Status
Available
Call number
Genres
Publication
New York : Shaye Areheart Books, 2011.
Description
Fiction. Mystery. Suspense. Thriller. HTML:Governments pay her. Criminals fear her. Nobody sees her coming. Vanessa �Michael� Munroe deals in information�expensive information�working for corporations, heads of state, private clients, and anyone else who can pay for her unique brand of expertise. Born to missionary parents in lawless central Africa, Munroe took up with an infamous gunrunner and his mercenary crew when she was just fourteen. As his prot�g�, she earned the respect of the jungle's most dangerous men, cultivating her own reputation for years until something sent her running. After almost a decade building a new life and lucrative career from her home base in Dallas, she's never looked back. Until now. A Texas oil billionaire has hired her to find his daughter who vanished in Africa four years ago. It�s not her usual line of work, but she can�t resist the challenge. Pulled deep into the mystery of the missing girl, Munroe finds herself back in the lands of her childhood, betrayed, cut off from civilization, and left for dead. If she has any hope of escaping the jungle and the demons that drive her, she must come face-to-face with the past that she�s tried for so long to forget. The first book in the Vanessa Michael Munroe series, gripping, ingenious, and impeccably paced, The Informationist marks the arrival or a thrilling new talent. �Stevens�s blazingly brilliant debut introduces a great new action heroine, Vanessa Michael Munroe, who doesn�t have to kick over a hornet�s nest to get attention, though her feral, take-no-prisoners attitude reflects the fire of Stieg Larsson�s Lisbeth Salander�.Thriller fans will eagerly await the sequel to this high-octane page-turner.� �Publishers Weekly, starred, boxed review.… (more)
Media reviews
The Informationist pushes every one of my buttons: exotic locale, sassy and competent protagonist, crisp dialogue and nonstop action. A fine debut—can’t wait for the sequel!
Stevens has penned a fast-paced, gripping, edgy mystery with a heroine whom even Lisbeth Salander would admire. Recommended for all contemporary thriller fiction fans who like thrillers similar to The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo.
Readers
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User reviews
LibraryThing member drneutron
The Informationist is Taylor Stevens' first novel - a thriller with a kick-butt and interesting lead. Stevens has invented a complicated character in Vanessa Michael Munroe with a damaged past and a sold ethical code, even as it's a bit different from most people. Munroe is, of course, a typical
Thriller fans? Oh yeah, The Informationist works nicely. Others? If you don't mind a bit of violence and some vigilante justice in your stories, give it a try.
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action hero - she's superhumanly capable, survives immanent death in unlikely ways, and generally can kick any butt any place, any time. But this why we read action thriller. Realism need not apply...There will be inevitable comparisons with Stieg Larrson's Salander. Rest assured, the similarity is mostly superficial and Munroe is her own person. In fact, a better comparison would be Lee Child's Jack Reacher, although based on a sample of this one book, Stevens' work looks to be twistier than a typical Reacher book. Thriller fans? Oh yeah, The Informationist works nicely. Others? If you don't mind a bit of violence and some vigilante justice in your stories, give it a try.
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LibraryThing member alyson
This was just up and down for me. It grabbed me at first, but then I got bogged down. I just did not buy the main character's background. All the comparisons to Lisbeth Salander just made it worse for me. Got caught back up in the story but then felt like the book had a weak ending.
LibraryThing member RDHawk6886
Wanted to like this book more than I did. The author's bio is better than the book. Destitute cousin to Girl with the Dragon Tattoo.
LibraryThing member hemlokgang
The protagonist in this novel was overdone. In my opinion she was too hard, too tough, too over the top in every area. The reader from the audiobook was awful.
