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Title: Cold war thriller with stereotypical characters
Review: Demille's books are always a good read, and The Charm School is no exception. This is the first one I've read, however, where the main characters didn't have an iota of a sense of humor. (Minor U.S. Embassy characters were hilarious in during a farewell party scene, but that was the only bit of humor in the novel.The main characters are so serious, earnest, brave...and dumb. They do things that brave, serious, and intelligent people would not do. To think that an Embassy Air Force attache and a USIS information officer would not arouse KGB suspicion when they are doing essentially consular work (i.e. handling the death of an American citizen abroad) is just silly. What kind tradecraft is this?The ending while a cliff hanger is unsatisfying and not plausible in the era of Iran/Contra, Watergate, and other failed coverups. An interesting sequel would be the exposure of the U.S. Government's disposal of the Charm School and its aftermath.
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