[A] remarkable comeback...his best book yet...bound to be in contention for 2018’s thriller awards....Full of poignant scenes and mesmeric action sequences, it may be the first novel to do justice to the phenomenon’s epic scale.
Alternates bravura passages and sludgy sequences that can leave readers feeling they’re forging through the same chapter over and over. It all comes together in the last 50 pages, which are distinguished by fine writing, rousing action, and an especially haunting confrontation with 'the results of pure evil.'
Not only feels unusually credible for a suspense thriller, but has a clear social purpose...there is both a sharp journalistic attention to detail and genuine anger at how we, as a society, have become inured to the almost unimaginable suffering of others...Readers are unlikely to finish Firefly feeling the warm glow of escapism that a less sophisticated thriller might provide, but it offers something more important: a glimpse into a terrifying and random world in which there are few happy endings.
What grounds the novel, and one of the key elements in its success as a thriller, is the author’s mastery of the topic...Porter does a fantastic job of humanising the images we see on the news ... Firefly delivers not just as an espionage thriller or as an informative piece of fiction, but as a celebration of humanity. Though harrowing, it will also bring a smile to your face just as often as it sets your pulse racing.
... [a] superior espionage thriller ... [Porter] could rival John le Carré, the gold standard for espionage thrillers that value intelligence and social conscience over shoot-’em-up thrills ... Though sometimes slowed by a subplot concerning betting on horses, it’s a genuinely thrilling chase, filled with bighearted empathy for refugees — something sorely needed.
Porter is always worth reading and can be trusted to know exactly how much sentimentality, how much action and how much inside information will make the perfect mixture. He is also a wizard with words...A successful journalist as well as a novelist, Porter is very well informed...a very good thriller.
Impressive if flawed...Porter excels at describing the life of trekking migrants and the atmosphere in the camps of Greece. The plot, however, sags from inaction...A lively ending helps, but many readers may have grown frustrated by then. Still, fans of Porter’s previous books will find much to admire.