LibraryThing member Ronrose1
Every reader who craves action and adventure will love this book. It is nonstop from cover to cover. The heroine, Vanessa, who goes by as many names as she has personae, is a kick-ass force of nature. She can be as fierce and deadly as a black mamba snake or as elegant and smooth as a high paid
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call girl on the make. She is multilingual, highly intelligent and lethal. Her preferred job is collecting highly sensitive, often obscure, yet very valuable information, which she sells to high paying clients around the world. She receives an unusual request to attempt to find an industrialist's daughter who has been missing in Africa for four years. All attempts to find her so far have come up short. The girl's father believes Vanessa is his last hope to find his daughter. Vanessa hasn't been back to her homeland of central Africa for years because of the memories of the people, alive and dead, which she left there long ago. Those memories will revive in her the rage and darkness which have been her hell and her salvation through numerous life threatening forays. Although preferring to work alone, her employer saddles her with a companion, who while highly skilled in his own right, is hardly a match for Vanessa's savage world. All the juju that she can call up will be needed to fight her enemies both past and present as she cuts her way deeper and deeper into the mystery that is awaiting in Africa. This book provided for review by the well read folks of Crown Publishers. Show Less
LibraryThing member KimSmyth
An excellent read. Fast moving with a strong female lead.
LibraryThing member joannalongbourne
I really liked this book; main character is terrific and the African locations were really well portrayed
LibraryThing member MmeRose
Tough female protagonists with dark pasts (Mallory, Bard, Ciampi) are just my cup of tea. However, Vanessa Michael Munroe left me cold and bored. Something important was missing from this novel.
I had no sympathy for the characters, found the African settings second rate, and the ending too
I had no sympathy for the characters, found the African settings second rate, and the ending too
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predictable. I won't be looking for the sequel. Show Less
LibraryThing member suetu
Lisbeth Salander meets Sydney Bristow in the heart of darkness
Positive word of mouth is a double-edged sword. Take The Informationist, for example. Positive reviews in the publishing trades are what first caught my eye and made me want to read this debut by an unknown author. But those same reviews
Specifically, it’s about Vanessa Michael Munroe, the eponymous Informationist. When asked about her work, she replies, “I go into developing countries and gather information—usually abstract and obscure—and turn it into something a corporation can use to make business decisions.” That would be a highly sanitized version of what she does. Munroe is a chameleon, changing back and forth from Vanessa Munroe to Michael Munroe as identity and gender suit her needs. She’s a harsh character, and really took some getting used to. Even now, I couldn’t describer as the least bit likable. She has no warmth, no apparent humor, and makes few attachments. Her code of morality is… situational. So much of my response to this novel had to do with my response to her, and as my attitude became more accepting, my interest in the tale being told expanded.
The core of the story is simple. Emily Burbank disappeared in a remote area of the African jungle four years ago, when she was in her late teens. One of her traveling companions turned up catatonic in a European mental institution. The fate of her other companion is unknown. After all this time, there is little hope of finding Emily alive. Nonetheless, her oil billionaire step-father has spent millions on the search. This is not Vanessa Munroe’s area of expertise, but she knows the region and the languages and is a brilliant analyst. Munroe is a last ditch effort for the closure that Richard Burbank seeks.
Of course, there’s more to it than that, but that’s enough to know going in. Most of the action takes place in Africa. Some locations were so off-the-beaten-path that I wasn’t sure they existed before a Google search. Stevens does a great job of rendering the setting, but don’t expect a jungle adventure full of exotic natives and deadly beasts. No, the scariest creatures in this book are the men. In that respect, it’s probably more realistic than many an African adventure. The story moves well enough and is plenty engaging once you get into it, but I can’t say it had that breathless, can’t-turn-the-pages-fast-enough quality that I do so love. On the other hand, I think this is a smarter, more substantive tale than many of those books.
In the end, it really does come back to character. Munroe is cut from a bit of the same cloth as Steig Larsson’s Lisbeth Salander with a dash of Alias’s Sydney Bristow. She’s impressive as hell, more than a little scary, and deeply flawed. It was interesting meeting her, but the jury is out on whether I want to spend more time in her company.
Positive word of mouth is a double-edged sword. Take The Informationist, for example. Positive reviews in the publishing trades are what first caught my eye and made me want to read this debut by an unknown author. But those same reviews
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significantly raised my expectations, perhaps unrealistically. I note this, because while ultimately I enjoyed The Informationist, it took me a while to get into the book. While undeniably a plot-driven action-adventure thriller, it’s really so much about character.Specifically, it’s about Vanessa Michael Munroe, the eponymous Informationist. When asked about her work, she replies, “I go into developing countries and gather information—usually abstract and obscure—and turn it into something a corporation can use to make business decisions.” That would be a highly sanitized version of what she does. Munroe is a chameleon, changing back and forth from Vanessa Munroe to Michael Munroe as identity and gender suit her needs. She’s a harsh character, and really took some getting used to. Even now, I couldn’t describer as the least bit likable. She has no warmth, no apparent humor, and makes few attachments. Her code of morality is… situational. So much of my response to this novel had to do with my response to her, and as my attitude became more accepting, my interest in the tale being told expanded.
