Nelson DeMille does one thing, and does it extraordinarily well. He writes delightful stories. The Charm School is filled with mystery, intrigue, adventure, mistrust, betrayal, romance, descriptions of societies that are difficult to comprehend (for most people), and political turmoil. He builds characters that are rich, ethical, and moral yet are human, too, tempted by outside forces. He weaves a story that begs you to turn “just one more page” constantly. It’s impossible to say no. I have yet to read a story from Nelson DeMille that I haven’t enjoyed thoroughly.

Even better the 2nd read. 30 years after the first…

This by far was one of the best books I have read in a while...refreshingly good. I could NOT put the book down.

Interesting and educational for the time and place it was written for. I thoroughly enjoyed the glimpse into the Russian culture and CIA world.

Excellent book. Enjoyed it immensely.

I've read many of DeMille's books and this one is by far the best. It is almost too believable. The characters are well developed. I found myself respecting the good guys and really hating the bad guys. That's how good this author is.

Now that I've read The Charm School a second time, I must state these are the best two fiction books I've ever read! Absolutely, intriguing from start to finish.

Having read several of the John Corey novels, it may just be that The Charm School involves someone else and that I have a problem coping with that. In either case, this story is terrific and the last 100 pages pulled me in the way every page of a John Corey story does. The rest though was at times a little slow to develop which is why I only say almost great. I do appreciate DeMille's level of detail describing the Soviet Union; it felt like I was there. I definitely recommend but readers should just know that it's a little different than they might be used to.

This is the 10th book I've read by DeMille and once again it didn't disappoint. Great characters and fantastic story that really makes you think about some of the POWs and MIAs of the Vietnam War. A must read.

I first read this book as a 12 year old and loved it, but I was apprehensive about how it would feel at 30. If anything, it's a lot better being more able to follow the political and sexual intrigue. It's also fascinating to imagine how the Vietnam War was as far off in history to the book's protagonists as the late Cold War (and this book) are from us now.