Thank you NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for accepting my request to audibly read and review The Double Agent.

Author: William Christie
Narrator: Pete Cross
Published: 11/15/22
Genre: Mystery & Thrillers

Swamp land. It sounded good, but was disappointing. I didn't like the swearing, and liked it even less, if that is possible, listening to the audiobook. There is nothing in this book for me. It is trashy. The author does have a sense of humor that I liked, but I couldn't get comfortable with the narration. I did have to change from speaker audio to ear buds.

I found the narration odd, almost radio-like, as opposed to storytelling. One accent was disheartening, this was early on when I was still trying to commit, and sadly it didn't get any better.

At one point, I wondered if I was missing the punchline. For example, a diary is not going to read like a novel, leaving me asking what is The Double Agent?

A spy with a conscience. This was a page audible turner that showed WWII from a new prospective. The determination, morality and ethics of a spy in such danger gives this novel a novel approach with grit.

i am not sure what really happened during the war but reading this book has me totally convinced that this is pretty close to exactly what went down and how some of the spies during the war came about. If I were them I believe I would more than likely do the same thing they did by jumping from one country to another when their lives were threatened. It was very informative to read and try to vision it happening.

3.5 stars

A WWII spy story featuring an NKVD agent trying to survive the war. Lots of action & some humor made this an enjoyable story, though I was a bit disappointed with the ending.

[What I liked:]

•There is plenty of action & excitement to keep the story interesting. Along with the quick pace, we get to visit several different locations from Tehran to England to Italy.

•Alexei, the MC, is hilarious! I particularly enjoyed his consternation about British culture, & how much he secretly hated English tea.

•While definitely not an idealist, & mainly concerned with his own survival, Alexei has ethical lines he refuses to cross & isn’t a cruel person. He makes for a complex character, motivation wise.


[What I didn’t like as much:]

•The ending is extremely abrupt, & lands the MC back in the same dilemma he was in when the book started: a sitting assassination target for the Soviets within the Allied forces. Why not give even a hint of how he plans to get out of it?

•Likewise, Alexei’s decision at the end to abandon self preservation to help someone is pretty out of character—an abrupt decision, & his reasoning isn’t really explained.

CW: child abuse, domestic violence, murder, torture, racism, suicide

[I received an ARC ebook copy from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review. Thank you for the book!]

I didn’t realize that this book was a sequel to a novel called A Single Spy until after I had finished it. I would love to read that one and see what led up to this novel. Of course, it wasn’t necessary to read that first. The author gives enough background information to keep you up to speed. I enjoyed every minute of this action packed spy thriller. It moves along at a great pace and keeps you on the edge of your seat waiting to see what will happen next. The antics of main character, Alexsi, weren’t always believable, but isn’t that how spy novels are supposed to be? Great read!