User Reviews
Rating: really liked it
This is book two in the Charles Jenkins series and its back to Moscow! More espionage, blackmail, and scary Russian agents.
Charles Jenkins is back and on a new mission. I read
The Eighth Sister (book one in the series) and couldn't wait to see what his next move would be. This could be a stand-alone as it does give background information in the first few chapters, but I would recommend reading the first book (its good).
When Charles learns that things may not have been as they seemed when he left Russia, he decides to go back to Russia to try to save someone close to his heart. But is she even alive? He knows he must find out.
Tension builds as each chapter flies by and there were moments I wanted to close my eyes! Panicked at what was about to happen. It reads like a fast paced, action-packed movie.
The suspense was anxiety filled and had me holding my breath and saying, "oh no, oh no, oh no...." Those moments when the chase is on and you feel like you are in on it.
What a great spy story! Kept me guessing and rooting for the good guys! There is also a pilot character, Studebaker who was "hulla" crazy and added humor. And wow, what an ending!
Recommend to fans of spy thrillers, international shell games and characters you'll be completely invested in.
Thanks so much to NG/ Thomas and Mercer for an advanced review copy. OUT October 2020, but the first book in the series in available now. The acknowledgements mention that these two books in this series have been sold and will be a major television series! Yay!
Rating: really liked it
Charles Jenkins is back in book two of the series. A former CIA spy, he has survived being tried for treason after being betrayed by his county. He is enjoying a quiet life with his wife and two children when he is approached with a mission he cannot turn down - rescuing Paulina Ponomayova, a woman who risked her life to get his out of Russia alive. But by accepting the mission, he must return to Russia, face an old and new nemesis and once again be away from his family.
Anyone who has read a Robert Dugoni book knows of his attention to detail. His ability to create interesting and well-rounded characters with intriguing back stories. I am not a big spy thriller reader, but he has sucked me in with this series. Like the first book in the series, The Eighth Sister, this book is full of suspense, intrigue and even a magic trick!
I enjoyed Charles Jenkins scenes with his old nemesis, Viktor Federov. Their interactions were fun, and yet like Jenkins, I never knew if Federov could be trusted. One thing you can trust, is that this is a riveting, beautifully written and compelling spy thriller which keeps the intensity and delivers on thrills.
Another solid book by Dugoni! This was a riveting spy thriller with heart!
Thank you to Thomas & Mercer and NetGalley who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All the thoughts and opinions are my own.
Rating: really liked it
I am usually not a fan of spy thrillers, but I had really enjoyed The Eighth Sister. So, I was thrilled that Dugoni had written a second book in the series.
Charles Jenkins is at home recovering. He’s been found not guilty of espionage but needless to say, he’s still holding a grudge against the CIA. But when an agent comes calling, asking for help to extract Paulina Ponomayova, the Russian who saved Jenkins in the first book, he agrees. The job seems hopeless - Paulina is in the Lefortovo prison.
This story goes a mile a minute. The reader hardly has a chance to catch their breath from one suspenseful scene to the next. Efimov is the perfect villain, his whole career riding on catching Jenkins and Ponomayova, because who wants to be the one to tell Vladimir you’ve failed?
The book is filled with other fabulous characters, several larger than life, with a variety of different motivations.
In the author’s note, Dugoni details the conversations he had with his experts, always wondering if a solution “ was beyond the realm of fiction.” Some may stretch, but they all read as plausible. I’ve read that the first book has been picked up for a possible tv series. We can only hope they move forward with both books.
This does not work as a standalone. You need to have read The Eighth Sister for the complete back story. I’m glad that the ending seems to leave open the possibility for a third book.
My thanks to netgalley and Thomas & Mercer for an advance copy of this book.
Rating: really liked it
First and foremost, a large thank you to NetGalley, Robert Dugoni, and. Thomas & Mercer for providing me with a copy of this publication, which allows me to provide you with an unbiased review. Showcasing his abilities outside of police procedurals, Robert Dugoni returns to add another layer to one of his wonderful standalone novels. Thrilling readers throughout this piece of espionage, Dugoni shows that he can craft sensational characters and keep the plot moving along, even behind enemy lines.
