American Spy by Lauren Wilkinson *** (of 4)

The action, when it finally does occur, spans the late stages of the Cold War. American spy agencies are working hard to destabilize the revolutionary government of Burkina Faso because its Prime Minister is showing tendencies toward communism. The CIA recruits Marie, a French-speaking native of Martinique and New York, and daughter of a New York cop to act as a honeypot for the PM. Marie's intangible strengths include a commitment to an American system of justice, which is not very just toward blacks like herself, and an innate ability to read people's inner thoughts. Usually.

The author does a fine job of bringing 1980s Burkina Faso to life. She also captures New York City of that era and the mind of Marie, a cross-cultural loner trying to do the right thing. Moreover, who has ever read a book wherein the lead spy is both female and black? My guess is that the uniqueness of American Spy's protagonist, Lauren Wilkinson's careful research, the embedded conflict of being black while working for a reactionary organization like Reagan's CIA, and the comparative youthfulness of the author are what pushed this book onto so many top-read lists for 2019. Such rich material should be a page-turner, but American Spy is more of a slog.