*received for free from netgalley for honest review* This was... not my cup of tea. Found a lot of this book very out there lol

In this book, Maggie takes matters into her own hands. Maggie is a likable character and the book takes you on an journey with twists and turns. I enjoyed reading more to find out what would happen next. This book kept me wanting to read more. *This book was given to me for free at my request from NetGalley and I provided this voluntary review.*

If you’re in the mood for a spy story involving Russians and Chechens, set in the early 2000s, this book will fit the bill. If you are also looking for a female main character, then look no farther. Maggie’s fiancé, a CIA operative, dies in what looks like a terrorist bombing in Tbilisi, Georgia, and the rumor starts that an American was/is selling secrets to the Russians (or the Georgians? or the Chechens?). Maggie is an intelligence analyst and wants to clear her fiancé's name. The rest of the book follows her efforts. Unfortunately, I never really got pulled in to the story. Also I figured out who the bad guy was long before Maggie did. And the ending was quite sudden.

Thank you to NetGalley and CamCat Publishing for the opportunity to read an advance readers copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

This book was just not for me. Not the writing pace and not the storyline, I so wanted to love it. It didn't feel realistic, the way the era was written. The characters felt one dimensional and boring. I felt no connection to them at all. It was rather bland. I seem to be in the minority as others loved it.

It wouldn't stop me trying the author again though.

My rating scale:
5☆ - I loved this book and it brought out true emotion in me (laughter, anger, a good cry, etc)
4☆ - I loved this book.
3☆ - I liked this book.
2☆ - I didn't really care for this book.
1☆ - I did not like this book at all and probably did not finish it.

Very intense interesting story! I love historical fiction and then add in a thriller/mystery, takes it up a notch! Enjoyed it immensely!

“The Wayward Spy” immediately draws readers into a complicated plot filled with peril and nagging questions, but the motive is simple and uncomplicated; Maggie wants an answer. This is her personal journey from the start.

Maggie Jenkins is a normal person with regular problems. She has to jump out of the way of taxies; she breaks nails, and she wonders why files at work are not better organized. People seem to think won’t be able to handle things, but she is a survivor. She would be a horrible witness or spy, and yet here she is, working in DC where everyone is a spy for one side or the other, trying to find out why her fiancé, Steve Ryder, was killed in a terrorist bombing overseas while meeting an “asset.” The “spy establishment” concludes “wrong place, wrong time” but this was Steve who died, her Steve. She cannot just move on without a real answer.

“The Wayward Spy” unfolds with secret agent, counter terrorist threats, and espionage of all sorts. It is conversation driven so readers get glimpses of how the players present information and how they interact with others. Rumors abound hinting that someone is selling US secrets, even hinting that the culprit was Steve himself. Tangible clues appear only to vanish later. Friends become enemies, and enemies hide in plain sight, and people on every side lie. Maggie started down this path, so there is no turning back

“The Wayward Spy” has a strong sense of place from DC with its monitoring and secret alarms to Tbilisi where Maggie puts her hand on the cold stained concrete where the unthinkable happened. The pace is deliberate, organized, and purposeful. The intensity increases, and events come to an unexpected end. I received a review copy of “The Wayward Spy” from Susan Ouellette and CamCat Publishing. It is powerful, and focused. The questions have answers that none of the players anticipated.

This book kept me up at night!! I had to keep reading and cheering Maggie on. The suspense, the descriptive writing and intriguing plot made this book stand out. I am anxiously awaiting a sequel...the ending left me wondering all of the possibilities of what could come next.

Ouellette's detailed writing, her in depth knowledge of Russia and working in the intelligence field create a perfect combination to keep readers engaged. Highly recommend this book!

I loved the action and suspense in this novel. It was a great read about a spy and his devoted and bad a$$ fiancé! However, I hated the ending, as it left in a cliffhanger. I would definitely want to read the sequel, if the author offered one. :)

Nicely done book by a new author.

Maggie Jenkns’, CIA Analyst, fiancee was stationed in Tbilisi Georgia, south of Russia and North of Turkey. He had died in the explosion in the restaurant that morning and now he was being accused of selling national secrets. Maggie made it her task to prove them wrong, whoever “them” was.

On a journey that will take the reader from the top of the US Capitol’s dome to the countryside of Tbilisi Georgia and back, Maggie is one step ahead of the CIA agents charged with discovering the truth behind Steve’s death.

The plot is well written and attention holding. And the conclusion leaves room for more story - as we the readers know the true story, but the protagonists are being charged with murder and espionage. And a major terrorist is still on the loose.

As this reviewer said earlier, “Nicely done book by a new author.” This reader will be looking for more to come.
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This review is based on a free electronic copy provided by the publisher for the purpose of creating this review. The opinions are mine alone.

