I am a big fan of this author. I like all his Tracy Crosswhite books, his legal thrillers and stand-alones. But this book fell short for me in the narrative, plot, the various improbable escapes. It was a bit too much to take. I could not connect with any of the characters. 3 stars for the author.

Robert Dugoni knows how to tell a story, and he has another winner in this book. Spycraft, espionage, high- level plotting and conspiracies, but most important, loyalty is on display here as Jenkins gives up the comfort of home to head back to Russia and rescue a friend.

Robert Dugoni is favorite of mine. His legal thrillers are brilliant.. well written and very cleverly plotted. His novel with Sam Hell as the protagonist is a treasured book. This spy novel is in a series featuring Charles Jenkins. I have to be honest, I think Dugoni’s other books are much better. This new one certainly has thrills and suspense but ultimately hard to believe. How he manages to elude the best Russian agents who pursue him so assiduously is just not easy to imagine. Ultimately, the series of Houdini like escapes wear thin and seem excessive. I feel like the novel could have ended without several of theses exploits. The Cold War spy genre does not capture my interest as courtroom dramas do. Dugoni is a master of the latter.. he should stick to them.

4,5 stars

We all search for a friend like Charles Jenkins. He is the type of friend that quite literally will lay his life on the line for someone he cares about. In this second installment of the Charles Jenkins series, we find out how much friendship means to this man.

Would you ever want to go back to a place where you knew your life was in constant peril, where the fate that awaited you at best was prison and at worst prison accompanied by torture, suffering, and misery? Would you ever want to work once again for a place that prosecuted you falsely for espionage and treason? Most of us would definitely decline this "opportunity", but not Charles.

What would entice Charles back into the deadly business of spying, leaving his loving wife and two children, leaving a life of retirement, leaving a life where he was exonerated of his supposed crimes?

For Charles, there was no question to do so when he learned of the possibility that his friend and the women who previously saved him might be alive. Paulina Ponomayova, had years ago provided the way for Charles to escape Russia, literally sacrificing herself, and if she is still alive, Charles owes her a debt he feels he needs to repay. If alive, Paulina would be held in the heinous prison called Lefortovo, a virtual hell hole on earth.

Returning to Russia, Charles meets up with his former nemesis, Viktor Federov. Viktor, maltreated by the Russian government, is enlisted, and in a twist of fate, joins in helping Charles free Paulina, a task that has insurmountable odds of not succeeding. In essence two former enemies become united in what once had seemed an impossibility.

The game is on to free Paulina and the stakes are ever so high as one vindictive ruthless Russian agent pursues Charles and seems to be always anticipating Charles's next move. Who will win this cat and mouse game where death seems to be the only option?

If you enjoy stories that never let up on the thrills and suspense factors, pick this one up. It keeps getting better as every page is turned and your breathe is held as Charles races to save not only Paulina, but also his own life that hangs in the balance at every turn in the road.

Thank you to Robert Dugoni, Thomas & Mercer, and NetGalley for an advanced copy of this electrifying book due out September 22, 2020.

Exotic locales, interesting characters and entertaining plot..."The Last Agent" had it all for me. I have read as many of Dugoni's books as possible and have enjoyed every one. I like to be transported into a story as more than a reader and experience the events just as the characters and locations do.

Loved "The Last Agent"! When we last saw Charles Jenkins, he had settled in with his lovely wife Alex and their two children, after exposing the traitor who was killing American spies in Russia known as the seven sisters. Rather than rewarding Jenkins, the agency had him tried as a traitor. Jenkin's had enough of the duplicity of that life, and was living life as a family man when he got a call. Paulina, who had given his life so he could escape Russa, and for whom he had named his baby daughter, as actually alive and being held in the infamous Lefortovo prison. Paulina likely had knowledge of the remaining "sisters", which the Russians would do anything to get their hands on. To repay Paulina's sacrifice which had saved his life, Charles felt honor bound to spring Paulina from Lefortovo and bring her out of Russia. Such a simple summary of the story, but oh, the twists and turns and deceptions necessary to successfully complete his mission make The Last Agent a page turning read, one that you can't put down, so expect to keep on reading until you are done! Hair raising escapes, literally minutes before being captured, life and death decisions, betrayal, all of this makes The Last Agent a gripping and engaging read. Don't miss it! I can't wait for the next book!

Robert Dugoni newest book The Last Agent is a thrilling book set in Russia. Once I starting reding the book I was compelled to finish it even though I was up for most of the night and early morning.. I think this book wil make a wonderful movie. The characters are interesting, lots of exciting action sceens and various visual backgrounds, Its easy to like Charllels Jenkins but I wondered why he would leave his family to travel to Russia on a very dangerous trip.to save Paulina Ponomayova. t was easy to hate Efimov the vvicious Russian whowas determined to keep Paulina injail and kill her. Do hope a movie is mae of this book/

It's hard to go wrong with this author lately. His previous in the series was very popular on Amazon, and this is solid follow up. Once again, this has a good premise and is unpredictable and engaging and suspenseful. A good bet for thriller fans.

I really appreciate the ARC for review!!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC of The Last Agent in exchange for an honest review.

