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daniellearider's review against another edition
4.0
I love a good spy adventure and this doesn’t disappoint. The story is well crafted and full of enough realistic characters that it was hard to put down.
r_lind's review against another edition
5.0
When I first started reading this, I had my doubts. Didn't take long and I was really enjoying this book. Will definitely read more by Dugoni!
kimmyp11's review against another edition
5.0
I love Dugoni’s work. Great writer. I LOVE the Tracy Crosswhite series. I was nervous to start a series with a different protagonist, but he did not disappoint. I am excited to see how his Charles Jenkins series will develop.
rainbowbrarian's review against another edition
3.0
Read this as part of Dad and Daughter Book Club. Spy stories aren't normally my genre, but this was good :)
I was not a fan of the MC being 65 and having a new baby, I kind of find that dynamic creepy. When your kid graduates high school you're gonna be 80. Will you even live to see her grown up? But he was a good dad to CJ. I wished Alex were a bigger part of the story, she was a former agent but she kind of gets shelved with pregnancy complications so she doesn't get to do anything really meaningful other than stand by her man and sound worried.
However, I did get pulled into the story. I was compelled by the escape from Russia story, not quite as much with the second half which is him fighting to clear his name in the trial. Sort of felt like I was getting a book that was a spy novel only to find out it was half court room drama.
I am of two minds about the tiny queer inclusion. First, okay, well you acknowledged queer people exist. But then, seriously it's now and all you do is say "hey queer people get fucked over in Russia", here's your token dead gay ballet queer. And shocker, dead gay tragedy. *eyeroll* Could we maybe have had ANY OTHER queer people at all. Anywhere?
It was cool to have a black man be the secret agent spy, because I feel like pretty much ever other CIA spy story it's yet another white guy. It would have been even cooler if the author was a person of color. Because Charles Jenkins, a black man, is the MAIN character. Points off to the audio book team for that one.
I was not a fan of the MC being 65 and having a new baby, I kind of find that dynamic creepy. When your kid graduates high school you're gonna be 80. Will you even live to see her grown up? But he was a good dad to CJ. I wished Alex were a bigger part of the story, she was a former agent but she kind of gets shelved with pregnancy complications so she doesn't get to do anything really meaningful other than stand by her man and sound worried.
However, I did get pulled into the story. I was compelled by the escape from Russia story, not quite as much with the second half which is him fighting to clear his name in the trial. Sort of felt like I was getting a book that was a spy novel only to find out it was half court room drama.
I am of two minds about the tiny queer inclusion. First, okay, well you acknowledged queer people exist. But then, seriously it's now and all you do is say "hey queer people get fucked over in Russia", here's your token dead gay ballet queer. And shocker, dead gay tragedy. *eyeroll* Could we maybe have had ANY OTHER queer people at all. Anywhere?
It was cool to have a black man be the secret agent spy, because I feel like pretty much ever other CIA spy story it's yet another white guy. It would have been even cooler if the author was a person of color. Because Charles Jenkins, a black man, is the MAIN character. Points off to the audio book team for that one.
emd14223's review against another edition
Too much for me currently. Trying to be picky with my time and being very selective with my TBR.
afox98's review against another edition
4.0
Charlie Jenkins runs his own security company and is happy with his wife and son, with another child on the way. But bills are piling up and Charlie needs money fast. Fortunately, his station chief from his days in the CIA shows up and needs him for an operation, and he’ll pay handsomely. Charlie heads to Russia and puts his old spy and Russian language skills to use, facing off with a worthy opponent, Alexsandr Federov. Once he gets back home, though, Charlie learns all is not what it seemed in Russia. Facing a tremendous legal battle, he and his attorney, David Sloane, are fighting for Charlie’s freedom against a formidable opponent, the U.S. government. I really enjoyed this book. I loved the characters - they were smart but not super human, and we got to see the personal and professional sides of them. The cat and mouse game in Russia was suspenseful but believable. And the legal thriller second part of the book was tightly written and fast-paced. I’ll read more by this author.
abrswf's review against another edition
3.0
I found this audiobook a bit of a slog. The plot setup is convoluted and to my way of thinking not terribly plausible. I never really connected to the hero. I’ll add that although he is African American and his wife is of color, there is no insight presented on what challenges that might present, other than the obvious fact that the hero stands out visually in Russia. Much of the book is devoted to a surprisingly dull chase. But the last hour or so of listening was great and fascinating and tense. The narrator is super, too. And I enjoyed all the Seattle area detail and color. Still, not planning to continue with this series because I don’t feel a lot of interest in tracking the hero further.
karlb's review against another edition
5.0
Fantastic plot that moves from spy fieldwork to courtroom drama.
reneek84's review against another edition
4.0
I really enjoyed this book. I felt it was very well written even though I don't always understand the legal stuff with the CIA and FBI. Robert Dugoni wrote a great spy thriller and has another new fan. I would highly recommend it.
lstout456's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0