Audiobook Review: The Spy Coast by Tess Gerritsen

The Spy Coast
Author: Tess Gerritsen
Narrator: Hilary Huber
Series: The Martini Club (Book 1)
Publication: Brilliance Audio (November 1, 2023)
Length: 10 hours and 23 minutes

Description: A retired CIA operative in small-town Maine tackles the ghosts of her past in this fresh take on the spy thriller from New York Times bestselling author Tess Gerritsen.

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.

My Thoughts: This thriller has a retired spy confronted by her past. Maggie Bird has retired to Purity, Maine, after a career as a CIA Agent. She joins a small group of fellow spies who have retired to the small Maine town. However, someone seems determined to ruin her quiet retirement, and it all seems linked to a mission that was completed sixteen years earlier. 

When the body of a woman is dumped in her yard and gunshots are fired at her, she and her friends need to band together to discover who wants Maggie dead. With flashbacks to events early in her career we get to know Maggie and the life she led.

We also follow her romance with Dr. Danny Gallagher whom she met in a market in Bangkok. As their relationship grows, Maggie must keep secrets from him. And when he accepts a position as physician to the rich and famous, Maggie is tasked with learning about one of his patients who has ties to international crime and very much wanted international criminals. 

This was an excellent thriller and is the first in a series. 

I bought this one. You can buy your copy here.