Third book in a series. (Red Sparrow, now a movie, was the first book in there series.) This series and this book in particular is very well written. It is probably the most realistic spy fiction I've read in terms of the detail on how spying works.

Published by Scribner on February 13, 2018

The Kremlin’s Candidate is the third novel in a trilogy that features a Russian spy who has agreed to provide intelligence to the CIA. The spy is a beautiful woman named Dominika who was trained as a “Sparrow” — female Russian operatives who are wise in the ways of seduction. In the first novel, Dominika targets a CIA agent named Nate Nash, only to fall in love with him when he recruits her as a double agent.

In The Kremlin’s Candidate, Nash again encounters a beautiful spy who has been trained in the art of seduction, but this one is a Nightingale, the Chinese version of a Russian Sparrow. Nate has trouble keeping his hands off beautiful spies, which has more than once caused trouble with his CIA superiors. Nash is in Hong Kong after visiting Macao to encourage the defection of a Chinese general who has embezzled state funds to cover a large gambling debt. When Nash meets the Nightingale, he wants to recruit her as a source, given her presumed access to sensitive information as the assistant manager of a hotel frequented by the rich and powerful. Nash doesn’t know that the Nightingale is a Chinese spy but she knows all about Nash. She’s been assigned not just to seduce Nash so that she can learn the name of the Chinese traitor he is recruiting, but to kill Nash for having the audacity to spy on the Chinese.

Before all of that happens, the novel follows the path of the earlier books as Dominika engages in clandestine acts, occasionally meeting with Nash for a debriefing followed by (or following) a romp in bed. Dominika has become the CIA’s best Russian source, thanks to her proximity to Putin and her possible ascension to the top ranks of the SVR. But a Russian mole in the American military is being considered for a position as the next CIA director. Even if she doesn’t get the job, the CIA has been ordered to give all of the candidates briefings that would at least indirectly reveal Dominika’s identity as a CIA source and ultimately lead to Dominika’s torture and execution.

The politics in this novel are more pronounced than in earlier entries. Jason Matthews clearly has no use for politicians who believe that oversight of the CIA is needed to keep it from breaking the law, despite the CIA's history and culture of lawless behavior. The novel's insufficiently hawkish American president (now in his fifth year) isn’t mentioned by name, but it isn’t difficult to understand who Matthews had in mind when he derided the president’s “social progressivism.” Matthews complains that his fictional president failed to take a hard line on Russia, a criticism that seems misplaced when compared to the current and all-too-real president, who touts his friendship with Putin, refuses to implement congressional sanctions against Russia, and ignores Russian interference with American elections. In any event, Matthews portrays Putin as a canny and ruthless character, an assessment with which nearly everyone but Donald Trump would agree. The novel's political tone didn't trouble me because Matthews doesn't let politics get in the way of storytelling, which is all I ultimately care about in a spy novel.

Character and plot development in this series have been strong, and the work that went into the first two books pays dividends in this one. The plot takes a couple of unexpected turns before arriving at a surprising but credible ending. The novel includes enough action to keep the story racing forward without becoming a mindless action novel. Tension arrives in waves and then peaks in the penultimate chapter. Fans of spy novel tradecraft will be happy with the series, and readers who want to admire heroes will enjoy the droll wit and fierce resolve of Americans (and the Russian Dominika) who are unwavering in their belief that free nations treat their people decently and that the fight against authoritarians is always worth waging.

RECOMMENDED

4.5 stars

The final book in the Red Sparrow trilogy is intricately plotted, packed with tension, and filled with twists and turns. I am sad this series is over, but the good news is that it ends on a solid note!

Numerous individuals are trying to promote Putin’s agenda, while the CIA crew of Forsyth, Benford, and Gable work to take him down. Dominika and Nate fight to be together, but as always there are competing forces in their way. Do they serve their countries or give up everything to be together? There’s also a host of new characters, some of whom interfere in Nate and Dominika’s relationship in unexpected ways. So much happens in The Kremlin’s Candidate that I am not even going to attempt to recap!

