sees the type of idyllic life and sees Marie again. Her father has been killed and she is an important figure. Alex learned something and had to decide if he was representing the American interests or that of the natives.The book got better and better as I read, nervously turning the pages to see the ending of the political climate.The suspense mounted and the final segment of the story was excellent. Back to a comparison with Graham Greene's novel, I thought that there was more suspense in "The American Mission," and better character development.
    • 3/5
      The American Mission the debut novel by Matthew Palmer is a little slow to start but picks up quickly in the second half of the book. Well written, the American Mission has an interesting cast of characters and a quite plausible story line. Matthew Palmer, having worked in the Foreign Service for 20 years, has a solid understanding of foreign service policies and procedures which comes through in the novel.
    • 4/5
      Obviously, Matthew Palmer knows what he is writing about. A 20 year veteran of the Foreign Service, he points out all of the good, bad and ugly parts of the State Department's efforts. While this is a work of fiction, I'm sure you'll be able to make connections with real world events. Alex and Marie make a great pair of heroes, struggling against the nefarious acts of their countrymen, as well as Americans.Too bad the editor didn't take a sharper razor to the first half of this book. It would have moved along with a faster pace. The second half, however, was full of action, with a political foundation hard to imagine. Don't let the slow start deter you. The end is worth the slog.
    • 4/5
      I really liked this book. One that moved quickly and was written with intelligence. That intelligence, however, leads the book without a lot of emotion or tension building that you'd expect from this type of fiction.
    • 4/5
      This book deals with the struggle to control mineral interests in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. It pits the countries' corrupt leader and a mining company he is in bed with against a small village that wants to control its own destiny and an American diplomat who goes out on a limb to support them. For a novel on international intrigue this one is sharply written and easy to understand. Sometimes I get lost in the plots of books of this genre but not this time. A well written debut effort.
    • 5/5
      I received a copy of American Mission by Matthew Palmer from Library Thing's Early Reviewers Program and am I ever glad I did. As a political scientist I am always looking for those rare political thriller novels that dig deep into politics and international relations and Palmer expertly does both as he takes readers deep into the heart of Africa. Palmer has written an intelligent, fast paced, spy thriller with relatable characters and exquisite attention to detail to make the reader feel they are right beside Alex Baines in the Congo. I found myself unable to put down American Mission and look forward to more books by Matthew Palmer. I highly recommend American Mission to anyone who enjoys a well-written political thriller.
    • 5/5
      Every so often, a book comes along that you can't put down very easily. It doesn't have to be the most mind-blowing plot, or crazy adventure, but everything in it just works together correctly. I was lucky to get and advanced readers copy of The American Mission by Matthew Palmer. I really enjoy this genre of books and am always looking for new authors and novels. The American Mission is one of those books that you can't put down until the end. It has some flaws, but all in all, I really enjoyed the book.The book follows Alex Baines, a Foreign Service officer working for the State Department. After witnessing a massacre in Darfur while he and other UN personnel stood by, he found himself stripped of his security clearances and unable to move up the career ladder. When his old mentor, Howard Spencer, asked him to join him in the Congo, Alex jumps on the opportunity to start his career again, but finds himself in a whole new set of trouble between political scandals and shady companies.One of the strong points of the book is it's plot and it's realistic nature. Books like The American Mission rely upon realism to craft an engaging plot behind all of the action and controversy. As a former worker with the U.S. Foreign Service, Palmer has first-hand experience of the work and issues with working in diplomatic positions. His knowledge clearly makes itself apparent in the book in the form of extra little details that round out each scene and environment. Even the plot itself doesn't feel too far out of line with what could possibly happen in the modern world today. Nothing felt out of place and the plot never escalated out of control.More importantly, it just was a fun book to read. The pacing was a little bit slow at the beginning as Palmer worked to set up all the parts for the end, but there were a few twists and turns sprinkled about that really kept things interesting. It's enough to keep you guessing and engaged without making things too complicated. The characters are fairly deep, each with their own motivation. I did feel that the end came a little bit abruptly. It could have used some more fleshing out, but it still was worth the wait.Overall, I totally enjoyed The American Mission. The story line was really good, the characters were interesting, and all in all, it just was really fun to read. It isn't without it's flaws, but Palmer has made a very good impression with this book. I, myself, couldn't stop reading the book until the end. If you are interested in authors like Tom Clancy and Michael Crichton, this is a good addition to your shelf. Even if you aren't, then the book will be a perfect entry point to get you really interested in the genre.
    • 4/5
      Matthew Palmer has put together a thoroughly plausible and entertaining story of political intrigue in Africa. His character development was pleasing and the story flowed well. A very enjoyable read.