The core of the story is simple. Emily Burbank disappeared in a remote area of the African jungle four years ago, when she was in her late teens. One of her traveling companions turned up catatonic in a European mental institution. The fate of her other companion is unknown. After all this time, there is little hope of finding Emily alive. Nonetheless, her oil billionaire step-father has spent millions on the search. This is not Vanessa Munroe’s area of expertise, but she knows the region and the languages and is a brilliant analyst. Munroe is a last ditch effort for the closure that Richard Burbank seeks.
Of course, there’s more to it than that, but that’s enough to know going in. Most of the action takes place in Africa. Some locations were so off-the-beaten-path that I wasn’t sure they existed before a Google search. Stevens does a great job of rendering the setting, but don’t expect a jungle adventure full of exotic natives and deadly beasts. No, the scariest creatures in this book are the men. In that respect, it’s probably more realistic than many an African adventure. The story moves well enough and is plenty engaging once you get into it, but I can’t say it had that breathless, can’t-turn-the-pages-fast-enough quality that I do so love. On the other hand, I think this is a smarter, more substantive tale than many of those books.
In the end, it really does come back to character. Munroe is cut from a bit of the same cloth as Steig Larsson’s Lisbeth Salander with a dash of Alias’s Sydney Bristow. She’s impressive as hell, more than a little scary, and deeply flawed. It was interesting meeting her, but the jury is out on whether I want to spend more time in her company.
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LibraryThing member Yllom
Really enjoyed this debut thriller by Taylor Stevens. Wasn't sure what I thought of Munroe at the beginning, but she really grew on me, and I am looking forward to the next book in the series.
LibraryThing member bookmagic
Vanessa Michael Monroe is a new kick-ass heroine in the thriller book world. In this debut novel, we learn about the mysterious Vanessa in bits and pieces. She is an informationist who gathers intel for corporations, countries, and private clients. But what she doesn't normally do is track down
I really enjoyed this book. Vanessa is a great character, she really is smart, tough but definitely a loner. And she never gives up. She had some horrible experiences which has shaped her into a distrustful but exceptionally respected in her work. Many reviews have compared her to Lisbeth Salander and they do have a lot in common but Vanessa can keep her cool better.
I really liked the locale for this book, in Central Africa. There is a lot of cultural info and politics that I found interesting.
There was quite a bit to this story, not a book to whip through. It may have been dense and complex, but it was very suspenseful and completely unpredictable and I loved it.
If you are looking for something you can sink your teeth into, then I recommend The Informationist. And if you love Vanessa and this novel, then good news: there is another Vanessa book coming out in December.
my rating-5/5
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missing people. But she agrees to work for a billionaire whose step-daughter went missing a few years ago while traveling in Africa. Vanessa was born in Cameroon to missionary parents though she went off on her own at age 15. Why and what she did we eventually learn as the novel progresses. Vanessa has many contacts in Africa, especially Cameroon and Equatorial Guinea, where she thinks the girl had gone missing. Luckily, she is tough and brilliant because she may not make it out alive.I really enjoyed this book. Vanessa is a great character, she really is smart, tough but definitely a loner. And she never gives up. She had some horrible experiences which has shaped her into a distrustful but exceptionally respected in her work. Many reviews have compared her to Lisbeth Salander and they do have a lot in common but Vanessa can keep her cool better.
I really liked the locale for this book, in Central Africa. There is a lot of cultural info and politics that I found interesting.
There was quite a bit to this story, not a book to whip through. It may have been dense and complex, but it was very suspenseful and completely unpredictable and I loved it.
