Weekly Reader: The Helpers: An International Tale of Espionage and Corruption by S.E. Nelson; Suspenseful, Almost Dizzying Novel of Corruption, Conspiracy, and Murder in Congo
By Julie Sara Porter
Bookworm Reviews
PopSugar Reading Challenge: A book by or about a journalist
Spoilers: With a name like The Helpers, S.E. Nelson's gang of antagonists in this thriller novel of the same name, understand the meaning of irony. These so-called Helpers are anything but. They would not help someone cross the street, so much as push them into oncoming traffic, especially if that person were on the opposite side of their specific agendas.
The Helpers are the real powers behind the political and business world in the African nation of Congo. Not a move gets made without their say so. They organize wars and revolutions for fun and profit. People who speak out against them usually end up missing or dead with valuable parts of their anatomy gone. They also appear to have long arms that extend beyond their hold in Congo.
This is the group that many are investigating in this tense novel that is almost dizzying with action, suspense, and one betrayal after another. There are many who are investigating this fearsome group.
French intelligence operatives, Lance Lemmand and Pierre-Jean Philippe. The two suspect that the current rebel outbreaks in Congo to be orchestrated from the inside by this powerful group.
The other people who are interested in the Helpers are Jenny Osborne and John Spencer, freelance journalist and photojournalist respectively. The duo are on assignment to investigate the conflicts in Congo, but end up getting caught in the middle of the Helpers's conspiracy when one of their sources leads the journalists right to them.
This book can be confusing to the point that the different twists, climaxes, and reveals are so prevelant so sometimes it's hard to tell who is on whose side. After awhile, you become completely used to the betrayal. used. It's hard to care about a character when you are waiting for the other shoe to drop and that person gets revealed as a traitor or at the very least a double agent.
However, there are some great moments that reveal Nelson's talent for capturing the Reader's attention. One passage that reveals this is when Lance goes through some clever subterfuge to hide from an enemy. This includes changing trains, traveling through different countries, and obtaining information from quirky Hitchcockian characters who may or may not be trustworthy.
The characters are interesting, but typical for this type of work. There is the grizzled veteran, the bright young protogee working with the wily vet, the intrepid dedicated journalists, the terrorist motivated by fervent hatred and blinded fanaticism, the corrupt business person who is only loyal to the almighty dollar, the sultry agent playing various sides. They are all there and doing their thing.
By far the strongest character is Kai, a young woman forced into prostitution as a child. She is a witness to the Helpers's cruelty and is protected by Jenny and John. She becomes a symbol of the suffering that the Helpers force on their people. Kai is determined to get out of Congo and make a new life for herself and her mother and willingly puts herself in danger.
Another great twist is what happens or rather doesn't happen to The Helpers. Many books end with the conspiracy dying or at least suffering a gaping wound. Not this one. Making the Helpers as big as they are, makes it hard to swallow that they could be brought down by a single action or a few individuals. At most their organization suffers a few pin pricks and the ending is full aware that there will always be powerful groups waiting in the wings and a charismatic leader ready to grab the reins of power
The Helpers is flawed, but it captures the Readers with a suspension and tension from the first page to the last.
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