The Traitor by Ava Glass
Alias Emma #2

Action-packed thrill-ride from beginning to end ~ It had no trouble jumping into book two without reading the first in the series though wouldn’t mind reading it, too, someday.

What I liked:
* Emma Makepeace: works for The Agency - a small British governmental intelligence group, secretive-can’t share anything about her work with friends or family, father was a spy, bright, dedicated, lethal, possible adrenaline junkie, sometimes made decisions and acted in ways I knew wouldn’t work out well for her, intriguing and filled with potential
* Charles Ripley: her boss, has worked for The Agency for many years, wise, seasoned, keeps information close, no family, not sure if he has friends, seems to care about Emma…as much as he is able to, dedicated to his work,
* Zach: IT specialist and gadget guru – want to know more about him
* Martha: disguise specialist – big personality that may be explored more in the future
* Others introduced that might have parts in future books
* Wondering how spies ever manage to have personal lives or fall in love AND if Emma will find someone to be with
* Thinking about how much of what Emma did in the story would be doable in real life – even though it makes a riveting read – was it realistic?
* The plot, pacing, settings, twists and turns, and how it was all tied up at the end

What I didn’t like:
* Who and what I was meant not to like
* Thinking about the characters willing to do what they did for money…all of them
* Thinking about how lonely the lives of spies must be

Did I enjoy this book? Yes
Would I read more in this series? Yes

Thank you to Penguin and Moonflower Books for the ARC – This is my honest review.

4 Stars

I adored the first book, Alias Emma and I have been waiting eagerly for this second book in the series. The Traitor lives up to and exceeds my hopes and expectations and I adored it a huge amount.

Emma Makepeace is a tough cookie, she has been through a lot and she is now putting herself on the line again for MI6. She has had a bit of a backseat but now she is ready to get her teeth into a new challenge. She is tasked with trying to discover who the members of a secret organisation are. It means she will be operating alone on a Russian oligarch's super yacht to try and discover proof of crimes.

While Emma is tough she is not the sort of person who stands out in a crowd, it would not make sense if she did considering her job role is to remain discrete and not to be noticed. This does not mean she is a soft touch, she can fight along with the best and the author has created a stubborn and willed character, but also given her a softer side and she is not above being vulnerable.

The role that she takes on is one that will put her literally in the firing line of very dangerous individuals. Her brief is to gather info and then prosecutions can be made. The Russian is not, however quite as she thought he would be. There are players in this game that she does not know about but they know about her.

This is a dangerous action and adventure story and one that hits the ground running. Emma is a great character and finds herself in some interesting situations. Working out who she can trust is something that tests her to the limits in a world where everyone is a suspect.

I adore this series and this second book was amazing, fast-paced from start to finish, full of suspicion, intrigue and danger. Definitely one for fans of spies, espionage, undercover surveillance and crime thrillers. It is one I would definitely recommend.

Mystery/ thrillers aren’t my usual go to genre but I was pleasantly surprised by this one.

I should also point out that I haven’t read the first in the series either.

Emma Makepeace likes to solve crimes. She’s a woman on a mission who feels she has something to prove given her family’s past.
An agent meets an unfortunate end in his flat and they want to find out why it has occurred.
This results in Emma heading to Europe and ending up on a Russian oligarch’s yacht. Is he a bad guy? Who exactly are the bad guys?
With a few plot twists I found it an engaging read.

A really enjoyable spy story in the style of James Bond. Emma, a MI5 spy, is sent undercover on an oligarch's luxury yacht to infiltrate a criminal group who deal in nuclear weapons and drugs. It's a fast paced romp with some violence but not excessive. I did guess the 'third man' half way through but with a few twists I could not be certain. I enjoyed the parallel with M (Ripley), Q (Zach) and Moneypenny replaced by the disguise specialist, Martha.
I enjoyed the first book in the series and am now looking forward to the next one.
This is an honest review of a complementary ARC.

Emma Makepeace is called in the investigate the murder of a M16 agent.
The dead agent had been investigating two Russian oligarchs and Emma is sent undercover to a super yacht to carry on with the investigation and to find the third man.
She is in danger though....

Except for the facts that this book is part of a series and the female James Bond works for an agency that does not 'exist', I quite enjoyed it.

Detective Emma Makepeace (yes, the new 00?) has to investigate the murder of an MI6 officer who was found dead in a suitcase. Dodgy Russians, loads of cash and superyachts are part of an exciting story.

Aren't we waiting for Daniel Craig's replacement?

Thanks to Net Galley and Random House UK for the chance to read and review.

