Scan barcode
mgbrownley's review
adventurous
challenging
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Cursing
vicky_1993's review
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.0
mollyvidler's review
adventurous
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
lydiahollern's review
challenging
emotional
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
kelly_inthe419's review
3.0
While spy novels are a bit outside my normal reading, I do like a good mystery or historical fiction. The Helsinki Affair provided a little of everything and is an interesting and mostly fast-paced, dual timeline story with a couple great female characters. Amanda and Kath (a free-spirited CIA agent) were smart and challenged each other to do more and try harder.
Amanda works for the CIA in Rome when a low-level Russian operative shows up and says he has important information to share about a U.S. senator who is in danger. Amanda gets drawn into the web and it leads her to learn more about her father Charlie’s time in Helsinki and question his actions and reasons for leaving. As Amanda and Kath get closer to solving a case the dangers grow.
I was really engrossed in the Cold War spy culture full of agents and double agents. This was the timeline with Charlie as he becomes enmeshed is dangers of his own while in Helsinki. Amanda's story involves double agents, blackmailed CEOs, stock market manipulations, and a Russian oligarch. In spite of the tension, both storylines seemed to drag a bit in places and felt it could be tightened a bit.
And the ending really kind of lost me because 1) I'm unclear if the story is going to continue into a 2nd book, and 2) If it doesn't, it just seemed too open ended (which I normally don't mind) but this just seemed way too vague. I would have preferred it ending with Amanda's story.
Overall, though, it was a good, engaging story for fans of spy thrillers and espionage. Round up to 3.5 stars. Thank you to Simon and Schuster for my gifted ARC.
Amanda works for the CIA in Rome when a low-level Russian operative shows up and says he has important information to share about a U.S. senator who is in danger. Amanda gets drawn into the web and it leads her to learn more about her father Charlie’s time in Helsinki and question his actions and reasons for leaving. As Amanda and Kath get closer to solving a case the dangers grow.
I was really engrossed in the Cold War spy culture full of agents and double agents. This was the timeline with Charlie as he becomes enmeshed is dangers of his own while in Helsinki. Amanda's story involves double agents, blackmailed CEOs, stock market manipulations, and a Russian oligarch. In spite of the tension, both storylines seemed to drag a bit in places and felt it could be tightened a bit.
And the ending really kind of lost me because 1) I'm unclear if the story is going to continue into a 2nd book, and 2) If it doesn't, it just seemed too open ended (which I normally don't mind) but this just seemed way too vague. I would have preferred it ending with Amanda's story.
Overall, though, it was a good, engaging story for fans of spy thrillers and espionage. Round up to 3.5 stars. Thank you to Simon and Schuster for my gifted ARC.