After his gruelling experience in Russia, Charles Jenkins has no interest in returning. His family is priority #1 and, with a new baby, he does not want to risk upsetting his wife. When a CIA operative approaches him, Jenkins is not interested in the message.
The Agency is still wondering about their Seven Sisters project, more specifically the Russian CIA operative who helped Jenkins while he was there. Paulina Ponomayova sacrificed her safety to ensure that Jenkins made it out and, if she is still alive, the Agency wants to know about it. Jenkins gives this some thought, wondering if he might be able to extract Paulina and save her as she did for him. A long chat with his wife leads them to understand the need for one final sacrifice.
As Jenkins is placed in the region, he will have to make his way on Russian soil and work his magic. Keen to show off his skills, Jenkins boldly enters the country and drops numerous breadcrumbs regarding his presence, which raises many red flags with the FSB, Russia’s Security Agency. As Jenkins seeks to lure them to what he is doing, he touches base with Viktor Federov, the FSB agent whose failure to apprehend Jenkins the first time left him in major trouble. While Federov is leery at first, he soon realises that Jenkins is seeking to redeem them both for troubles their respective countries placed at their feet. They devise a plan to locate Paulina and try to get her out of the country as quickly as possible.
After making contact and playing a little sleight of hand, the mission to leave the country begins. This is surely more difficult, as the FSB are everywhere and Jenkins has made himself persona non grata already, particularly to Adam Efimov, who is tasked with locating Jenkins and bringing him in. As Jenkins, Federov, and Ponomavova try to flee Moscow, it will be a fight to the end to get to safety. With the Russian winter upon them, any misstep could cost them their lives in the cold, even before Efimov puts bullet lodges into their skulls.
A chilling spy thriller that I had not expected from Robert Dugoni. This is one novel sure to receive much attention for the foreseeable future. Recommended to those who enjoy Dugoni’s work, as well as the reader who finds modern espionage to their liking.
I have been a fan of Robert Dugoni’s work for a while, which usually focuses on legal or police matters. However, this novel has all the elements of a new genre for the author, something he seems to have mastered as well. The attention to detail is evident throughout and the reader is sure to feel as though they are right there, with the ever-developing plot.
Charles Jenkins takes centre stage again, though he is slightly more reticent to toss himself into the middle of a dangerous situation. Burnt by his own government, Jenkins wants nothing to do with helping the Agency, but as soon as Paulina Ponomayova‘s name comes up, he knows that he must help. The reader can see some of the emotional connections Jenkins has made in this second novel, though he remains highly work-focussed for much of the book. There is some character development, surely, but the intricate details of his plan hatching steal much of the limelight in this piece. Jenkins does a formidable job, even when faced with adversity, keeping the story moving throughout.
A handful of great secondary characters help depict the clash, particularly within Russia. Dugoni’s detail when forming these characters works so well and the reality of the situation becomes apparent throughout, which serves to permit the reader to feel a part of the action. One cannot read this book and not feel that Adam Efimov played a key antagonist role, depicting both the traditional Russian and one whose new connections with the current regime have helped him climb the proverbial ladder.
The story began strong and kept getting better. I cannot say enough about Dugoni’s ability to cobble together something so air-tight and yet not forget to inject some needed humour throughout. A modern Cold War thriller for sure, which had the elements of reality sewn into its plot. Using great dialogue and multiple languages kept the reader feeling as though they were standing beside the characters and living each moment. True, I must rely on Dugoni to have used proper lingo and phraseology, but I will leave linguistic nitpicking to others, as I surely felt this added a wonderful flavour to the overall piece.
While I do love the Tracy Crosswhite series, this was a wonderful break and shows me that Robert Dugoni’s versatility is surely something to earn him an even larger fan base. Plus, the cliffhanger ending leaves things open for a trilogy, should everyone want to play along.
Kudos, Mr. Dugoni, for another wonderful book. You never cease to impress and I cannot wait to see what else you have up your sleeve.
Be sure to check for my review, first posted on Mystery and Suspense, as well as a number of other insightful comments by other reviewers.
https://www.mysteryandsuspense.com/re...
Love/hate the review? An ever-growing collection of others appears at:
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A Book for All Seasons, a different sort of Book Challenge: https://www.goodreads.com/group/show/...