Can be read as a standalone but part of a series. Russian agents acting on British soil. Can they be stopped? What is the missing link? Emma Makepeace is a wonderful character in a male dominated world.
Good to see reoccurring characters like old friends. Twists right up to the end.. looking forward to the next book

I'm always concerned when the book I'm reading is not the first in a series, but I needn't have worried, this novel is totally stand-alone.

It is a fast-paced story, reminiscent of a James Bond thriller in its glamorous settings & action packed chapters.

Although I saw some of the twists coming, & at times I felt credibility was being stretched with the oligarchs. I didn't want to put it down. Emma was engaging & could be feisty, which I liked.

It is an extremely visual novel & it comes as no surprise that the series is being developed for television. The author's background, having worked with spies, makes it even more credible.

I absolutely loved this, I always worry when I haven’t read the first book as I love to see the characters grow. But this read easily as a stand-alone.

From start to finish you will be gripped to this story. As Emma Makepeace an agent with MI5 is given an undercover role to try and gain information on some Russians who are doing business that could change the world. To do this she has to board the boat Eden and play the part of Jessica who is taking over from another crew member whose mother is supposedly ill.

But is Emma out of her depth, because some of the crew members don’t believe her cover story. After the Russian had been off the boat in Barcelona things change for Emma somehow the three men know who she is. But how? Is there a traitor in MI5. Emma now has to fight for her life.

I love the characters in this especially Emma us one tough cookie on the outside but not so much on the inside. This is a well written and engaging thriller that will keep you guessing. I look forward to what comes next.

I would like to thank #netgalley and #penguinRandomHouse for an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest, unbiased review.

I'm just going to say it. I am loving this series. I love a book that I can get completely lost in. One that, once I begin, grips me and will not let go. With fabulous characters, high stakes tension, thrills, danger and brilliant pacing, all wrapped around an intriguing case of treachery, The Traitor is absolutely that book. I started it and finished is in one single evening, and the blurry eyed lethargy at work the following day was totally worth it.

Emma Makepeace is a brilliant character and I have loved spending time in her company. The secret Government unit that she works for specialises in monitoring and neutralising the danger from threat actors from Russia, and this time around we find Emma caught up in the investigation into the particularly nasty murder. Quite why the victim was targeted is unclear, but the it's not ling until the finger of suspicion points in the direction of some Russian Oligarchs with suspected links to arms dealing. This is a case that will, once again, see Emma out on her own, hiding in plain sight as part of a small crew on a super-yacht owned by one of the suspects. Keeping her identity hidden whilst investigating in such close quarters will not be easy, and with her every move being watched, it's very clear from the start that the stakes have never been higher. I I loved it.

Ava Glass sets both the tone and pace perfectly from the outset. There is absolutely no doubt in our minds from the start where the danger lies, and there are so many moments where Emma sails close of the wind (no pun intended), that is just served to ramp up the tension, get the adrenalin pumping and keeping my focus completely and utterly glued to the page. It was really one of those 'one more chapter' kinds of books that swiftly turned into the "I am not going to stop reading until the end' types. Whilst the threat against Emma was quite overt at times, and there were a gamut of edge-of-the-seat moments, there was an unknown quantity there too. A silent threat that was kept well hidden until right at the end of the book. It added a layer of intrigue to an already tense book, meaning that whilst we mostly knew where the danger lay, we could never quite properly relax.

I love the pacing of these books, the way in which Ava Glass has taken a very real security concern and turned it into a thrilling, fast paced adventure. I do love an action thriller, love the speed at which I am drawn into and through the story. And I love Emma Makepeace as a character. It is great to see a strong, female lead who seems very much based in reality rather than having exaggerated, super-human qualities that some writers fall into the trap of. She is quick thinking, quick on her feet, and feisty as hell, but also prone to moments of doubt and real human emotion. If would take a virtual psychopath not to be a little unnerved given the manner of dispatch of the first victim in this book. This is reflected in Emma's character, but in a way that ultimately bolsters her and her determination, rather than taking the chances she has to walk away.

The team that the author has built around Emma is fabulous too, a wonderful array of characters from the serious to the colourful. From those we can trust to those even as readers we eye with a touch of suspicion, there is a real sense of authenticity to them all and I do enjoy spending time in all of their company. Two books in and I really am enjoying this series. Emma is such an enduring and exciting character, I just hope there are many more to come.

