In My House, Stalin's Daughter and The Smartest Book in the World

First Novel

Not sure as to the extent of simplification by Diston on his review but, although a first novel, I would have expected a bit more research from a seasoned creative industries professional.

From the review, there are two things that immediately break suspension of disbelief in my mind:

1. Airport so-called "security" (har! har!) have exactly the same powers of arrest as any random passenger, baggage handlers, and toilet cleaners, i.e., none at all. It might be that the book actually refers to police instead, so benefit of doubt on this one.

2. I object to the use of Albania as your stock backward place which is not so far (from a European / North American point of view) that readers cannot feel some kind of bond to it, and yet not so close as to shake the reader's preconceptions. In fact, Albania has an insignificant rate of human trafficking (perhaps due to being a remarkably family-oriented society). Although no reliable data is available, any occurrence is likely to be much lower than the amount of internal trafficking in "core" EU countries such as Germany, the UK, and Spain. Meanwhile, the majority of human trafficking in Europe (around 60% both according to EU and UN data) comes from within the EU itself, notably from certain areas in Romania, Hungary and, to a lesser extent, Bulgaria. Moldavia (including Transnistria) and some parts of Ukraine complete the picture before moving onto more "exotic" origins such as SE Asia, Africa, and Latin America.

I realise the novel is a work of fiction, but it needs to be credible in order to be enjoyable.