Rating: really liked it
4.5 stars
Would you ever want to go back to a place where you knew your life was in constant peril, where the fate that awaited you at best was prison and at worst prison accompanied by torture, suffering, and misery? Would you ever want to work once again for a place that prosecuted you falsely for espionage and treason? Most of us would definitely decline this “opportunity”, but not Charles.
What would entice Charles back into the deadly business of spying, leaving his loving wife and two children, leaving a life of retirement, leaving a life where he was exonerated of his supposed crimes?
For Charles, there was no question to do so when he learned of the possibility that his friend and the women who previously saved him might be alive. Paulina Ponomayova, had years ago provided the way for Charles to escape Russia, literally sacrificing herself, and if she is still alive, Charles owes her a debt he feels he needs to repay. If alive, Paulina would be held in the heinous prison called Lefortovo, a virtual hell hole on earth.
Returning to Russia, Charles meets up with his former nemesis, Viktor Federov. Viktor, maltreated by the Russian government, is enlisted, and in a twist of fate, joins in helping Charles free Paulina, a task that has insurmountable odds of not succeeding. In essence two former enemies become united in what once had seemed an impossibility.
The game is on to free Paulina and the stakes are ever so high as one vindictive ruthless Russian agent pursues Charles and seems to be always anticipating Charles’s next move. Who will win this cat and mouse game where death seems to be the only option?
If you enjoy stories that never let up on the thrills and suspense factors, pick this one up. It keeps getting better as every page is turned and your breathe is held as Charles races to save not only Paulina, but also his own life that hangs in the balance at every turn in the road.
Thank you to Robert Dugoni, Thomas & Mercer, and NetGalley for an advanced copy of this electrifying book due out September 22, 2020.
Rating: really liked it
If you thought Charles Jenkins would have learned his lesson about staying retired and keeping well away from the CIA you would be wrong. In this second book, despite having been betrayed by them and nearly ending up in prison, and despite having a lovely family with a new baby, he is off again, back to Russia and into the jaws of death.
I guess we have to admire his loyalty to Paulina, the agent who was willing to give up her life to help him flee from the country in the first book. He does demonstrate a huge amount of skill as a spy in The Last Agent. The initial stages, when he plays his first trick at the bank, his ducking and weaving to mislead his trackers and to get away is masterful.
It was all very well written and intriguing. I am looking forward to finding out more about the sisters in the final book in the trilogy.
Rating: really liked it
This is a terrific follow up to The Eighth Sister!
Ex-CIA agent Charles Jenkins is back at his farm, recovering from his trip to Russia the previous year for the CIA (I do recommend reading The Eighth Sister to get to know the characters and the background). That Charlie managed to escape with his life was thanks to Paulina Ponomayova, a CIA agent who acted as decoy for the Russian intelligence (FSB) agent relentlessly hunting him down and was believed to have died doing so. Now Charlie has been told that Paulina didn't die and is now being held and tortured in Moscow's ex-KGB prison, Lefortovo. Paulina knows the names of the four remaining seven sisters, women agents deep undercover in Russia and the FSB are determined to get them out of her. Despite the extreme unlikelihood and inherent danger of being able to help a prisoner escape from such a high security prison, the CIA want Charlie to go back to Russia and do just that.
This was definitely a high tension and gripping read, as Charlie attempts to stay one step ahead of Efimov, the ruthless FSB agent hunting him down. Both Charlie and Efimov are masters of espionage deploying all their intelligence, experience and skills to predict what the other will be doing. While Charlie is not without local assistance, with some great characters helping to organise multiple escape routes and diversions, Efimov uses all the facilities of surveillance available in modern Russia. At times the suspense became too much and I had to remember to stop holding my breath. Highly recommended for fans of spy thrillers!
With thanks to Thomas and Mercer and Netgalley for a digital copy to read.
Rating: really liked it
3.5 ☆ Men rushed into her hospital room and yanked her from the bed without uttering a single word. They slid a black bag over her head and cuffed her wrists behind her back. Her stay in the hospital had come to an end, as she knew it eventually would...
