📖 Blog Tour ~ The Traitor by Ava Chase

 

Penguin
14 September 2023

Alias Emma #2

My thanks to the publisher for my copy of this book
and the invitation to the blog tour

From the glittering shores of St. Tropez to the sun-drenched streets of Barcelona, The Traitor is former spy insider Ava Glass’s high-octane thriller set in the billionaires’ playground of the glamourous French Riviera.

A dead body in a padlocked suitcase, chemical weapons, and an MI5 traitor selling secrets to the Russians sets the scene for British agent Emma Makepeace’s thrill packed mission on the med.

Emma must go undercover, working below deck as a crew member on luxury super yacht The Eden. Setting sail from St Tropez, The Eden’s Russian owner and his bikini-clad supermodel girlfriend are under surveillance by MI6, suspected of procuring illegal weapons from the UK.

Out at sea with no escape, Emma must tread carefully as she races to uncover who the traitor on board the oligarch’s yacht is. Witnessing a murder and with her cover wearing increasingly thin, one false move and she could be dead. As the hunt intensifies, Emma must find the traitor before he finds her.

From a glittering yacht party to a powerboat chase over deadly rocks, and from living below deck to being hunted through the streets of Barcelona, never before has the turquoise sea and golden sands of the Rivera been so deadly.

📖 My Review...

Emma Makepeace makes a welcome return in this second book which sees her, once again, embroiled in a high octane adventure which places her in grave danger. This time she is aboard, The Eden, a luxury super yacht which is owned by a Russian oligarch who may be involved in a deadly crime. Emma’s ability to go undercover is put to good use when she becomes a member of the crew of The Eden and her uncanny ability to get right into the centre of the investigation is what makes these stories so compelling.

The Traitor hits the ground running with an opening chapter which shows just how ruthless are the people who Emma and the rest of the team at The Agency are up against. The plot is fast and furious and I especially enjoyed following in Emma’s footsteps, watching her transformation from secret agent, to crew member, and observing her interactions with the other crew members. Emma’s feisty nature inevitably leads her into danger and it is this danger which gives the story its focus. There’s lots of fast action, some genuinely heart in mouth moments, and a great deal of trepidation as Emma takes on the bad guys using mainly her wits and the strength of investigative skill.

I raced through the book in a day, unwilling to stop for a second in case I missed out on the action. The final third of the book is particularly gripping and the dénouement brings a satisfying conclusion to an exciting and adventurous spy thriller novel. May be read as a standalone story but do bear in mind that this is the second in the series and there are some references to Emma’s past adventure, which the author explains well.

About the Author

Ava Glass is a former civil servant with the highest security clearance bar one. She has seen just enough of the inner workings of espionage to ensure that she will always be fascinated by spies. Prior to working at the home office, Ava Glass worked as a crime reporter, covering multiple homicides, making her writing both fresh and dangerously believable.

The Traitor is the highly anticipated follow up to Ava Glass’ 2022 debut spy thriller The Chase.

The Chase is currently shortlisted for Best Spy Novel at the 2023 Crime Writer Awards alongside established names including Robert Galbraith (JK Rowling) and Linwood Barclay. No small feat for a debut novelist.

Film rights to The Chase and The Traitor have been acquired by Ink Factory, producers of The Night Manager, who are currently working on a pilot in conjunction with Sky Atlantic, now in the final stages of editing. Next step will be casting!

Twitter @AvaGlassBooks #TheTraitor #FindThemBeforeTheyFindYou

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