⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️/5
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I’ve been eagerly awaiting this book since I finished The Summer Guests last year. Maggie and her circle of martini-drinking ex-CIA friends are back in Purity, Maine, where things are once again going a little haywire.
And, of course, our favorite police chief Jo Thibodeau is back in the thick of it, albeit not kicking and screaming quite as much as she usually does. We also get visits from the FBI, CDC, and DOE… so yeah, there’s a lot going on here.
The book opens with one of Ingrid’s old operations going horribly wrong. It was the incident that eventually led her away from field work and toward a life with desk jockey Lloyd. It was also her last operation with Rodrigo, her fellow CIA operative who just so happened to also be her former paramour.
Fast forward to present-day Purity, where a global affairs conference brings some very strange deaths and a whole lot of questions to town. Ingrid begins seeing connections to that disastrous operation from decades ago, and before long, she disappears. Maggie and a frantic Lloyd give chase to Amsterdam, cause some trouble (because obviously), and eventually make their way back home, where somehow things manage to get even more complicated.
Without giving anything away, this book has everything I love about a Tess Gerritsen thriller. Mystery, history, snark, suspense, an alphabet soup of government agencies, and a nice twisty ending.
But honestly, it’s these characters that keep me coming back.
I loved that this book gave us so much more of Ingrid and Lloyd and their history together. And Maggie is absolutely hysterical in this one. When I reread the series before book four, I’m seriously considering counting how many times she says some variation of, “I don’t know what you’re talking about, I’m just a chicken farmer.” For some reason, it gets me EVERY. SINGLE. TIME. You can practically feel the frustration coming off whoever she’s talking to.
Three books in, the Martini Club has easily become one of my favorite groups of characters. I love watching these supposedly retired spies attempt to live their quiet little lives in Maine while somehow repeatedly ending up involved in international espionage.
They’re retired, guys. Retired.
Sure.
This was such a fun return to Purity and exactly what I wanted from the third installment. It’s twisty without becoming confusing, suspenseful without losing the humor, and gives us even more insight into characters I’ve grown to love.
And speaking of book four, it looks like The Italian Affair is already listed as the next installment, so… maybe our friends are heading off to Italy. I cannot wait to see what kind of trouble they manage to find there. And please, Tess Gerritsen, find some ridiculous reason to make Jo go with them. Watching Jo Thibodeau attempt to wrangle the Martini Club internationally is something I desperately need in my life.
A huge thank you to Tess Gerritsen, Thomas & Mercer, and NetGalley for the ARC of The Shadow Friends!
On sale now, you can grab your copy here. Bonus! Its on KU for ebook AND audio, always a huge win for me.
Check out the rest of the Martini Club series.
Book One: The Spy Coast
Book Two: The Summer Guests
While you don’t NEED to read these before you read The Shadow Friends, you should. Just trust me. Both books are available on Kindle Unlimited for ebook AND audio.
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