I really enjoyed this exciting spy thriller. It starts off strong and stays that way through to the end. It was a great read.

I received an arc for NetGalley for an honest review. Thank you for the opportunity.

An intense spy thriller that has you guessing throughout who is good and who is bad. I really enjoyed reading how this story unfolded and the ending was crazy! This was reminiscent of a good Homeland season. I thought the writing was really good too as it didn't get too bogged down with government talk but still included a lot to make the story feel really authentic. Definitely check this book out if you are looking for a good spy thriller.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the advanced copy in exchanged for my review.

A thriller that will terrify and entrance you at the same time. Events and settings that are real world believable and characters so believable you are tempted to double check that events are fictional.

The Wayward Spy starts out with a bang and never stops, so many twists and turns at every corner and an ending that was superb , one I never saw coming.

It is the Cold War and Maggie is on a mission to find out how her fiance who is CIA died in a bombing in Georgia.

Your heart breaks for Maggie and at the same time you are cheering her on and yelling at her to look out.

Who can Maggie trust? I was not sure.

I don't want to give anything away but I will say the action was non stop, the pages turned quickly and the ending was fantastic.

I have to believe that Susan Ouellette will write a sequel and I will be first in line.

An amazing debut book, don't miss it. It's that good !

Thanks to NetGalley and CamCat Publishing, CamCat books for the privilege to read and review The Wayward Spy.

The Wayward Spy – Susan Ouellette

I received a copy of this book from the publisher in order to provide a review.


The author, Susan Oullette, is an American author who use to work as an analyst for the CIA and then ended up working at Capitol Hill for the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence. Now Susan Oullette has written her first spy/thriller novel.


Maggie Jenkins is a simple woman, a former CIA analyst now working on Capital Hill, engaged to an American spy. Life was good and simple, that is until her fiancé is murdered by Chechen terrorists, killed in a bombing while meeting an asset. Now her whole life has been turned upside down, her fiancé is dead, never to return and to make really top it off – he is being framed for selling US intelligence to the Russian Mafia and allowing them to sell nuclear weapons to the Chechens who are planning an attack on US soil.

Determined to uncover the truth and prove that her fiancé would never betray the country he loved so much – she flies to Georgia to discover who killed her fiancé and how the real traitor is.

In a race to uncover the truth before more lives are put at stack Maggie is faced with many dangers and betrayal from those, she would not have thought possible. But what is the truth and what is simply misinformation designed to throw her off the path of truth?


“The Wayward Spy” is a stimulating spy thriller novel, like the Bourne novels, yet focus on a feminine hero who find she true strength and accomplishes what others think is beyond her. Maggie is a quiet person and when she receives the news of her fiancé’s murder, rather than let it break her, she uses her pain to give her strength to do what no one else was willing to do.

An excellent espionage novel showing the the current Cold War, with the stakes as high as ever. The protagonist’s quest for justice set in the murky waters of international intrigue will delight all espionage genre lovers.

Loved this book! From the opening paragraph to the very last sentence, Ms. Ouellette kept me on the edge of my seat. This is a well thought out, believable spy-thriller that could be lifted from the headlines.

The heroine is Maggie, an intel analyst whose fiancé, a CIA operative, is killed in a bombing in Tbilisi, Georgia. She is told that it may not have been a matter of wrong place/wrong time, so she starts to do what analysts do and the story just gets better from there.

Trust me. If you like espionage and thrillers, pick up this book! Ms. Ouellette knows what she is writing about and the characters are well developed and believable. Maggie is a strong female character and I hope to see her in more books. I can see this story on the big screen.

Thank you to NetGalley and Ms. Ouellette for an ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Thank you Susan Ouellette and CamCat Publishing for the great opportunity to read and review this novel.
Well written spy thriller with a jaw dropping ending. Page turner novel which I could not put down and did not want it to end and keep me on the edge of my seat.
You cannot figure out who is the good guy and who is the bad guy.
Loved it.
Maggie and Stephen are both in the CIA. Stephen is killed while in Georgia and Maggie wants to know who did it and nothing will stop her.
I hope we will have a continuation.
Highly recommend
5 stars

An engrossing and wild ride of a book. The story kept me reading and not wanting to put it down. Good plot and characters, made this a great read. I highly recommend this book.

Thank you to #NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Wow !
While this is not my usual genre, I am so glad I opened the first page.
From page one I was a Maggie fan, Maggie and her fiancé are both CIA agents. Her fiancé is killed while on a mission. And if that wasn’t enough someone is trying you say he was a spy and tarnish his reputation. Maggie decides to do anything to clear his name
Secrets, lies, trust or don’t trust!
Thank you to Netgalley and Susan Ouellette for an advanced reading copy