The first time Anna Vaughn almost gets killed is on the third page of “The Method.” There will be literally dozens more “almosts” in the next 400 pages.
“The Method” is the danger-packed new thriller from Matthew Quirk, whose “The Night Agent” is the basis of the Netflix spy series that is about to begin its third season. “Method” introduces a new character, Vaughn, an actor who joins forces with an FBI representative when her best friend Natalie disappears. She ends up getting drawn into a vast conspiracy that involves a wealthy industrialist, secret codes and a handsome karaoke pianist who knows more than he reveals.
The fun-but-barely-credible idea in “The Method” is that, as an undercover agent, Vaughn is able to draw on skills she learned as an actor (John LeCarré did something similar with “The Little Drummer Girl”). So, she’s good at faking accents, she has had training in combat and firearms, she’s quick to improvise when things get dicey — and, apparently, she’s not getting many roles because she has scads of downtime to devote to making like Nancy Drew. When she goes on treacherous missions, with an FBI agent directing her through an earpiece, she’s an instant success.
Actual federal and law enforcement officers would probably laugh most of that off the page, since fake-it-until-you-make-it does not seem like a sound strategy for training spies. If Tom Cruise were to attempt to use his experience in umpteen “Mission: Impossible” movies to try to save the world IRL, I’d be more than a little nervous. But it works in “The Method,” which is light on character development but heavy enough on plot to power at least four episodes of the inevitable miniseries.
It’s twisty and involving as Vaughn delves deeper into a shadowy world of double-crossers and liars (not even counting Vaughn who, as some actors say, lies for a living). The plot of “The Method” forces Vaughn to keep questioning her allegiances. Is Sebastian, the too-hot-to-be-true pianist, really on her side or is he involved in Natalie’s disappearance? Is Vaughn’s FBI contact really interested in helping her find Natalie or is he just using her? As readers, we’re pretty sure we can trust Vaughn, whose head we’re in for most of the briskly written book, but all signs point to everyone else — possibly including Natalie — being questionable.
The writing can be ungainly on occasion, as when the FBI guy stops for some street food and we’re invited into way more of his thought process than the book needs or we want: “He tried it — stuffed with shredded beef and plantains — and gave an approving frown. He’d never had that one before. An arepa they called it. Venezuelan."
But the good news is that “The Method” moves like crazy — stuffed with shredded alliances and huge twists — so I give it an approving grin. A page-turner they call it. Gets the job done.
The Method
