"The Spy Coast" (Book 1 in The Martini Club) by Tess Gerritsen, eBook, 341 pages From GoodReads: Former spy Maggie Bird came to the seaside village of Purity, Maine, eager to put the past behind her after a mission went tragically wrong. These days, she’s living quietly on her chicken farm, still wary of blowback from the events that forced her early retirement. But when a body turns up in Maggie’s driveway, she knows it’s a message from former foes who haven’t forgotten her. Maggie turns to her local circle of old friends—all retirees from the CIA—to help uncover the truth about who is trying to kill her, and why. This “Martini Club” of former spies may be retired, but they still have a few useful skills that they’re eager to use again, if only to spice up their rather sedate new lives.
Complicating their efforts is Purity’s acting police chief, Jo Thibodeau. More accustomed to dealing with rowdy tourists than homicide, Jo is puzzled by Maggie’s reluctance to share information—and by her odd circle of friends, who seem to be a step ahead of her at every turn. As Jo’s investigation collides with the Martini Club’s maneuvers, Maggie’s hunt for answers will force her to revisit a clandestine career that spanned the globe, from Bangkok to Istanbul, from London to Malta. The ghosts of her past have returned, but with the help of her friends—and the reluctant Jo Thibodeau—Maggie might just be able to save the life she’s built.
Someone explain to me why I felt more akin to Maggie who is retired CIA in her 50s when I just turned 40? Is it because she lives on a farm with chickens? Is it because a fox got into her chickens at the very begging and when we put our chickens outside, a fox was roaming around our coup? The only thing I can think of is that I felt a pull back to being in the military. I am NOT comparing being a CIA operative to being a helicopter mechanic in the Coast Guard at all. Her friends and their little book club just had me reminiscing. There was a little confusion for me in the earliest chapters but it was probably me not paying attention. This story is told mostly by Maggie, a little by Acting Chief Jo, and a couple chapters by one of Maggie's old colleges. The whole story had me wondering what twists and turns were coming and I will tell you that I was 100% WAY OFF in all my theories. This is also the same author of the Rizzoli and Isles series (I have read one book but I loved the tv series) so I had a feeling that I was going to enjoy this book. I even read a little bit at the end of the story about how she pulled some of the small town life aspects from her real life (not the spy stuff but the town). It was truly fascinating and I cannot wait for the next installment! This is a whole 5 star read for me!
5/5 Stars
2024 Reading Challenge: 22/50 complete