If you are looking for something you can sink your teeth into, then I recommend The Informationist. And if you love Vanessa and this novel, then good news: there is another Vanessa book coming out in December.
my rating-5/5
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LibraryThing member TerryGil
Fabulous debut!!! Can't wait to read Book #2!
LibraryThing member dgmlrhodes
There was a lot of action and a nicely moving story line. Although it has been compared to The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo, I did not really see the comparison other than a strong female lead.
LibraryThing member dianaleez
Taut, well-done; kick ass heroine. A tad over the top.
LibraryThing member bfister
A tormented and brilliant young woman sets out to find an executive's missing daughter in Africa and to confront her own past. For some reason, this didn't entirely work for me. I never totally bought into the protagonist, and the mix of comic book shenanigans with deep earnestness just ... didn't
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gel. I also found the exotic Africa (mostly populated by non-Africans) disappointingly cartoonish. Show Less
LibraryThing member sleahey
This page-turner is partiularly memorable because of its setting in countries most of us aren't familiar with in the heart of Africa. The main character, Vanessa Michael Munroe, is one of those spunky heroines who has a carefully hidden tender side that readers will want more of. Her relationships
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may be difficult to relate to, but we can't wait to see how she'll escape each latest impossible danger. Show Less
LibraryThing member damcmanus
great first book by taylor stevens, races along with a twist.
LibraryThing member LaBibliophille
This debut novel by Taylor Stevens introduces us to the latest female action hero Vanessa Michael Munroe. Munroe has awesome skills with martial arts, knives and guns. But most of all she is extraordinarily smart. She is fluent is 22 languages, is a master of disguise, and of course is drop-dead
Munroe is the informationist. She is hired by multi-national corporations to obtain information from all parts of the globe. Her information is extremely valuable, as she is able to understand local history, legends, and culture, and put the information into its proper context. When Munroe is hired by Texas oil baron Richard Burbank to locate his daughter, who went missing while on vacation in Africa four years ago, this story begins.
Normally Munroe does not accept this type of job, but the large paycheck that has been guaranteed whether or not she succeeds has intrigued her. Burbank's only stipulation is that she take his security consultant, Miles Bradford, with her. While Munroe normally works alone, she agrees to this.
Things begin to wrong as soon as Munroe and Bradford arrive in Africa. The question is-who wants them to fail in their mission to find Emily, and why? As the book progresses, we learn a more of Munroe's skills and how she acquired them. We meet people from her past who may or may not be glad to see her.
The Informationist is a fast-paced exciting thriller. I highly recommend this new book, and I look forward to further novels in this series.
Oh-and don't bother to google Taylor Stevens. Apparently there is a porn star by the same name who is much more famous. But probably not for long!
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gorgeous!Munroe is the informationist. She is hired by multi-national corporations to obtain information from all parts of the globe. Her information is extremely valuable, as she is able to understand local history, legends, and culture, and put the information into its proper context. When Munroe is hired by Texas oil baron Richard Burbank to locate his daughter, who went missing while on vacation in Africa four years ago, this story begins.
Normally Munroe does not accept this type of job, but the large paycheck that has been guaranteed whether or not she succeeds has intrigued her. Burbank's only stipulation is that she take his security consultant, Miles Bradford, with her. While Munroe normally works alone, she agrees to this.
Things begin to wrong as soon as Munroe and Bradford arrive in Africa. The question is-who wants them to fail in their mission to find Emily, and why? As the book progresses, we learn a more of Munroe's skills and how she acquired them. We meet people from her past who may or may not be glad to see her.
The Informationist is a fast-paced exciting thriller. I highly recommend this new book, and I look forward to further novels in this series.
Oh-and don't bother to google Taylor Stevens. Apparently there is a porn star by the same name who is much more famous. But probably not for long!
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LibraryThing member crazybatcow
This is an excellent book. It's Jack Reacher or John Rain in female form.
Is it realistic? No less so than other "get justice by the toe of their boot" protagonists. It is such a nice change to have a female character in a thriller who isn't there just to be rescued or for the males to have sex
Oh, and there's a nice little romance involved too, but it ain't cheesy. I really hope there are more books coming with Munroe as the hero.
