I thoroughly enjoyed this book. This is the second book in the series, but I can honestly say that it still makes sense without reading the first. Even though I suspected who the Traitor might be I still wanted to finish it to find out if I was right and I like the author's style of writing. Definitely recommend reading this book.

At this point you'd think I'd read more about the books I request from NetGalley than I do. So yet again, I've requested and read book 2 in a series and only realized it when I was a few chapters in. Thankfully, while I did miss some backstory from book 1, I was able to still keep up with this installment. There was a fair enough review when events of book 1 were referenced. Not to say I'm not going to go back and correct this...I've quite enjoyed this character!
After opening with a body found in a suitcase with no clues as to who did it and how they got in, Emma is on the case. Trained an the elite MI6, she's placed to infiltrate the inner circle of some Russian players thought to be trafficking chemical weapons into her country. But with a traitor in her midst, she doesn't know who she can or should trust.

This was an edge of your seat thriller that I found myself unable to put down. For the most part, I found the story pretty believable. Except. Yes there's an except. I figured out the spy early on and with as intelligent a spy I found Emma to be I was quite surprised she hasn't figured it out. She seems quite adept at her job and incredibly motivated as her father lost his life as a spy when she was young. That made it the only unbelievable part of the book that for someone who already had such a lack of trust in others was blindsided by this person.

Even though I haven't yet read book 1, I can confidently say this is a strong sequel in this series ans I look forward to reading more of Emma's adventures being a top spy in this small, elite group.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC of this book. I enjoyed the first book in the series, and appreciated that this one had a wildly different pace and setting. I don't read a ton of spy fiction, primarily because I like to avoid toxic masculinity in my narrators, so I love that the protagonist of this series is female and both tough and fallible. An easy & engaging read!

The Traitor by Ava Glass kept me breathless with the daring dangerous intensity of England’s MI6 going after foreign bad guys and traitors of their country. With the main spotlight on one the MI6’s youngest female agents Emma, who charges into dangerous situations and keeps me afraid she won’t make it out time after time.
I enjoyed The Traitor immensely, plus I have found another author to eagerly await her next book.
#TheTraitor
#AvaGlass
#NetGalley

Book Two in the Emma Makepeace Series is here!

Emma is a modern-day Bond. Working for a department in the MI6 that technically doesn’t even exist is so secret. The goal? Stop Russian criminals. Emma is very good at her job and the bad guys are really bad!

Going undercover on a Russian criminal’s yacht is the assignment. Alone. No phone, no contacts. Her only handler is Jon and he is very tightlipped about things.

As Emma finds herself looking down the barrel of a gun meant to kill her, she needs backup fast! But someone has ratted her out. But who? One of the good guys? As the action picks up Emma may not be getting out of this jam!

Such a smart series with such clever characters!

NetGalley/ RHPG/BANTAM September 19, 2023

First book I have read by this author. I really enjoyed this book and now will go back and read the first Alias Emma book. This book kept you guessing and even though it was a thriller about Russian illegal arms and drug dealers, it wasn’t slow and always held my interest. Hope there will be more books to come. I received an advance reader copy of this book for an honest review and can guarantee that fact had no influence on my review at all. Highly recommend this book.

3.5/5 A fun follow-up to Agent Emma. In this second book in the series, we follow Emma as she poses as crew on a fancy yacht. Emma's character is smart, gutsy, and sometimes a little reckless, but we know that in the end, she will take town the bad guys and come out on top. Overall, a fast and fun series to read.

I have not read anything else by Glass before. This was a good book but not my favorite ever. The story and characters were good too. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC. Three stars.

An interesting geo-political thriller, however the lead character, Emma Makepeace, is lacking in enough gravitas to sustain interest and credibility. I received an ARC from NetGalley and the opinion expressed is my own.

Thank you for the opportunity to preview The Traitor.
This is a spy novel with a females protagonist.
Lots of action and suspense.
3 stars

I loved the Traitor and was so happy to reunite with Emma again! This time, Emma goes abroad on another spy journey. I appreciated the return of many of the other characters, too

Emma Makepeace, an M16 operative, loves her work with British Intelligence. She doesn't hesitate when asked to go undercover as a worker on a Russian oligarch's million dollar yacht and gain evidence to stop a drug and money laundering operation.
The story is very fast paced and the characters and locations jump right off the pages with the very detailed descriptions that Glass employs so well.
Fascinating storyline and intriguing look into an intelligence operative's finesse at evidence gathering and the decadent, totally without substance life of an oligarch.
Both contemporary and relevant to a lot of life today.
Will be on the lookout for the next Glass offering👍

I enjoy this series. Emma Makepeace is a solid protagonist, and I enjoy following along on her adventures. While there is some character growth across books, I rather enjoy the fact that each reads like a standalone story that happens to have a continuing cast of characters. It would be nice to see some play development on the long-standing issue of her father though.... While I saw the big reveal coming, it didn't detract from my enjoyment of the story. It was a fun and engaging read.

The Traitor is Ava Glass’ second thriller about her protagonist, Emma Makepeace. It was just a year ago that East Coast Don very favorably reviewed the first novel, Alias Emma. Glass writes that “Emma Makepeace was born to be a spy.” The author explains the heroine’s background which leads her to make such an audacious statement. In fact, Emma has found her way to MI6, Britain’s CIA equivalent. Her real name was Alexandra, but she chose a new identity with MI6.