    • 4/5
      The American Mission by Matthew Palmer is a good debut novel. The story is set in the Congo. The story is about the war, failed government, the extraction economy, and bad USA foreign policy. The story of much of Africa over the last 40 years and is still going on.The author has a written a very good story around these elements. The primary character is Alex Baines. He is a US foreign service officer who is in bad standing with the State Department. He has lost his government security clearances and is relegated to reviewing visa applications in a small backwater post. He is a former Peace Corps volunteer in the Congo. He gets a call from the Ambassador to the Congo about taking on a position. The Ambassador is a former mentor and close friend.The other lead character is a Congolese mining engineer for a large US mining company who is trying to get a development agreement with the company to assist with a local mining operation in her family's village. To mine the minerals in a environmentally safe way that improves the local populations way of life.The foreign service officer and the mining engineer end up allies to fight off bad USA foreign policy, the mining company, and a dictator. The story is well written and is told from a slightly different angle than most stories of this genre. This makes the story a little more interesting.
    • 5/5
      Matthew Palmer's debut release of this fantastic thriller about the smelting operations in the Congo is really a work of art that's going to be hard too outdo. This intriguing novel, is a fast paced story of international corruption involving the U.S. Embassy joining forces with American affiliated mining companies that are trying too disable the Congo smelting operations, so they can take over these smelting mines very cheaply. Great read, had a hard time putting it down, can't wait till Matthew comes out with a new release.
    • 5/5
      I found this story deeply disturbing in spite of the author's disclaimer. If any part of this story is factual, then the combined activities of our State Dept and the CIA protecting and abetting American Corporations' rape of the African Continent is nothing more than tarted-up Colonialism.Alex Baines is a traumatized American Diplomat trying to do the right thing against insurmountable odds. From start to finish, he is duped by his own government and used to persuade 'his' charges to have faith in the good will of those he represents. But he is not stupid and he's a fast learner.The plot, characterizations, and pacing of this novel are so well done that I found myself racing through the 400 pages. Added to that, his descriptions of the land and culture are beautiful and realistic.
    • 4/5
      I won this book through librarything.com. While this was a little outside my usual reading preference of hard core thrillers, I did enjoy it. Very well written with an interesting cast of characters. Author has deep understanding of foreign service policy/procedure and of the political situations in the Congo. I found the first 200 or so pages a little slow however it did lay the foundation for an exciting 2nd half of the book.
    • 5/5
      awesome
    • 5/5
      Alex Baines is a Foreign Service Officer working in the visa department of the US Embassy in Conakry, Guinea, as a form of government purgatory related to his previous assignment. He is called by his old boss and mentor and is given the chance to be restored to inner circle of the Embassy in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo. He soon finds himself in a conflict between what is theoretically his job as a representative of the United States to advocate for economic opportunity for American companies abroad and defending the people and land of the Continent of Africa against exploitation by those same companies who want to extract the riches of the earth, even if it means destruction of lives and the land.For some reason, Africa has remained the Dark Continent in contemporary fiction, getting passing attention from most authors (and probably little thought by most Westerners) . This story is set entirely in Africa in a way that reflects Palmer’s respect, admiration and hopes for the people of that land. He shows the humanity of the people and the common Western misconceptions of African politics and challenges without being condescending.This book is in written in the ‘thriller’ genre and style, so you can’t look to it for lyrical prose or extended contemplation of some facet of the human experience. However, it goes well beyond the formulaic thriller cliches of a former military/police expert who is brought out of semi-retirement for one more mission who calls on his nearly super-human abilities to save the world. The American Mission has an important conflict that really goes beyond the pages of the book and uses an engaging story to describe it. The prose is simple and effective--Palmer isn’t trying to wow anyone with descriptions or literary pretentions, and that is fine because the story moves on its own.The conflict isn’t subtle, but Palmer doesn’t beat the reader over the head with it either. There is plenty to think about long after the story is finished. Frankly, this story should make Americans think twice about what their leaders are doing abroad and question how their values are represented to the world.Palmer is a 20-year veteran of the Foreign Service and thus has personal insight into the workings of diplomacy and the less-glamorous grind of representing America abroad. The glimpses into the inner workings of diplomacy and embassy operations are fascinating and really add to the story.I hope this is just the first in a series of intelligent, thought-provoking fiction by Matthew Palmer, shining a long-overdue light on Africa.Disclosure: I received a complimentary copy of this book with the expectation that I would provide an honest review.
    • 4/5
      There is no doubt that Matthew Palmer, an old hand in the U.S. Foreign Service, has a good grasp of the nuances of the difficulty implementing our foreign policy. Africa seems to be a particularly troublesome spot. Millions have died in the last two decades—butchered in many cases—for the sake of one crazy despotic warlord or another. In The American Mission we find that continuing instability in the area could be driven, in part, by US and multinational business interests. We are provided a wonderful mosaic of African culture and life (frequently divorced from the 21st century) and an understanding why Africa’s mineral wealth makes picking the “good” guys over the bad that makes us want to just throw up our hands. However, in some ways the story left me cold. I never felt much empathy with the main characters and felt the story took a while to get off the ground. Still, for a first-time author it was an interesting read and one in which his background and knowledge provided a somewhat credible story line.