I thought the twists were great and the plot doled out at a perfect pace. Was the African backdrop even close to realistic? I don't know, and it didn't matter within the context of the story... I didn't read it for a geography or international relations lesson.
Is it realistic? No less so than other "get justice by the toe of their boot" protagonists. It is such a nice change to have a female character in a thriller who isn't there just to be rescued or for the males to have sex
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with. Of course, there is lots of sex, but she's going through the guys the same way the male characters in her place usually go through the women. Wham-bam-thank-you-sir...Oh, and there's a nice little romance involved too, but it ain't cheesy. I really hope there are more books coming with Munroe as the hero.
I thought the twists were great and the plot doled out at a perfect pace. Was the African backdrop even close to realistic? I don't know, and it didn't matter within the context of the story... I didn't read it for a geography or international relations lesson.
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LibraryThing member njmom3
I received this book as an ARC. It is a very quick read. The setting is primarily Africa - Ecuatorial Guinea. I do want to look up some of the political and geographical references. I want to know if the depiction of the country and surrounding regions is accurate. A book that leaves me wanting to
The main character Vanessa Munroe reminded me of the character in Steig Larsson's books. The story, setting, and how the book proceeds are different. Overall, an enjoyable book. I could also see this become a good movie.
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know more is always a good thing.The main character Vanessa Munroe reminded me of the character in Steig Larsson's books. The story, setting, and how the book proceeds are different. Overall, an enjoyable book. I could also see this become a good movie.
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LibraryThing member gsbarbie
I highly recommend this fast paced thriller! Ms. Stevens does an excellent job creating an interesting plot with complex characters. I wanted to keep turning the pages to find out what was in store. Be aware that once you start reading this book, you won't want to put it down. It is that good!
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Planning to read the next books in this series. Show Less
LibraryThing member everfresh1
I liked the book. It's a good thriller with well defined characters. The main character does remind Lisbeth from "The Girl with Dragon Tattoo" - so what. The action taking place in exotic locations also helps. I like when there is a logical conclusion to the mystery as is here. Expect a movie soon.
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And a book sequel. Show Less
LibraryThing member Beamis12
Liked the character Michael, thought she was different and trying for hard to stay human and somewhat sane. The storyline was different from other things I have read as well. Wish Stevens would have spent more time on Michael and her unique skill set (collating information) and less on her
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constantly getting captured and having to escape. Maybe one to many escapes from death made it a little more far fetched than I would have liked. Will read her next book The Innocent though, which takes place in a cult. Show Less
LibraryThing member nbmars
Vanessa Michael Munroe is an “informationalist,” someone who is known as an expert in finding out what corporations need to know in any setting, especially in Africa, the land of her birth. Born to missionaries in Cameroon, she spent nearly eighteen years living in Africa, and speaks twenty-two
Africa is a dangerous, lawless place, and Munroe and Bradford find themselves followed, threatened, and almost killed more than once. However, even more so than Bradford, Munroe is expert at getting out of life-threatening situations. Etched with scars on the outside and hardened by scars on the inside, Munroe is a fierce fighter and a determined survivor. Even Bradford’s past as Special Forces does not provide an advantage over Munroe’s strength and determination.
In Africa, the two hook up with Munroe’s old mentor, Francisco Beyard, and the tension between the two men adds to an already hair-raising experience marked by violence and betrayal. It is clear that the question quickly becomes which of them will make it out of Africa alive, with or without solving the mystery of Emily.
Discussion: Critics are finding the character of Munroe similar to Lisbeth from the Stieg Larsson books, and it’s not an unreasonable comparison. If anything, Munroe seems a little “harder” to me. Much of the story was focused on her and how she got to be the way she is, and on the nightmare that is Equatorial Guinea, often listed as one of the most corrupt countries in the world. The missing persons case really takes a backseat to these other issues.
Evaluation: Munroe is an interesting character, and this book definitely has good “thriller” aspects to it. An additional book featuring Munroe is in the works.
