The Helsinki Affair by Anna Pitoniak is the story of Amanda Cole, a CIA agent, who gets involved in figuring out a secret Russian plan that consists of the assassination of a US Senator and papers with her father's name (also a CIA agent) on them. Will Amanda figure the case out in time, or will her superiors continue to throw roadblocks in her way?

The aspect I enjoyed the most about this captivating spy thriller is the main character. Amanda is decisive and has instincts that are always spot on. And further, she trusts those instincts, which makes her an exceptional agent. It's easy to get behind Amanda and follow her through the story's many twists and turns.

The thriller is told in dual timelines. How Amada's father is connected to her case is intermittent with the current timeline. The switches in timelines frequently happen rather abruptly and jarringly, and the details regarding the Russian plot made my attention lag. Still, I enjoyed watching Amanda and Kath in action as powerful female main characters, and I loved the pacing and twists and turns that led to a very open-ended conclusion.

Thank you so much to NetGalley, Simon and Schuster, and Anna Pitoniak for allowing me to review this suspensful spy thriller. This is such a great twist to the typical spy thriller we are all used to reading. This one involves women spies and I loved every minute of it! I loved the mystery surrounding the father/daughter relationship and the fact that they are both in the CIA. I also enjoyed the settings in Russia and Italy. I appreciated the dual timelines though I was a bit confused with some of the transitions, but I caught on quickly. The ending was open ended enough to perhaps hint at a sequel and I would love to read more! If you love spy thrillers with a twist, I highly recommend this book! Thank you again for allowing me to review this entertaining spy thriller.

I enjoyed this book and would love it to become a series. It is a spy novel with father and daughter working for the CIA. As the daughter works there in the present her father’s history and work at the CIA comes into play. I resonated with Anna the duaghter though I think some of her issues were solved rather quickly. Her colleague Kathleen could get her own series. Charlie, the father, I struggled with more. He made some mistakes that just seemed so stupid and obvious that it was hard to believe them.
Overall the book was a quick read and a decent addition to the spy genre.
I was given a copy by NetGalley. Views are my own.

’m not a big fan of CIA espionage type books. Not sure why I decided to read this book. I liked Amanda but did think the story moves a bit slow. I’m sure fans of this genre will enjoy this book

Anna Pitoniak's political thriller, Our American Friend, was one of my favorite books of 2022. Flexing to espionage thriller for her next book seemed a natural for Pitoniak. I am 100 percent here for the result. The Helsinki Affair is a tautly paced, female-centered, globe-trotting spy thriller featuring complex, mature women characters, corporate blackmail, Russian oligarchs, and a subplot that enlightened me about meme stocks. Another crucial plot complication involved main character Amanda Cole and her father, Charlie Cole, both working for the CIA, with Amanda's star rising and Charlie's having long ago fallen and settled at a desk. But what was it that precipitated that fall? The answer, which is tied to Amanda's latest gripper of a case, threatens to upend the case and the Cole family. All is hanging by a very thin thread. The ending is both surprising and satisfying and may leave the door open for further books involving these characters.

[Thanks to Simon & Schuster and NetGalley for an opportunity to read an advanced reader copy and share my opinion of this book.]

I had really high hopes for this one, and I think that may have been my downfall here. I think had I had different expectations, I would have enjoyed this more. I was expecting much more of a high stakes thrill. What I found seemed much more tame with a lot of plot holes that you’d have to overlook in order for the book to work.

It’s hard to explain without giving anything away, but there were a few instances of something happening that you wouldn’t expect to have happened had it been a real world scenario. I did enjoy the dual timelines and found her father’s timeline very interesting. Overall, if you’re looking for an easy spy fiction read, I’d recommend checking this one out.

Thank you to Simon Books for my gifted copy!

The Helsinki Affair
By Anna Pitniak

Amanda Cole is a 40 year old CIA agent stationed in Rome – and feeling bored with this assignment. She longs for more excitement in her life. Little does she know that she is about to get her wish – but that her father (also working for the CIA) may start her on a path that may point directly to him as a possible double agent.

This is an interesting tale, which flips back and forth between Amanda's current story and her parents' time stationed in Helsinki over 30 years ago. What happened in Helsinki, who was behind it all, and what is the impact on the current geopolitical scene?

I found the story interesting – but felt somewhat let down by the ending. I have a problem with stories that are unresolved. I am hoping that this means that the author is planning on a sequel to provide resolution.