In this story, Emma, using the name Jessica Anne Marshall, is placed on an oligarch’s super yacht even though she is immediately suspected of being a spy by the oligarch, Sergei Krupin. The circumstances of Emma being hired to replace another employee were just too convenient. Her life was immediately in danger, but she answered Krupin’s questions sufficiently well to maintain her employment. Otherwise, she would probably have been thrown into the water to feed sharks. Krupin was surrounded by his well-trained henchmen, and Emma played her role well while looking for clues about Krupin’s involvement in arms shipments and other oligarch activities, as well as interviewing the other employees for whatever scraps of information that they had.

Having not read the first novel, I was a bit surprised by Emma’s fighting skills as she was able to successfully take on men who were bigger and stronger than her. It’s a good story as Emma’s life was constantly in danger, and she kept asserting herself into dangerous situations when her bosses were ready to bring her home.

Thanks to Random House Publishing and NetGalley for the chance for this pre-publication review. It gets my strong recommendation.

Review of uncorrected eBook file

The assignation of Stephen Garrick, a civil servant working for MI6, leads Emma Makepeace to a Russian oligarch. Working undercover as Jessica Marshall, she becomes part of the staff of Andrei Volkov‘s yacht Eden. She hopes to find evidence of Volkov’s chemical weapons deals and identify the other men involved in the illegal activity.

With careful movements around the yacht and covert investigations, Emma discovers secrets that threaten her safety. Can she find Stephen’s killer and stop the sale of the chemical weapons or will someone discover her true identity and mission?

=========

Ava Glass’s intrepid MI6 heroine, Emma Makepeace, returns for a second mission following her successful completion of her first assignment [detailed in the author’s thriller, “Alias Emma”]. Anchored by a strong sense of place, the twisty plot offers readers several surprises as it races along. Emma, as readers have come to expect, sometimes seems to take a few too many chances, but her instincts serve her well. However, her independent streak makes her something less than a team player and, as a result, she occasionally makes questionable choices as she conducts her investigation. The characters are well-defined; all the expected MI6 personnel make an appearance here.

With sufficient backstory for readers who have not read the first book in the series, this one works well as a standalone. Readers will find themselves pulled into the telling of the tale from the outset; the compelling tale keeps those pages turning at breakneck speed. Readers are sure to find it difficult to set this one aside before turning that final page.

Although astute readers may figure out the plot twist near the end of the narrative, the denouement still has a surprise or two for readers. Those who enjoy spy thrillers should be sure to put this unputdownable book on their must-read list.

Highly recommended.

I received a free copy of this eBook from Random House Publishing Group – Ballantine, Bantam and NetGalley

Book Title: The Traitor
Author: Ava Glass
Series: Alias Emma Series Book #2
Publisher: Random House Publishing Group-Ballantine, Bantam Books
Genre: Mystery Thriller
Pub Date: September 19, 2023
My Rating: 3.4.Stars
Pages: 336

This is my first Ava Glass; I was drawn to it as it was high recommended by readers on one of my FB book groups. Also was attracted to Ava Glass’s Bio
AVA GLASS is a former crime reporter and civil servant. Her time working for the government introduced
her to the world of spies, and she's been fascinated by them ever since. She lives in the south of England..

Since I didn’t read Book #I I was a bit confused when this was listed as “Game of Spies” and not “The Traitor” however, I am sure it is a UK/ US thing!

Stephen Garrick, an MI6 agent, is found murdered and left in a padlocked suitcase.
He has been investigating two oligarchs suspected of obtaining illegal weapons and yep are suspects for his murder.
It appears there’s a traitor working inside the gov. and helping the Russians.

Emma Makepeace goes undercover on the yacht of a Russian billionaire; which is basically a potential suicide mission as she is alone at sea (note book cover) and knows she is in danger without agency support.
Her goal is to find out who murdered Garrick as well as who is the traitor.
She believes it is someone within the security services who has high level security clearance,
Well don’t want to be a spoiler but she is correct.

Story is fast paced and I like Emma but have to admit I felt sorry for her life style.- Important to do what you love and I am sure she loves being a Spy.

Want to thank NetGalley and Random House Publishers –Ballantine, Bantam Books for granting me for this early eGalley.
Publishing Release Date scheduled for September 19, 2023,

Forget tired old James Bond - all hail Emma Makepeace! This second outing, after Alias Emma, is fantastic and I loved every minute of this modern spy story revolving around Russian Oligarchs (are there any other kind) and you are always wondering what will happen next. This will make a great movie and I’m already casting Emma. Meanwhile, I will just keep reading and rereading this series.

The Traitor is an intense mystery thriller that will keep you guessing until the exciting finale. I thoroughly enjoyed the plot and characters and on-the-edge excitement

This was a really good book! I wish that it wasn’t part of a series, but it was a fun read that had me thoroughly engrossed. I loved all of the intrigue and excitement, but the ending fell a bit flat for me. I feel like Emma should’ve been a little more careful, given her line of work! All in all, it was a good story and I definitely enjoyed it!

Reviewed for NetGalley:

I thought this would be a book that although a continuation of a series, I could be able to pick up, and continue on the story with a quick recap.

Although the premise was interesting, I was not able to quickly glide into the story as much as I would have liked.