The Marionette - by Terry Fallis (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

Bestselling and beloved author Terry Fallis' tenth novel, The Marionette, introduces readers to a new hero, James Norval: a world-famous thriller writer whose life takes an unexpected turn from the pages of his novels into the perilous world of espionage.

James Norval has built a successful career crafting the thrilling adventures of his fictional hero, Hunter Chase, a character admired by readers and movie-goers worldwide. But despite his fame and fortune, Norval has always harboured a secret dream of living the life he only writes about--a life as a field operative for CSIS, Canada's Security Intelligence Service. In fact, nearly thirty years earlier, he washed out of the CSIS recruitment program, and it's haunted him ever since.

But that long-held dream becomes a reality when a series of unfortunate events lands Norval in a foreign prison. Rescued by CSIS, he is given an unexpected opportunity: to use his unique position as the favourite writer of Mali's newly installed president to assist in a delicate and dangerous mission. With the help of agent Lauren Cooper, Norval must infiltrate the Malian government and execute a daring plan to exfiltrate fifteen Canadian nationals before the corrupt powers that control the country uncover their true intentions.

The Marionette is a comic thriller by a master of the craft. Full of Terry Fallis' signature wit and combined with an exhilarating high-stakes plot, this is a must-read for fans of espionage and intrigue.

Review Quotes

Advance praise for The Marionette

"In a world shrouded in darkness and shadow, Fallis remains a shining light of decency and big-hearted humour. In his latest novel The Marionette, a fast-paced, feel-good thriller, he combines laughter and suspense to weave a masterful tale of international intrigue and Canadian ingenuity."
--Rod Carley, award-winning author of RUFF

"Terry Fallis' The Marionette is a welcome reminder that fiction can be both artful and engaging. It's a comic thriller--a thromedy?--that teems with Fallis' trademark wit: a narrator, for instance, who says he's so hungry he could eat a sandwich made of a horse splayed out between two mattresses. But the thrills of the thriller are there as well in this tale of a Canadian writer, James Norval, who dives headlong into the middle of a coup in the West African country of Mali. Norval's voice is the most endearingly irksome one I've heard in quite some time. Fallis pulls off the feat of blending genres with elan, aplomb, and pure pizazz!"
--Wayne Johnston, author of Jennie's Boy, winner of the 2023 Leacock Medal for Humour

Praise for Terry Fallis:

"Fallis fans, rejoice! Terry is back!"
--CBC.ca

"Fallis writes from another time, when Wodehouse and Leacock and Twain roamed the earth. May he never become extinct."
--Linwood Barclay, New York Times bestselling author of A Noise Downstairs

"[T]he great gift of Terry Fallis: to make us laugh just enough that we don't realize that we're also learning. My only complaint with his novels is that he can't write them as quickly as I can devour them."
--Steve Patterson, comedian and author of Dad Up!

"Terry Fallis is a brilliant and very funny writer who also understands the human heart. His words will split your side on one page, and put a lump in your throat the next. You'll not only come to like his quirky characters, you'll want to meet them, and take care of them, too. Terry Fallis is a writer to watch, and more importantly, to read."
--Ali Velshi, NBC News

"Terry Fallis writes with a light touch and fine sense of the inherent humanity of humour, while still addressing one of the biggest questions we all have to face: Who are you? Who are you really?"
--Will Ferguson, author of 419, winner of the 2012 Giller Prize

"Reading a Fallis novel is like watching The Big Bang Theory or some other well-scripted TV sitcom. You laugh, you are entertained, you return to your regular life slightly refreshed."
--Quill & Quire

"So what's in a name? When it's Terry Fallis, you know it means a good book."
--National Post

About the Author

TERRY FALLIS grew up in Toronto and earned an engineering degree from McMaster University. Drawn to politics at an early age, he worked for cabinet ministers in Ottawa and at Queen's Park. His first novel, The Best Laid Plans, began as a podcast, then was self-published, won the Stephen Leacock Medal for Humour, was re-published by McClelland & Stewart to great reviews, was crowned the 2011 winner of CBC's Canada Reads as "the essential Canadian novel of the decade," and was adapted as a CBC Television series and a stage musical. His next two novels, The High Road and Up and Down were finalists for the Leacock Medal, and in 2015, he won the prize a second time, for his fourth book, No Relation. His other novels include Poles Apart, One Brother Shy, Albatross, Operation Angus, and A New Season and were all national bestsellers. A skilled public speaker, he lives in Toronto with his wife, and blogs at www.terryfallis.com. Follow @TerryFallis on Twitter and subscribe to his newsletter at https: //terryfallis.substack.com.