This is 4.5-4.75 stars for me. An excellent, fast-paced read. I loved the author’s intro so I understood up front her background as a book editor who specifically wanted to find the type of spy drama she loved but with a female lead…so she wrote Helsinki Affair! Based on the synopsis, I thought I might be in for something hokey like the recent Arnold Schwarzenegger Netflix father/daughter spy drama FUBAR…but it definitely was more serious than that. I often find Cold War/Russian spy narratives convoluted, and I appreciated how accessible and straightforward this story was. It still crammed in a lot of past and present in multiple cities, and that story development probably came at the expense of character development, but it didn’t really bother me. If you like this topic, this book is awesome. Thanks to Simon & Schuster and NetGalley for my ARC!

I was excited to read this based on the synopsis but ultimately was less than I expected for a few reasons. First, I wouldn't call this a spy thriller. Thriller it was not. But my main issues came with the time jumping. It happens so often and so fast, right within chapters and it was very difficult to follow. I am not even sure how many times I had to stop and reread paragraphs to figure out what was going on because I couldn't always follow the jumping. It is very abrupt. It's a good premise and had good potential but was just ok for me. Thank you to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for an advance e-copy in exchange for my honest opinion. The Helsinki Affair will be available on 11/14/23.

Unfortunately I had to DNF this one halfway through. No fault of the book’s, I just couldn’t get into the story. I’ve never really read a spy novel before and the premise sounded so interesting, but I found myself not caring about the plot so I decided to put it down. I might try to revisit it in the future, I can definitely see why many people would love this one.

While spy novels are a bit outside my normal reading genres, I do like a good mystery and historical mystery. The Helsinki Affair provided a little of everything and is an interesting and mostly fast-paced, dual timeline story with a couple great female characters. Amanda and Kath (a free-spirited CIA agent) were smart and challenged each other to do more and try harder.

Amanda works for the CIA in Rome when a low-level Russian operative shows up and says he has important information to share about a U.S. senator who is in danger. Amanda gets drawn into the story and it leads her to learn more about her father Charlie’s time in Helsinki and question his actions and reasons for leaving. As Amanda and Kath get closer to solving a case the dangers grow.

I was really engrossed in the Cold War spy culture full of agents and double agents. This was the timeline with Charlie as he becomes enmeshed is dangers of his own while in Helsinki. Amanda's story involves double agents, blackmailed CEOs, stock market manipulations, and a Russian oligarch. In spite of the tension, it seemed to drag a bit in places and felt it could be tightened a bit.

And the ending really kind of lost me because 1) I'm unclear if the story is going to continue into a 2nd book, and 2) If it doesn't, it just seemed too open ended (which I normally don't mind) but this seemed too much. I would have preferred it ending with Amanda's story.

I would round this up to 3.5 stars because I did enjoy much of it.

I know I'm able to love spy thrillers. I love the FX series The Americans so much that I've watched it three times. Based of the synopsis, I was hoping this book would have that type of vibe. Unfortunately this missed the mark for me a bit but it was still entertaining. I think I would have enjoyed it more if I liked the main character Amanda. I loved minor character Kath, so I wish she would have been a bigger part of the plot. Overall, I say give it a shot if you're a spy/political fiction fan. Swipe for full synopsis!

✨ spy thriller
✨ betrayal and secrets
✨ complicated relationships
✨ dual POV and timelines
✨ multiple international settings
✨ Country vs Family

Thank you to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for providing me a reviewer copy in exchange for my honest thoughts.

This book had potential. The plot sounded intriguing. However, it fell a bit flat for me. I didn’t care much about the characters, but I think the biggest downfall was the constant timeline and point of view jumping that took place within the chapters. Made it a bit hard to follow at times.

And the ending was kind of meh.

This is probably a generous 3 stars. I don’t think I’d recommend this to others.

I received this book free of charge from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

Amanda Cole is a driven professional, her loyalty to the CIA above reproach. So why does someone who knows her intimately believe she will participate in a coverup?

Amanda is stationed in Rome, a cushy but boring post, when an assassination plot is revealed to her. Her gut tells her the tip is legitimate, but her boss disagrees. An American senator will lose his life in Cairo as a result and Amanda will be promoted. It is now up to her to solve the case. With the help of Kath, a legendary spy, she will work her way through various clues and countries in search of an answer.

