Due to a passing in the family a few years ago and my subsequent health issues stemming from that, I was unable to download this book in time to review it before it was archived as I did not visit this site for years after the bereavement. Thank you for the opportunity.

I received this ARC and read this in less than 24 hours! Very well written compelling thriller-mystery. I had guessed the twist but still liked the way it played out.

Thank you to Netgalley for the ARC!

The Spy Among Us, the third novel in the Christi Cole Trilogy by Thomas Nicholas, finds Christie, FBI special agent, assigned to the International Joint Terrorism Task Force. She is sent to Moscow to work undercover; in this case as an accountant in a German travel agency. Her mission is to discover which spy is working from the inside and is responsible for several of their agents being killed. Christie is torn between her regular life with a loving husband and child – she doesn’t want to leave them, but her Russian ties are strong and she is considered the only one who can do the job. During the assignment, she sees an old friend, Russian Army Colonel Pytor Popov, who is powerful and may have the answer she seeks.

There is enough building suspense to keep the reader interested, and the story is unpredictable. Nicholas is a good storyteller. Although Nicholas has law enforcement ties and has knowledge of protocol, the international spying aspect of this novel doesn’t seem to ring true – the characters aren’t careful enough during their mission, and there isn’t a sense of danger and urgency that is an integral part of most international spy novels and what is generally the perceived standard for international spying (at least in novels). It almost makes spying seem like an everyday eight-to-five desk job. Christie’s character is well-developed, and those who have read the previous novels will have an even better sense of her as the protagonist. The other characters, while important to the novel, aren’t developed as well as they could be.

Luckily, there are elements of surprise throughout as well as a surprising dénouement. This novel has a good and interesting story.

Special thanks to NetGalley for supplying a review copy of this book.

Thomas J Nichols background in law enforcement provides a basis of a good solid story in this, A Spy Among Us,. The setting of the book in Russia adds to the intrigue and suspense. Fun and interesting read.

The spy among us takes us to modern Russia to follow the mystery of a spy among the spies. The book fills long and filled with some details about Russian life that most probably taken from mass media and Google pictures. Author tried to enhance the novel with some Russian language, possibly obtained from Google translator, but the attempt failed miserably. I am fluent on both languages and I can understand the effort, however, in some cases it is truly Russian language, in some cases it is English spelling of Russian language that is very far form the truth, some language inserts do not make any sense and even confuse...
The description of modern Russian people will confuse readers also, "babushka's " in house coat and scarf on the had ( kerchief possibly), have not been see on modern Moscow streets for a long time, but they populate the novel.
The main protagonists drink a lot of vodka on their spy meetings, not sure how they conduct the business such amounts of drinks, operate the cafe in the spare time, receive spy information by regular postal services...
Not believable and the book needs good editor.

If your a fan of espionage and old fashioned spy books like me then this is a great wee book that doesn’t get bogged down in tech heavy dialogue or detail allowing the reader to seamlessly float through page after page and fully engage with the lead characters.. I enjoyed this book immensely and would read more by the author for sure as his prose and pace setting was befitting of the storyline. This is one of those books that has you grabbing any device you have to read another chapter as I was doing on work breaks and before bedtime. Excellent work TJ Nichols

Action and adventure. Enjoyed the intrigue in Russia heading to familiar spots from my trips to Russia long ago. Reminder of the challenging times with spies, double agent and crazy times. I enjoyed this book and would recommend to a friend.

Although I have not read the two previous novels in this trilogy I was intrigued by “The Spy Among Us”. It certainly was well researched and documented and I enjoyed the detailed descriptions of Russia. Thomas Nichols proves to be a competent author and his background in law enforcement helps to strengthen the veracity of the story. I look forward to reading his other novels.