This (and Pavone's earlier book) challenge standard power dynamics and gender roles in marriage and the workplace. How did you find that applied to the characters here?

"This is the difference between Dexter's sham job and Kate: he's an amateur and she's a pro. "The Paris Diversion" (and Moore's earlier book, "The Expats") challenge standard power dynamics and gender roles in marriage and in the workplace. How did you find that applied to the characters here? How do Kate and Dexter compare to Susanna and Chris in this respect?

The characters in this book were very power hungry and secretive with their spouses. I think it was an exaggeration for the majority of marriages, but I do think there are power struggles in every relationship.

I have to say that Susanna and Chris, although not to be admired for what they do, seem to be much more attuned to each other than Kate and Dexter.

I appreciated the fact that Pavone, a male author, made the main character a woman and a spy, and has now used her in two novels. Her husband, as the negotiator of a failed financial scheme, has the short end of the stick in their relationship when it comes to the balance of power.

I found Kate and Dexter’s relationship unbelievable. Not because of the power and. Gender role reversal. I just don’t believe a woman with Kate’s character would tolerate such a husband.

I was surprised and impressed that throughout the book it's the women who get things done, who take action. Dexter simply seems like a patsy who is played by everyone, and Chris only reluctantly went along with Susanna's plan.

In some ways yes... Kate was definitely the pants wearer in her marriage. She is the primary breadwinner, she knows how to use a gun, she is obviously incredibly smart. But she also does the majority of the household chores, cooks, and plans the social calendar. Before 10:00 in the morning, she managed to drop both boys at school and get most of her shopping done at the market.

Susanna has the brains and is the driving force in her relationship as well. Chris manages to catch on to her grand plans just in time to become a part of it. He provided the brute force, while Susanna was safely hidden in Italy running things from her computer. She was thorough enough to make several different plans depending on how things ended up. Chris had no idea- -as I'm sure he would never think that she could/would live without him.

Even Collette demonstrated her power in the relationship with Hunter. I was waiting for her to fall into his arms during the kidnapping. And come to find out, she helped orchestrate it!

I loved the way the author turned typical gender roles upside down. Kate is and always was the power in this couple although her husband is not necessarily aware of this. He is quite a mover and shaker but still an amateur while she is a true professional.

I loved that the traditional gender roles were flipped, especially by a male author. Despite their moral issues, Kate and Susanna were the smarter, tougher (emotionally) characters in their respective relationships. In fact, when I started to read this novel, I did not look at the picture of the author and only noticed that Pavone was a man later on.

I’m not sure I agree that the author challenged the power dynamics that we experience in today’s world. This would have been the case 20 years ago; however, there are plenty of stay at home dads in the 21st Century with women having the more successful career. My partner & I are equally successful professionally, share household responsibilities, and partner in our outside interests. My husband is the primary chef.

If you are a feminist in today's world, you probably would not find the reversal of roles to be relevant. But the women are certainly the powering force in both this book and The Expats.

I don't think that these roles are as unusual today as they were in the 1980s. The primary characters here are certainly the women, who are good at their jobs.

The challenge of power dynamics and /gender roles as applied to the characters in this book seemed forced. I wanted to like this story as I had The Expats but this story felt unbelievable and fabricated. Disappointed with the stereotype writing.