The Spy Coast - Tess Gerritsen

 The Spy Coast - Tess Gerritsen

She read

Sixty year old Maggie thought she left her spy days behind when she retired to quiet, small town coastal Purity, Maine, the home of some old friends of hers from her early CIA career. When a woman comes knocking at her door to find out if Maggie knows where Diana Ward, a name from her past escapades, is, she realizes her cover has been blown.  Shortly thereafter, Maggie discovers the woman making the inquiry dead in her driveway, having been tortured.  Maggie knows she is in trouble.  

Told in two timelines, the history behind Diana Ward and a mission gone horribly wrong sixteen years ago is revealed while in the present, Maggie and her friends try to keep her safe.  Local police chief, Jo Thibodeau, is suspicious of Maggie and before she knows it, this retired spy is back on the road trying to put an end to that chapter of her life.  

I am a fan of Gerritsen’s Rizzoli and Isles series and this is the promising first installment of a new series, “The Martini Club” so named because it is the moniker Maggie quickly made up when Thibodeau questions why Maggie and her friends are meeting together so frequently. 

I’m not a huge aficionada of spy novels because they often are a bit over the top.  Gerritsen, though, has a great talent for captivating her readers and this book is no exception.  The story is an entertaining, fast read; suspenseful with charming characters.  There is some lightheartedness and I particularly appreciated the reflections on aging.  

I am looking forward to Book 2.

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