This story has a lot of international tension, well written characters, and enough angst for everyone. The pace seemed never to slow down and the ending left me wanting more.

Matti is adopted but that doesn’t make her different. Her parents love her and are tough on her as good parents are. Her dad is a coach and history teacher and her mom is a volunteering stay at home mom. Nothing about this is different. Except that everyone thinks Matti is a special needs kid. An assessment of her abilities changes her life. Matti is more than special. Her abilities will be fine tuned and training for the kind of life only a few in our country will be capable of has begun.
Michele Packard’s thriller is not just a story of espionage, but is downright frightening. It makes you think of what has happened to our country and what we owe to people who give up an everyday life we all take for granted. Matti’s loyalty and courage in this work of fiction must truly exist. You’re going to wonder who lives nearby and what we have to be thankful for. Read this for the enjoyment of reading a well-written thriller; but never forget!

I adore this protagonist, Matti Baker! She rocks! She is a fun, unique character who is on a mission. She is set on her path as a child when her parents honed her exceptional skills and fine-tuned her for her life of an agent. She is physically strong and mentally capable. The story was engaging. It will be interesting to see how this character develops over the years through further books.

#AESOP #NetGalley

First of all, I very rarely read books about women which are also written by women. I hesitate primarily because female authors tend always to feel the need to portray their protagonist's thought processes through their "natural nurturing" side, and/or through some innate "mothering instinct". I don't enjoy that, and feel it's somewhat condescending. Well, you won't find those problems with Mr. Packard's heroine! I laughed out loud several times, as a scene would be described and the heroine would have a silent mental response... and it'd be identical to my own. The book is not only well-written with an intelligent plot, but it's also literate and nicely paced. Very highly recommended!

** I thank the publisher and/or author for allowing me to read this novel as an ARC, without recompense, in exchange for my honest review. **

Aesop is a book that I enjoyed tremendously. It's an action packed thriller with humor written by author Michele Packard. Matti reminds me of Jane Hawk. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the complimentary copy.