She had existed in a fog, on the edge of pain, kept alive for one reason--to be interrogated.
Then she would be executed.
He pulled the hood from her head. ... He looked at her from beneath a brow that extended well over dark, lifeless eyes. His jaw was scarred with crude stitch lines, another over his right eye, a third across the bridge of his nose, which looked to have been broken, perhaps more than once, and poorly fixed. ... from his practiced demeanor and his weathered appearance, she suspected he had once been KGB.
Meanwhile in the state of Washington, it is again a winter of discontent for Charles Jenkins. After the near ruinous events of the previous year, Jenkins has had enough of duplicitous spy games. In
The Last Agent, he's back at his farm and still resolving matters related to CJ Security, the family business he runs with his wife Alex.
In an ominous
deja vu, CIA officer Matt Lemore, who looks like a kid fresh out of college, surprises Jenkins at his home. Lemore specializes in Russia and Eastern Europe and he's tracking down rumors about a high-value inmate being held in the infamous Lefortovo prison in Moscow. Whispers about this mysterious female began shortly after the CIA had lost contact with one of their key assets placed within the Russian government. Curiously, this all coincided with the timing of Jenkins' presence in Moscow.
Could this prisoner possibly be Paulina Ponomayova, the woman who had sacrificed herself to enable Jenkins' escape from Russia? Jenkins knows that Ponomayova's actions were crucial and he acknowledged her role by giving his new baby girl Paulina as a middle name. Jenkins believed that Ponomayova had died last year but with Lemore's intel, Jenkins can't let the question go.
The Last Agent is the investigation and against-all-odds rescue Jenkins pursues to pay off a deep moral debt.
Because Dugoni included sufficient background, this can be read as a standalone. I recommend reading the two novels in their proper sequence, however, for maximum emotional impact.
The Last Agent is entertaining but I didn't find it as gripping as its predecessor. I just couldn't readily accept the major decisions and behavior from a couple of characters (view spoiler)
[ Federov in particular (hide spoiler)] that were necessary to advance the plot. I was also distracted by several major
deus ex machina incidents and minor plot inconsistencies (view spoiler)
[such as, despite Dugoni's details about transportation and timing, somebody arrived in time for a rescue (hide spoiler)]. Sometimes having a memory for details can be counterproductive when reading fiction. 😙
This is otherwise another suspenseful cat-and-mouse hunt; albeit one in which the tension didn't build until the middle of the novel. I did enjoy the tradecraft, especially as the protagonists had to dodge detection by the FSB's facial recognition software and Moscow's extensive CCTV network. Dugoni had again created another uber villain--Adam Efimov who has a very high position within the FSB hierarchy. The best supporting character is the crazy "Hot Rod" pilot.
#1
The Eighth Sister almost 4 ☆
#3
The Silent Sisters 4 ☆
Rating: really liked it
There's too much senselessness before this gets tided up and too late. 3 of 10 stars
Rating: really liked it
Charles Jenkins thought he was done with the CIA and spying for good following the events in The Eighth Sister. Betrayed by his country, tried for treason and having escaped from Russia only thanks to the help of Paulina Ponomayova he is happy to stay retired and be with his family. Then he is approached by a young CIA agent, Matt Lemore. At first they are ready to go toe to toe despite their age difference but then Lemore informs Charlie that Paulina may still be alive and in Moscow’s infamous Lefortovo Prison. She saved him now he must go back to save her ... if she is indeed still alive.
To do this he will have to return to Russia and there is only one person he can turn to for help. Viktor Federov, the former FSB agent, who chased him across Russia in The Eighth Sister. But can Federov be trusted? To enlist his assistance Charlie will need to use a lure that will appeal to Federov. Money. And Charlie knows of a couple of accounts in a Russian bank where he can get it.
Federov lost his job with the FSB after his failed attempt to stop Charlie but Charlie has a new formidable foe in Adam Efimov, who has his own quest. Efimov is likened to Captain Ahab and Charlie is his Moby Dick. He is relentless in his pursuit. His career and his future depend on capturing Charlie.
