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Counterparts is a 1998 American spy thriller novel written by Gonzalo Lira. Shortly after he graduated from Dartmouth College in October 1996, at age 28, Lira received a million dollar advance from G. P. Putnam's Sons. The unsolicited manuscript for Counterparts had been pulled from a slush pile by a literary agent and forwarded to editors at Putnam.[1]
 | |
| Author | Gonzalo Lira |
|---|---|
Publication date | January 5, 1998 |
| ISBN | 978-0515124293 |
Reception
editKirkus Reviews called it a "Dizzyingly sophisticated debut spy thriller, character-driven with big splashy action sequences".[2]
Publishers Weekly praised the first 3/4ths of the book, for its pace, plot, and characters. They offer criticism to the later part of the book, for the abrupt change of personality for some of the major characters.[3]
For Newsday, Jane Goldman wrote that it was "far-fetched and heartless... as arrogant and clever as its hero".[4]
Ann Helmuth of the Orlando Sentinel panned the book, finding the plot "muddled and confused".[5]
Patricia Holt, in The San Francisco Examiner, identified it as following a trend in mainstream commercial publishing of replacing what would conventionally be a male character with a female one. She wrote that Margaret, the female character in Counterparts, was a "tough gal" archetype, "something like a cross between June Cleaver and Arnold Schwarzenegger".[6]
References
edit- ^ Colford, Paul D. (17 October 1996). "Two for the Books: Novice Success Stories". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on 18 January 2024. Retrieved 11 August 2023.
- ^ COUNTERPARTS | Kirkus Reviews.
- ^ "Counterparts by Gonzalo Lira". www.publishersweekly.com. Retrieved 2024-01-18.
- ^ Goldman, Jane (8 February 1998). "New Talents Outwrite Old Favorites". Newsday. ProQuest 279085704.
- ^ Hellmouth, Ann (1998-02-01). "Odd couples pursue killers through twists and turns". Orlando Sentinel. pp. F9. Retrieved 2024-01-17.
- ^ Holt, Patricia (11 January 1998). "Some Tough Gals Are Tough to Buy". San Francisco Examiner. pp. 2, 11. ProQuest 411276576.
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