Emma Makepeace gets pulled in to investigate the murder of an MI6 officer who was found dead in a suitcase. Why was he murdered? Did it have anything to do with the Russians he was investigating? Emma ends up on a superyacht during the course of her investigations. It soon transpires someone is interfering and she becomes the prey.
Fabulous, exciting, fast pace and a very enjoyable read.
I did not read the first book and this can be read as a stand-alone. I will however now read the first book.
I would not be surprised if this book gets a film adaptation.

A female James Bond ! Although I hadn’t read the first book in the series this was an enjoyable and fast paced read. Easy to get caught up in the action and , although I saw a few of the twists coming, I found it engaging and easy to read. Will look for others in this series.

This is the second book in the Makepeace series.
Another fast paced M16 thriller full of espionage and suspense, a well written easy read even if predictable at times.
I think this book would make a great tv/ movie adaption.

Ava Glass has upped her game with her latest novel The Traitor. Of course we met the heroine of the novel in Ava's previous novel Alias Emma, her name is Emma Makepiece, although being a spy......this is subject to change.
In The Traitor, Emma is tasked with running to ground an international arms and drug dealer. However, what kicks the novel off is the horrific death of an MI6 analyst who has taken his homework home with him in an effort to crack a code, something his boss's had pulled the plug on. In her attempt to get close to the killers of the analyst, Emma jets off to the South of France to become a crew member on an oligarch's super yacht. Think hostess more than matelot. This is possibly the best part of the novel, as Emma is without immediate backup and is seemingly devoid of hightech 'get out of jail' gizmos. She gets her sea legs when the yacht up-anchors, eventually ending up off the coast of Spain. There's plenty happening in between and Emma suspects great harm has come to the mistress of the yacht.
The Traitor is an easy read spy thriller and Christi Daugherty (Ava Glass) is improving with every novel. I would warn against incorporating impossible tech though.

I really enjoyed the first book in this series, Alias Emma, so jumped at the chance to read an ARC when offered the opportunity by NetGalley. Again, this was a cracking spy thriller, following the adventures of Emma Makepeace, member of a British intelligence organisation, who has lived in the UK all her life following her Russian father's betrayal of his country and murder. In this book Emma travels to France and Spain in the employ of a Russian oligarch, determined to find out who is responsible for sale of chemical weapons and the recent murder of another British spy. It soon becomes clear that a member of British intelligence has close links to the oligarch - that there is a traitor in their midst. Emma's task to unmask them.
There were elements of this story which didn't seem entirely believable but if you're able to suspend disbelief then this is nonetheless an excellent, pacy story. The only real disappointment for me was that I spotted who the traitor was quite early on, and felt that perhaps Emma and her colleagues should have also identified him earlier. I'd still definitely recommend though

Another fun, fast paced spy thriller with our new favourite MI6 agent, Emma Makepeace.

Albeit a little cliched and obvious at times, the action is great and the settings brilliant. Got to love the London scenery and the inclusion of some ‘Above Deck’ escapades on a luxury yacht was great.

I do need to mention one or two irks for me though. Early on we were painted a picture of The Strand in London and in that picture, it was mentioned that you could hear the rattle of the trains from nearby Charing Cross. Now, I have been there literally 100’s of times, and I am pretty certain that once you are on The Strand, you cannot hear anything from the station. Charing Cross is a termination station, and The Strand is on the opposite side. I will definitely give it a good go to listen out next time, but personally the sounds of the station have been a non-existent aspect in any of my visits.

Secondly, when describing Volkov, it is mentioned he is ‘paranoid and cheap’, but a page later we are told that he ‘pays well’. Now, I appreciate you can probably be both those in certain contexts, but this felt like it was the same context and just didn’t sit right with me.

Anyway, those are really petty things to mention, but they did spoil my experience a bit so worth mentioning in an honest review.

Aside from that, like I mentioned, the action is great, and the backdrop brilliant.

Thank You NetGalley and Random House UK for a Review Copy

Having read and enjoyed the first book in this amusing spy series, I was pleased to be able to read the second. Ava Glass has continued in the same style and her character of Emma the MI6 spy is well written. Although a second book in a series, it can be read as stand-alone novel. Some references are made to the first book. Definitely a book that envelopes you into the story of oligarchs and weapon deals.
Thank you to NetGalley and Random House for the advance copy of this book.

What an amazing thriller! This is the perfect follow up to the first novel in this series . The setting is gorgeous and the pace it break-neck!!!

A very enjoyable and quite gripping read. It gets very tense in some places. These stories where people infiltrate always make me squirm. A very well written read, thoroughly enjoyed it

The second in the series. A woman spy who takes you on a ride. Exciting. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for letting me review this book.