This is a real page turner. A cat and mouse game but it is no game. Lives are at stake as Efimov pursues Charlie across Russia and Efimov has the FSB, local police, and Coast Guard at his beck and call. Charlie is virtually alone. Can he get Paulina out of Lefortovo and Russia while being pursued by the ruthless and brutal Efimov who will stop at nothing?
Rating: really liked it
Thank you to Net Galley,the publishers and the author for an ARC copy for review, and apologies for the delay.
Firstly I have read some of the Tracy Crosswhite books, but I personally loved this character and book more, here we have Charles Jenkins.
Net Galley, the publishers gave me the second book in the series, I had not read the first, but the author explains so much and so well in this second book I understood this book fully and the history of the first.
An American operative in Russia is on the run for his life in a thriller of heart-stopping betrayal and international intrigue by the New York Times bestselling author of The Eighth Sister.
Betrayed by his own country and tried for treason, former spy Charles Jenkins survived an undercover Russian operation gone wrong. Exonerated, bitter, and safe, the retired family man is through with duplicitous spy games. Then he learns of a woman isolated in Moscow’s notorious Lefortovo Prison.
If it’s Paulina Ponomayova, the agent who sacrificed her life to save his, Jenkins can’t leave her behind. But there’s no guarantee it’s her. Or proof Paulina is still alive. To find out, Jenkins must return to Russia. Next move: blackmail Viktor Federov, a former Russian officer with his own ax to grind, into helping him infiltrate Lefortovo. The enemy who once pursued Jenkins across three continents is now the only man Jenkins can trust.
Every step of the way—from Moscow to Scandinavia to the open ocean—they’re hunted by a brutal Russian agent on a killer quest of his own. Out of loyalty to Paulina—dead or alive—Jenkins is putting everyone’s life on the line for a new mission that could be his last.
This was an action packed thriller, action, crime, espionage the tension builds as each chapter flies by and there were moments I wanted to close my eyes! Panicked at what was about to happen, I felt all the time this would make a great film.
Great characters,all the way through you could not be sure who Charles could trust, who was helping, who wasn't and throughout he was literally steps ahead.
The pace, the strength of the story, the characters, the tension, also how tired I am do justice to how good this book was, late nights yes... Tired.. yes!
Five stars.
Rating: really liked it
MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE. I could hear the music from that late 60s-early 70s TV spy series in my head throughout my entire reading of Robert Dugoni’s new Charles Jenkins thriller, The Last Agent. Jenkins’ mission, should he choose to accept it, is to get into back into Russia, find out whether a prisoner the Russians are holding is the asset Paulina Ponomayova, and smuggle her out of Lefortovo and into the US for debriefing. Piece of cake, right?
Jenkins has reasons to refuse. He has a family, wife Alex, son CJ, and a new baby daughter Lizzie. He has just been acquitted of espionage after his government threw him under the bus. Now the Agency has the nerve to come asking for his help. If it were anyone else, Jenkins would likely decline, but Paulina Ponomayova saved his life. His baby girl is named for her: Elizabeth Paulina Jenkins. He believed Ponomayova to be dead, but now, if she is alive, he must try to get her out because he owes her. Alex understands this, but the decision weighs heavily on Charlie.
Sending Jenkins to Russia as an undercover agent is no small task. Literally not small. Jenkins is a six foot-five-inch tall African American man, which makes him stand out in Moscow. So he must rely upon his experience and his contacts, plus the resources and backing of the CIA to maintain his cover. To whom does he turn when he arrives? His old nemesis, Viktor Federov. It was fascinating to watch their rivalry transform into an uneasy partnership, with neither totally trusting the other, but rather cooperating because the other options are unacceptable.
With Federov assisting Jenkins in attempting to learn if Paulina is indeed the prisoner inside the notorious prison, a new, extremely dangerous foe, Adam Efimov leads the hunt. Efimov claims to have ties to Putin himself and knows if he does not get the information they need from Ponomayova, his head will roll. So he pulls no punches when it comes to pursing Charlie Jenkins. He will stop at nothing to prevent him from letting her escape from Russia, even if it means endangering lives of his men or innocent civilians.