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languages. It serves her amazingly well in her job. Her reputation as one of the best at what she does leads oil millionaire Richard Burbank to hire her to find his daughter Emily, who disappeared four years earlier during an overland safari in Africa. He offers Munroe a great deal of money, but also insists she take along Miles Bradford, a contractor of Burbank’s who is former Special Forces and now handles high-stakes private security.Africa is a dangerous, lawless place, and Munroe and Bradford find themselves followed, threatened, and almost killed more than once. However, even more so than Bradford, Munroe is expert at getting out of life-threatening situations. Etched with scars on the outside and hardened by scars on the inside, Munroe is a fierce fighter and a determined survivor. Even Bradford’s past as Special Forces does not provide an advantage over Munroe’s strength and determination.
In Africa, the two hook up with Munroe’s old mentor, Francisco Beyard, and the tension between the two men adds to an already hair-raising experience marked by violence and betrayal. It is clear that the question quickly becomes which of them will make it out of Africa alive, with or without solving the mystery of Emily.
Discussion: Critics are finding the character of Munroe similar to Lisbeth from the Stieg Larsson books, and it’s not an unreasonable comparison. If anything, Munroe seems a little “harder” to me. Much of the story was focused on her and how she got to be the way she is, and on the nightmare that is Equatorial Guinea, often listed as one of the most corrupt countries in the world. The missing persons case really takes a backseat to these other issues.
Evaluation: Munroe is an interesting character, and this book definitely has good “thriller” aspects to it. An additional book featuring Munroe is in the works.
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LibraryThing member readingwithtea
"There was something deeply affecting about language. If expected, it meant nothing. But if it came by surprise as a gesture of friendship, it was an instant opening, a form of flattery guaranteed to attain the objective for its master."
Vanessa "Michael" Munroe does not take orders, particularly
The first thing to note is that Munroe is very similar to Stieg Larsson's Lisbeth Salander. She is damaged and reacts very negatively to human connections. She is bizarrely talented (in Munroe's case, she knows an absurd and really quite implausible number of languages) and attuned to the enemy's evil intentions. Nevertheless, she is quite different to Salander - more personable, reckless in a different sort of way, and her interpersonal relationships or lack thereof are less... disturbed... than Salander's.
Stevens has written a plot fast-paced enough to keep a reader on their toes, while permitting for occasional introspective phases in which Munroe's demons air their grievances and she appears to almost lose control of herself. The setting is sufficiently obscure and remote that anything might happen there, and despite a large amount of travelling, the pace of the characters' movements seemed plausible. What would have been extremely helpful would be a map of Equatorial Guinea, where the vast majority of the action takes place. There was a lot of travel south and around islands and it was all a bit confusing.
That said, I was rather more impressed with this debut than I expected to be, and I will be looking out for the next of Munroe's adventures.
Vanessa "Michael" Munroe does not take orders, particularly
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not from rich men. When she is offered a truly absurd amount of money to find a Texas oil billionaire's step-daughter, she has doubts about returning to the stomping-ground of her youth; yet to track down Emily she will not only have to go back to Equatorial Guinea, but she will have to tolerate being babysat by Burbank's eminently handsome mercenary, Miles Bradford.The first thing to note is that Munroe is very similar to Stieg Larsson's Lisbeth Salander. She is damaged and reacts very negatively to human connections. She is bizarrely talented (in Munroe's case, she knows an absurd and really quite implausible number of languages) and attuned to the enemy's evil intentions. Nevertheless, she is quite different to Salander - more personable, reckless in a different sort of way, and her interpersonal relationships or lack thereof are less... disturbed... than Salander's.
Stevens has written a plot fast-paced enough to keep a reader on their toes, while permitting for occasional introspective phases in which Munroe's demons air their grievances and she appears to almost lose control of herself. The setting is sufficiently obscure and remote that anything might happen there, and despite a large amount of travelling, the pace of the characters' movements seemed plausible. What would have been extremely helpful would be a map of Equatorial Guinea, where the vast majority of the action takes place. There was a lot of travel south and around islands and it was all a bit confusing.
That said, I was rather more impressed with this debut than I expected to be, and I will be looking out for the next of Munroe's adventures.
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Subjects
Awards
Anthony Award (Nominee — First Novel — 2012)
Macavity Award (Nominee — First Novel — 2012)
Barry Award (Winner — First Novel — 2012)
Language
Original publication date
2011-03-08
ISBN
0307717097 / 9780307717092