While tension is barely a hum, Pitoniak does a fine job with setting and plotting. Most of the characters read flat and sometimes dislikable. The only one of interest is the brilliant and eccentric Kath. While the lead, Amanda, is competent and fearless, those characteristics can’t overcome her absent personality. It is a strong plus, however, that Pitoniak pursued the path of a female-centric spy novel. Kudos for that!

Thank you to Simon & Schuster and NetGalley for providing this eARC.

I wanted to love this book SO much - but it almost felt like a chore to get to the end. I didn't really believe the whole CIA thing - but wanted a powerful female agent - and didn't feel much. Definitely intrigued me given the possibility of the Russians (and who else) manipulating the markets - but fell short. Always love her writing - but this one left me unsatisfied. I could imagine it being a better movie to be honest. - something I rarely say!

One thing you should know about me: if a book says it's a thriller, I need to be on the edge of my seat for me to call it a successful novel. "The Helsinki Affair" by Anna Pitoniak is an interesting spy novel, but it's not exactly all that suspenseful. The first genuine scene of action took place 87 percent in (according to my Kindle app), so it took about that long for me to feel really invested in the plot.

The novel follows Amanda Cole, a young CIA operative who meets a Russian man claiming that he knows about a future assassination attempt on a US senator. While she tries to investigate, she comes across the name of her father, who was also a spy. Her father left his position after a stint in Helsinki (hence the name of the book), which raises questions for her about his potential involvement with the Russians. It seems like there would be the makings of a great thriller with this plot, except that the stakes don't really ramp up until the very end of the book. There are wire-tapped clandestine meetings, surveillance of bad guys, etc. - but none of the excitement Pitoniak is trying to pull of the page really comes through.

The main issue I had with this book (other than the boredom factor) is that it switched back and forth between time periods. This got incredibly confusing because the switches happened within the same chapters. Because Pitoniak also chose to have multiple POVs, I felt my focus drifting since it was hard to keep track of what character I was reading about and what time period we were in.

And then there's the ending. Perhaps Pitoniak is planning a series of books, which is the only thing I can think of to explain why she chose this ending. It was abrupt and definitely didn't tie up most of the loose ends that were still present at the end.

Granted espionage thrillers are not a genre I regularly read, but this book might deter me from picking up more for fear I'm in store for another snoozefest.

The Helsinki Affair is a spy thriller from Anna Pitoniak.

"Amanda Cole is a CIA agent like her father, Charlie Cole. A Russian comes into her station in Rome with information about an upcoming assassination. Amanda believes him, but no one else does. When it happens, Amanda discovers papers that point to something her father may have done as a young agent...something traitorous. And now she must decide what to do"

This book starts slowly. It takes a while to figure out where AP is going with the story. It's an interesting take on Meme stocks and algorithms and hackers. Once you get it, the story moves quicker - sort of like a modern version of a Ludlum novel, but shorter.
There's a dual-timeline where we see what Charlie did and what Amanda is pursuing now. Part of the ending is typical of espionage thrillers but part is left open-ended. Not really a cliff-hanger, but some blanks are left to the reader to fill in.

A good pick for fans of spy-thrillers.

The Helsinki Affair was an enjoyable spy novel. It was an intriguing and pleasant read with good character development, switching timelines, and enough mystery to hold my interest without being overly complicated.

**Thanks to NetGally and the publisher for an electronic ARC and the opportunity to provide feedback about this book.

I have mixed feelings about this one. I love a good spy story - and especially love reading one with female main characters. Amanda and especially Kath are characters that I really enjoyed.

Amanda is working for the CIA and is stationed in Rome when a Russian shows up and says he has important information to share about a U.S. senator who is in danger. Amanda gets drawn in and it leads to her learning more about her father’s time in Helsinki when she was a young child.

I was here for most of the story but it lost me a bit with the ending. There was also something that I waited through the whole book to happen and it didn’t. Not sure if this was left open to allow for a sequel? Without knowing if more is coming I’ll say that for me this felt unfinished which is disappointing.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the free ebook to review.

Overall I enjoyed this spy novel, although it did require quite a bit of attention to follow the people/schemes going on throughout which caused it to drag at a few points for me. I also found myself a little frustrated by the open ended ending. Kath was the high point of this book for me - loved her as a character and would read another book that follows her on her adventures around the world!