Dead Heat to Destiny: Three Lives and a Spy

An American boy who spent most of his life in Paris and has a love for airplanes, a German girl set on becoming a fashion designer in France, and her German cousin rising through the ranks of the navy are on a collision course with destiny. World War I is approaching, which will set the two young men in Adrienne Boch’s life at odds, leaving her and her wishes caught in the middle. In the background is a plot involving the Panama Canal, which may change the course of the war and the lives of all three.

I found the concept of this book intriguing, but the execution left me unimpressed. The short chapters made it difficult to get invested in a particular plotline before the story moved on to the next person. In addition, it didn’t feel like there was much to get attached to in the human characters. Rivard seems more attached to the airplanes and submarines than to the people. Dead Heat to Destiny is a good book for those who care more about story and suspense than deeply written characters. On the first two counts, it excels, but on the last, it falls flat.