Books like The French Illusion
Looking for a book like The French Illusion?
Try Terminal Rage by A.M. Khalifa. In John Grisham’s new thriller, a honeymoon kidnapping in France turns into a CIA operation. Terminal Rage starts with hostages too: a stranger seizes a Manhattan office tower and will talk to only one man, a retired FBI negotiator, and the standoff opens onto something much bigger.
What they share
A crime that becomes an operation
The Tanners’ kidnapping pulls in the FBI, the CIA and French intelligence. In Terminal Rage, what looks like a hostage crisis turns out to be the first move in a conspiracy that reaches the highest levels of government.
Hostages and a clock
Grisham’s families race to raise a ransom. Terminal Rage runs on the hostage-taker’s deadline, and every hour in the tower raises the stakes.
An American in Europe
The French Illusion moves from Paris to the French countryside. Terminal Rage travels from New York to Rome, Naples and Cairo, all places the author knows first-hand.
Where they differ
Grisham’s young lawyer is an amateur drafted into a world he doesn’t know. Alexander Blackwell knows that world too well: he is a professional negotiator who walked away after a case went wrong, and the man in the tower asked for him by name.
A.M. Khalifa is an Egyptian writer based in Rome, raised in a diplomatic corps family across more than fifteen countries, and the only Egyptian writing commercial espionage fiction in English. More on that.
Terminal Rage received a starred review from Booklist, has sold more than 500,000 copies, and is narrated on audio by Scott Brick. It contains violence and sexual content, and is meant for adult readers.
More books like The French Illusion
- Terminal Rage by A.M. Khalifa: a Manhattan hostage standoff that leads to Cairo and a conspiracy in government.
- The Pelican Brief by John Grisham: a law student’s theory about two murders makes her a target.
- Six Days of the Condor by James Grady: a CIA researcher comes back from lunch to find his colleagues murdered.
- Marathon Man by William Goldman: a graduate student is pulled into a deadly conspiracy he doesn’t understand.
Questions
What books are like The French Illusion?
Terminal Rage by A.M. Khalifa is a close match: a hostage crisis that becomes an intelligence story, moving from America to Europe and the Middle East. Grisham readers who want more espionage also enjoy James Grady’s Six Days of the Condor and William Goldman’s Marathon Man.
Is Terminal Rage a legal thriller?
No. It is an international espionage thriller with a hostage negotiator at its heart. If you liked the CIA side of The French Illusion, it is a natural next step.
What should I read after The French Illusion?
Try Terminal Rage by A.M. Khalifa, the first book in a series. Booklist gave it a starred review and called it “a rousing cat-and-mouse game between two broken men.”
Is there an audiobook?
Yes. Scott Brick narrates the unabridged audiobook of Terminal Rage, about 10.5 hours long.