When I first started reading this installment, I had a moment where I wondered if I was going to get through it. It’s very long and at times the CIA operational jargon went straight over my head. I feel like some parts could have been edited out. However, once I reached the 20% mark, I hit a groove and remembered just how much I enjoyed reading this series!

I didn’t love the ending, but at the same time I knew it was coming. There are some extremely violent moments and some events are hard to read. I didn’t realize how much I will miss these characters until I finished reading; I had tears in my eyes when I read the last page. I highly recommend this series if you like espionage, romance, intrigue, and current events.

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley and Scribner in exchange for an honest review.

http://hungryforgoodbooks.blogspot.com/2018/02/the-kremlins-candidate-by-jason-matthews.html The Kremlin's Candidate by Jason Matthews
The Kremlin’s Candidate is Jason Matthews’ third and final book in the Red Sparrow trilogy and it’s just as exciting as The Red Sparrow and Palace of Treason were. You’ll want to read these books in order and, if you can, read The Red Sparrow before the movie starring Jennifer Lawrence hits the big screen on March 2. Dominka Egorova, a rising star in Russia’s intelligence service, formerly a “sparrow” trained to sexually entrap would be foreign agents, is a now also a spy for the U.S. She’s the primary protagonist of all three political thrillers whose emphasis on Russian spying seems more realistic every day.

Author Matthews retired after serving 33 years in the CIA’s Operations Directorate and his inside knowledge and disdain for politicians and some inside the CIA are on display in his writing. What makes his novels unique is that he builds page-turning suspense and offers word pictures that put the reader into the story. One example occurs when a CIA agent lands in Khartoum. “Outside the terminal, the brakes of the canary-yellow taxi squealed like a pissed-off baboon. Probably the red Sudanese dust on the pads, thought Gable. The shit gets everywhere.”

In The Kremlin’s Candidate, Dominika and her American handler and lover Nate Nash must stop a U.S. Admiral who’s a mole spying for the Russians and who’s on the short list to become the next CIA director. Not only would her appointment disrupt American intelligence goals, it would also endanger Dominika. In addition to several terrifyingly exciting action scenes, the novel also offers a delightful, yet chillingly realistic caricature of Vladimir Putin. The book stays away from portraying or even hinting at any current or previous U.S. Presidents which means that readers of every political bent can enjoy it. This review won’t supply any more details of the story as readers will want to discover them for themselves.

Summing it Up: Read The Kremlin’s Candidate to fall under the spell of political intrigue, spy tricks, great descriptions, frightening characters, and a cast of regulars you’re sure to love.

Rating: 5 stars

Category: Fiction, Five Stars, Mysteries and Thrillers

Publication date: February 13, 2018

Author Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/JasonMatthewsAuthor/



What Others are Saying:
Kirkus Reviews: https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/jason-matthews/the-kremlins-candidate/
Publishers Weekly: https://www.publishersweekly.com/978-1-5011-4008-2
The Washington Post: https://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/books/only-one-sexy-couple-can-stop-a-russian-spy-from-taking-over-the-cia/2018/02/11/95778982-0dcc-11e8-8b0d-891602206fb7_story.html

Jason Matthews has concluded the Red Sparrow trilogy in a masterly way, producing a pulse-quickening plot, some compelling new characters and a denouement that is satisfying if a bit morose.
In addition to his previously demonstrated mastery of spy tradecraft and the Russian idiom, Matthews throws in some choice Mandarin phrases and some Sparrow techniques that would make Dr. Ruth blush. Best of all, Vladimir Valdimirovich Putin is firmly placed in the pantheon of preening, priapic potentate -- a kind of Harvey Weinstein with nukes. In his acknowledgements, Matthews jokes that Putin might sue him. Please, Vlad the Impaler, do it!! Then we have a ready-made sequel.