    • 4/5
      If you have read anything about the history of the Congo (such as the horrific but excellent and unforgettable account by Adam Hochschild, King Leopold’s Ghost), you know that this region’s sad legacy of violence and exploitation is a reflection both of its holdings of a wealth of natural resources desired by the so-called civilized world, and the greed that characterizes many in that world. By setting this thriller in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Palmer manages to educate readers about the history and complexity of politics in the region without being didactic about it. Unfortunately, the story of the Congo has never been a happy one. Although the incentives for exploitation may have changed from rubber and ivory to gold, diamonds, tungsten and coltan, the welfare of the Congolese people still seems to be - like always - the last concern of the big political and commercial players.In this story, foreign diplomat Alex Baines gets a job as Political Counselor in the American Embassy in Kinshasa, the capital and largest city of the DRC. One of his tasks is to help convince villagers who live over valuable ore sites in the DRC to move out so that the Consolidated Mining, Inc. can begin open-pit strip mining. Such operations would not only destroy the landscape, but would not allow the native villagers to develop and control their own mining operations of what is, after all, their own land.Alex protests, but his boss and former mentor in the Foreign Service, Ambassador Howard “Spence” Spencer, reminded him that supporting U.S. business interests is part of the embassy’s job. Spence also argued that it wasn’t like there was a different standard for America than for Africa: “… it’s really no different than what a dozen coal companies do every day in West Virginia.” Mining these resources allows the U.S. “to continue to operate as a great nation that accomplishes great things.” Finally, Alex was apprised that if the Americans didn’t take advantage of the DRC’s mineral wealth, the Chinese would jump in, and so it was in their best interests to secure the resources for the U.S. Alex can’t help but think there is something wrong about all this, but goes anyway to the largest village, Busu-Mouli, to help convince the local chiefs to support the mining project. It doesn’t take much for him to come to sympathize with the point of view of Busu-Mouli’s Chief Tsiolo and his attractive daughter, Marie - a talented engineer and geologist. Political machinations in Africa, far away from the U.S., can be extremely deadly, with plenty of desperate Africans willing to kill for money, and plenty of greedy business people and political operatives willing to hire them. By opposing the corruption, desecration of the land, and the mistreatment of its people, Alex puts himself in extreme danger.Discussion: The author is not only the son of bestselling thriller writer Michael Palmer, but also has worked in the U.S. Foreign Service for twenty years, and is a five-time winner of the State Department’s Superior Honor Award. One wonders if he wants to keep his day job: he paints a very unflattering picture of the U.S., its interests, and its operatives.Evaluation: I was afraid that this book would be preachy or pedantic, but it is neither. And in spite of being set in the very, very complicated world of central African politics, it is easy to follow, has a good plot line, and is quite entertaining. Was the ending too unrealistic? I don’t know; I hope not.
    • 3/5
      Matthew Palmer is a twenty year veteran of the U.S. Foreign Service. He has served in posts around the world in this capacity, most notably in the development of the Kimberly Process whereby diamonds from Africa could be correctly certified as to whether or not they were “conflict free.” Certainly a solid base upon which a rousing adventure yarn could be built.We find our hero, Alex Baines, toiling in the visa line in an obscure US Embassy in Conakry, Guinea, Africa. A rising star he rises no more having watched a tribe of Africans in Darfur being wiped out by rebels and the UN peacekeeping force simply allowing it to happen and allowing his umbrage at that fact interfere with his potential success. We know he loves Africa because he has adopted a young black girl whom he rescued from the genocide.Rescued from this oblivion and given another chance by his former mentor, he returns full of hope only to discover to his dismay that rampant corruption exists in the government of the Congolese country to which he is posted. As is the fad now among adventure writers, a US company, a mining company in this case, is deeply involved and determined to destroy all greenery within view in their desire to rip from the earth the valuable resources that lie under the ground.Combining efforts with a beautiful young woman, Marie Tsiolo, who wishes to bring her tribal village into the 21st century by teaching them mining techniques, Alex discovers that not only is the government and the mining company corrupt and bent on ecological destruction but his mentor, the Ambassador, as a member of a shadowy group, is a guiding hand behind all this nefariousness. What is particularly egregious is that the company wants to destroy Marie’s village in its process of mining the copper.Rebels in the pay of the mining company attempt to take Marie’s village but another rebel group assist in the defense. Perhaps I should not call the defenders rebels because rebels are warlike, piratical and untrustworthy, except, of course, for those which are our allies, who are romantic, gallant and heroic.In any case the book does pick up in action towards the last third with a few narrow escapes and little straining to make ecological or other politically correct points. Suffice it to say Alex does well at the end, marries the beautiful girl and settles in for a calm reflective life in the saved village watching his daughter grow.