LONDON. EARLY MORNING.
A body is found in a padlocked suitcase.
Investigator Emma Makepeace knows it's murder. And it's personal.
She quickly establishes that the dead man had been shadowing two oligarchs suspected of procuring illegal weapons in the UK. And it seems likely that an insider working deep within the British government is helping them.
To find out who the traitor is, Emma goes deep undercover on a superyacht owned by one of the oligarchs.
But the glamorous veneer of the rich hides dark secrets. Out at sea, Emma is both hunter and prey, and no one can protect her.
Never has the turquoise sea and golden sands of the Rivera seemed so dangerous.
As the hunt intensifies, Emma knows that she is in mortal danger. And that she needs to find the traitor before they find her . . .
It's my pleasure to be hosting the blog tour for The Traitor today. Many thanks to Ava Glass, Penguin Books and Tory-Lyne-Pierce for inviting me and for sending me and advance copy of the novel. I'm delighted to also share this book trailer with you.
The Traitor is the second book in Ava Glass's Alias Emma series and it can easily be read as a standalone, although as a word of warning, there are some minor spoilers from The Chase so you may prefer to read that first. I thoroughly enjoyed The Chase but The Traitor is even better; Emma Makepeace is described as a female James Bond and this glamorous, high octane thriller cements her as a spy for our times.
Following a chilling prologue featuring an as yet unnamed character, Emma is removed from the case she was working on and as the gruesome fate of the man is discovered, she is assigned to a dangerous undercover role. As a young, female operative she is the only logical choice to be placed on a superyacht owned by Russian oligarch, Andrei Volkov. Emma's response to the argument over whether she should be put at some risk is fascinating, she realises it has the potential to be a suicide mission but really wants to do it. It's an interesting indication of the sort of person she is and a clear sign of her utter dedication to her work. The preparation that follows entails all you'd expect for a spy going deep undercover as she undergoes the process which sees her become Jessica Marshall, brought in as a replacement hostess on Eden, Volkov's yacht.
What comes next is a tense, compulsive and hugely entertaining thriller which sees Emma cast almost adrift among merciless chemical weapons dealers and killers. The sun-drenched sense of place is fabulous with San Tropez and Barcelona among the atmospheric backdrops for the nail-bitingly dramatic plot. However, it's the scenes on board Eden which are arguably the most exciting; although an enormous craft, Emma is still effectively trapped as she attempts to discover more about Volkov, his partner Oleg Federov and the mysterious third man without exposing her own identity. The characterisation is excellent throughout, with the brutal and frighteningly observant bodyguard, Cal Grogan and Volkov's vulnerable young mistress, Madison Clary particularly impressive.
Emma Makepeace is, of course, the most intriguing character and she is a superb protagonist; young and ambitious, her motivation for becoming a spy is tragically clear. She is ruthless but not immoral which means her emotions can become conflicted as a result of her actions. There's a real sense of the loneliness of the job as she has to hide her true role from everyone she knows and now, more than ever, is forced to question just who she can trust. I did manage to guess the identity of the traitor who puts her in mortal danger but then the clues are there, and the real satisfaction comes from following Emma's quest to discover who they are and the resulting consequences.
I read The Traitor in a day, unable to tear my eyes from the page. This gripping, dynamic thriller is an absolute treat, I highly recommend it.
The Traitor will be published by Penguin Books on 14th September, purchasing links can be found here.
Follow the blog tour, details are below.
.jpg)
About the Author
Comments
Post a Comment