When her fiancé is killed overseas and accused of treason, intelligence analyst Maggie Jenkins races to uncover the truth behind his death. A dangerous trail of lies, deceit, and betrayal lead her half way around the world, and pit her against the Russian Mafia, Chechen rebels and Al Qaeda. With her own life in peril, Maggie will need all her wits about her to expose a terrorist threat and clear her fiancé's name.
THE WAYWARD SPY, the debut novel from Susan Ouellette, is a spy thriller with a level detail into spy craft that is reminiscent of Ian Fleming. Ouellette, a previous intelligence analyst on Capital Hill, provides intimate details into the comings and goings on the Washington intelligence world as only someone who has lived it could. The novel is fast-paced with plenty of action and intrigue.
Although some of the supporting characters come off a bit two-dimensional, the core cast of this novel really shine in character development. Maggie, in particular, is a character in whom you will quickly become invested. Her grief over her fiancé's death and her belief in his innocence are nicely intertwined to make her motives realistic and believable.
The one thing that came as a disappointment was the ending. If you are expecting an ending that wraps the story up in a box with a nice bow on top, you won't find that in THE WAYWARD SPY. Ouellette leaves several plot threads unresolved, which lead the reader into the second book in the series.
THE WAYWARD SPY is an excellent debut from an up-and-coming star in the spy thriller genre.
For more information about Susan Ouellette, check out my 2021 interview with her here.