This was unusual for me as you’ll see below.
Ava Anderson is a young and ambitious CIA case officer chasing two threads. First is her specific assignment (which she thinks is a bit beneath her) while also exploring just what happened to her CIA career officer mother who disappeared off the grid when Ava was a teenager. As mom was a Russia specialist, Ava is convinced that her mom in alive and living the life of a turncoat from the CIA to the GRU. No matter what her bosses assign, Ava always has her senses attuned to clues about her mom.
The story open with a barrage of of Russian cyberattacks creating widespread confusion and division within the cyber security ranks of the US. Part of Ava’s assignment is to find out who is behind the operation. Ava is sent to infiltrate Russia’s foreign intelligence service, where she focuses on Konstantine, an SVR officer whose past is somehow connected to her own.
The book’s success hinges on believing Ava is the agent she thinks she is. We are supposed to believe that this (for all intents and purposes) rookie case officer has the smarts, skills, and wisdom to sideline her personal family grief to focus on the task at hand. Personally, I thought her actions far exceed her limited intelligence experience. Each scenario seemed more outlandish than the previous. I didn’t buy most of her personal/professional relationships hard to fathom. Some might find this premise a plus, others (Iike me) weren’t all that convinced. The storyline just seemed so ambitious that I abandoned the story. I usually enjoy CIA thrillers, political conspiracies, and family mysteries. This just wasn’t my cup of tea.
ECD
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