This is a brilliantly conceived story. Once I got the hang of who was who with all the Russian names, I just sat back and enjoyed the ride. “Enjoy” has different meanings at different times. This was not like your walk in the park or a ride the merry-go-round. This was like, I don’t know, pick your favorite bumpy ride. At times, I held my breath. At times, I gripped my Kindle tightly and wanted to shut my eyes. A few times, I even chuckled, like when the pilot, Rod Studebaker broke out into song, “Come on baby, light my fire” as he was flying his nervous passengers through a particularly rough patch in a snowstorm. “Hot Rod” was quite a memorable character.
Federov turns out to be memorable, if not rather sad at times. He’s basically a lonely man, and he seems to respect Jenkins. I liked Matt Lemore, and I hope to see him again in future books. The good news is that it seems quite likely that there will be at least one more book to follow this one as the mystery of the “Seven Sisters” isn’t quite wrapped up. If it’s anything like The Last Agent, I may need to stock up on vodka before I read that one!
Highly recommended. You’ll want to read The Eighth Sister before reading this one so that the characters and events make sense. And it's a great read!
My thanks to NetGalley, Thomas & Mercer, and the author for this ARC copy. My views and comments are my own.
5 stars
Rating: really liked it
A great espionage story often pits spy 🕵️♀️ versus spy 🕵️♂️, matching wit for wit, often like a chess game. Each move, no matter how brilliantly conceived, is countered with yet another brilliant move. Modern surveillance equipment, traffic cameras, financial transaction monitoring, and game theory programs change the way its played, have the players up their game, but the rules remain the same. It’s a match of wits. Whoever is quickest to the solution survived to fight another day.
“The Last Agent” is book two in the series and does not require the first book as a prerequisite. Nevertheless, it continues where the first book (the Eighth Sister) left off. Jenkins is back at home outside Seattle with his family, bitter at how the Agency disposed of him when it was convenient. But word is that Paulina, who saved his life and after whom his daughter was named, survived the car crash and is entombed deep in an interrogation chamber in the basement of a Russian prison. Jenkins is called out if retirement to effect the impossible: a rescue deep in the heart of Moscow.
There is a slow build up as Jenkins sneaks his way into Russia and alerts the one Russian agent who might be convinced to help him. From there, it’s making the impossible happen, getting Paulina out if Russian prison and to safety without maybe causing World War 3.
The slow methodical buildup pays off big time with the hold-your-breath and pray cat and mouse game as Jenkins and his allies ferret a way out against all odds. Once you get to this part, you are not going to want to put it down.
Rating: really liked it
Dugoni’s second offering featuring the former CIA operative Charles Jenkins has Jenkins returning to Russia in order to rescue Paulina Ponomayova, the woman instrumental in ensuring Jenkins escape from Russia in Dugoni’s first offering, The Eighth Sister. Jenkins had assumed that Paulina was dead, but the CIA was given snippets of information that she was being held in Moscow’s Lefortovo Prison. Jenkins feels obligated to try and rescue her, putting himself in enormous danger. Dugoni presents another harrowing tale in this spy thriller series. Enjoy!
Rating: really liked it
Check out all my reviews at: https://www.avonnalovesgenres.com
THE LAST AGENT (Charles Jenkins Book #2) by Robert Dugoni is the second book in this action-packed, edge-of-your-seat trilogy featuring a retired CIA agent. I feel these books are best read in order.
In the first book Charles Jenkins survived an operation gone wrong in Russia only to return to be tried for treason. After being exonerated, he learns that the woman who helped him escape Russia and gave her life for his, may be alive and being tortured in the notorious Lefortovo Prison.
To find out if Paulina Ponomayova is still alive and imprisoned, Charles must return to Russia and once again deal with former FSB officer, Viktor Fedorov. From the moment the Russian government finds out Charles is back in Russia, they assign an assassin to take care of the problem. The chase is on to find Paulina and get her out of Russia all while not knowing who they can really trust.
This book moves at the speed of light from one twist to another. The author’s writing makes you feel as though you are right there in the middle of the action with all the main characters. Charles is a fully fleshed, idealistic protagonist and that makes Efimov a perfect foil. An intriguing plot, twist and turns that do not stop and a surprise revelation make this a wonderful spy espionage read.
I am looking forward to the next book and to finding out more about the Seven Sisters. This is a trilogy that will keep you turning the pages.
