Perfect Shot is the debut novel from Steve Ursenyi.

"Special Agent Alexandra Martel is an FBI agent on loan to Interpol. She's also a former sniper and combat medic. She finds out a former friend and MI5 agent has been killed and heads to London to investigate. Soon she's involved in a stolen nuclear missile and Russian state sposored terrorism."

Debut novels are sometimes hit-or-miss. I like the premise of this one. It's really good when Ursenyi is writing action scenes. The rest of it needs some editing and fine-tuning. There are several passages with overexplaining. I don't need four pages on how a nuclear trigger works. The beginning is clunky with no pace. And there are numerous plot holes. (Just shook my head) The ending is a wild one, though.

Cynthia Farrell does a good job with the material she has. I'm not a fan of a narrator accents especially Russian bad guys. Not sure that it ever totally works. Would have liked to hear more emotion.

I think there's potential here but this one falls a little short. If spy/action/thrillers are your jam, you may still enjoy this one.

‘Perfect Shot’ is a fast-paced spy thriller with a bada** heroine, written with clear in-depth knowledge of the defense industry and its associated tech.

Premise - When a nuclear bomb goes missing, it’s up to Special Agent Alexandra Martel to find and disarm the weapon, hidden somewhere in Paris.

We know early on that the Russians are the bad guys and the story plays on some Cold War tropes. Alexandra herself is also 2D at best, which is a large part of why I didn’t give this a higher rating (I love a good plot, but at the end characters are the ones that stick with me).

The book begins with a bang, dropping readers right into a pretty detailed action sequence. It’s well-written, but I don’t see enough personality/character yet to really care.

That said, action/military story lovers will likely really enjoy the level of in-depth knowledge shared in this. The fast pace of the narrative made it easy to stay invested through to the end.

This book has:
💥 high stakes
💥 explosions
💥 a strong female lead
💥 globetrotting
💥 Paris Catacombs
💥 cool gadgets
💥 double crossing
💥 villains who are 100% evil

Thanks, NetGalley and Minotaur Books, for the gifted ARC in exchange for an honest review.

4.5 stars

Oh, this is the kind of book that makes you so glad it's the start of a series and that - of course - there is more to come!

Alex is a compelling protagonist, and this book (refreshingly) passes the Bechdel test. This lead is not in the world saving business just to pass the time until she finds some man to save her (rolls eyes forever). She kicks butts happily, she's smart, and most interestingly to me, she's in part on the hunt to discover what happened to another woman and to provide a voice to the otherwise voiceless. Though this latter element is not an overtly featured goal, it still felt like a thoughtful choice to me. This isn't an anomalously smart or capable woman. In this universe, women are expected to be useful, skilled, and effective, and they prove that they are over and over again.

I was fortunate to receive the audiobook and listened to it almost straight through on a long day of chores and meal prep. It held my attention throughout, and I am already looking forward to seeing what kind of trouble Alex can resolve next!