The Spy Coast

This review includes affiliate links. If you purchase something using one of these links, I’ll get a small commission at no extra cost to you.

TL;DR: If you like your spy thrillers with just a dash of cozy mystery ambiance, this is the book for you.

Having read most of the Rizzoli & Isles books, I was excited to crack open The Spy Coast, Tess Gerritsen’s newest book. However, after reading the summary, I was a little worried it might be trying too much to take on the general idea behind Richard Osman’s Thursday Murder Club series. I was pleasantly surprised that it did not feel dependent on Osman. Instead, The Spy Coast has its own distinctive tone, plot, and characters, even though it does use the retired senior citizen spy as a main character. With this book, Gerritsen has crafted a spy thriller with a small dash of cozy mystery, the latter thanks mainly due to the setting and the interaction with local law enforcement. 

The Spy Coast is set in the fictional small town of Purity, Maine where retired spy Maggie Bird has set up a life on a chicken farm. Other spies have also retired to the area, giving them their own secretive and close-knit community within the small rural town. Maggie can’t completely hide from her past, though. After a body appears in her driveway and shots are fired at her while she’s feeding the chickens, it’s clear her life is in danger. 

The book travels from the present to the past and Maine to abroad. The contrast between small-town Maine and bustling Thailand helps accentuate the juxtaposition of Maggie’s past and present, while providing believable settings for the actions. It’s fast moving, and full of interesting characters, including Maggie’s neighbors and the local chief of police. A young woman with a strong personality, the latter and Maggie make formidable sparring partners as they work from divergent perspectives toward the same end - solving the crime in Purity and keeping Maggie and her friends and neighbors safe. 

Unraveling the mystery of Maggie’s life alongside her own unraveling of the present-day mystery keeps the reader hooked. And good news - it looks like this is just the first in a new series, as it’s called The Martini Club #1! I’m already looking forward to the second of Maggie Bird’s adventures in Purity.

<a data-preserve-html-node="true" href= "https://bookshop.org/a/13330/9781662515132" ="nofollow" target="_blank">Buy A Copy of The Spy Coast by Tess Gerritsen