Background is absolutely, positively necessary for understanding The Last Agent. It is a sequel to The Eighth Sister. I can not recommend THE LAST AGENT as a stand alone! The first 33% of the book was spent trying to clarify what happened in the first book and understand how it plays in this new installment!

In The Eighth Sister, 40 years after leaving the CIA, Charles Jenkins, is living in Washington. Due to financial problems, he agrees to be reactivated when his former CIA station chief, Carl Emerson approaches him. He is sent to Moscow, tasked with finding the woman responsible for the elimination of three of seven Russian women known as the Seven Sisters, who were chosen from dissident parents and trained from birth to infiltrate Russian institutions and provide the United States with valuable intelligence. Charles must identify this assassin, the Eighth Sister, so the CIA can take action before the remaining four agents are harmed. He quickly discovers that the Eighth Sister is not as Carl portrayed. Someone has set both her and Charles up, putting both in grave danger.

The aforementioned is the backstory which would have been VERY helpful in knowing as the prelude to The Last Agent. Having said that, The Last Agent is intensely gripping and exceptionally exciting and nerve- wracking.... a true edge of the seat spy thriller! Crosses, double crosses, and the suspense of not knowing who is trustworthy is intriguing! The cat and mouse hide and seek escapade leading up to the climax is positively riveting! Thoroughly satisfying, including the denouement, which is well thought out and well developed ( compared to rushed and hurried “thrown together” conclusions which are all too often the case in some recently read novels).

Kudos to Mr. Dugoni on developing another likable protagonist in Charles Jenkins after his widely successful Tracey Crosswhite protagonist in his previous series! For full enjoyment, read the prequel, The Eighth Sister before undertaking The Last Agent! You won’t be disappointed if you want a thrilling Russian spy thriller! It is superb!

Any time a new Robert Dugoni book comes out, it goes to the top of my reading list! I really enjoyed The Eighth Sister, so was intrigued by a sequel highlighting former CIA operative Charles Jenkins. Adding to the attraction was the fact that Jenkins is based on Camano Island, WA, where I live (though he doesn't spend much time there in this book).
This was definitely a page-turner. The characters are so realistic, the spy drama so engrossing that I couldn't put it down! Dugoni has a talent for describing settings so that you really feel like you are there. And, the chase scenes read just like you're watching them on TV or a movie. In fact, I kept thinking that these 2 books would be a great "James-Bond-type" movie series. Lo and behold, I read in the acknowledgements that there's a deal in the works for a TV series! Yes!
Loved this book! Highly recommended!

Charles once again got a visit from his former agency. But this time it was totally different and the reason he did it was to save the woman that saved him. Getting back in was perfect and getting back out was very entertaining where you dont want to put the book down.

A great espionage story often pits spy 🕵️‍♀️ versus spy 🕵️‍♂️, marching wit for wit, often like a chess game. Each move, no matter how brilliantly conceived, is countered with yet another brilliant move. Modern surveillance equipment, traffic cameras, financial transaction monitoring, and game theory programs change the way its played, have the players up their game, but the rules remain the same. It’s a match of wits. Whoever is quickest to the solution survived to fight another day.

“The Last Agent” is book two in the series and does not require the first book as a prerequisite. Nevertheless, it continues where the first book (the Eighth Sister) left off. Jenkins is back at home outside Seattle with his family, bitter at how the Agency disposed of him when it was convenient. But word is that Paulina, who saved his life and after whom his daughter was named, survived the car crash and is entombed deep in an interrogation chamber in the basement of a Russian prison. Jenkins is called out if retirement to effect the impossible: a rescue deep in the heart of Moscow.

There is a slow build up as Jenkins sneaks his way into Russia and alerts the one Russian agent who might be convinced to help him. From there, it’s making the impossible happen, getting Paulina out if Russian prison and to safety without maybe causing World War 3.

The slow methodical buildup pays off big time with the hold-your-breath and pray cat and mouse game as Jenkins and his allies ferret a way out against all odds. Once you get to this part, you are not going to want to put it down.

In The Last Agent, Robert Dugoni takes us on a wild ride through spies, double agents, counterintelligence, villainous villains and heroic heroes. Through it all, the characters are subject to human frailties, hopes, and desires. It is reminiscent of John Le Carré at his best, complex with a constant awareness of danger. The result is in question until the last page.
In addition to the main characters, the supporting actors, “Hot” Rod Studebaker, the 72-year-old Air America pilot and his much-younger Finnish wife, Federov, the disgraced KGB agent, and Alekseyov, the Russian security apparatchik, are well developed and engaging. I read the novel in big gulps.

This was another hit by the author. Another fun read filled with mystery and suspense. Although I have given the book a five-star rating, there were a few things I did not enjoy. Scattering in the Russian and then translating it took away from the flow of the book. Additionally, this book does not do well as a stand alone. Reading the previous book in this series is a must in order to fully understand this book.

This is a spy novel involving Russian spies and a bitter American agent. The book is very well written and readers who like spy novels will enjoying reading this one. I usually do not read spy novels but I like this authors writing style. I will say I love his other series and would recommend it to any reader