Introducing Maggie Bird and the Martini Club…

A retired CIA operative in small-town Maine tackles the ghosts of her past…

Former spy Maggie Bird came to the seaside village of Purity, Maine, eager to put the past behind her after a mission went tragically wrong. These days, she’s living quietly on her chicken farm, still wary of blowback from the events that forced her early retirement.

But when a body turns up in Maggie’s driveway, she knows it’s a message from former foes who haven’t forgotten her. Maggie turns to her local circle of old friends — all retirees from the CIA — to help uncover the truth about who is trying to kill her, and why. This “Martini Club” of former spies may be retired, but they still have a few useful skills that they’re eager to use again, if only to spice up their rather sedate new lives.

Complicating their efforts is Purity’s acting police chief, Jo Thibodeau. More accustomed to dealing with rowdy tourists than homicide, Jo is puzzled by Maggie’s reluctance to share information — and by her odd circle of friends, who seem to be a step ahead of her at every turn.

As Jo’s investigation collides with the Martini Club’s maneuvers, Maggie’s hunt for answers will force her to revisit a clandestine career that spanned the globe, from Bangkok to Istanbul, from London to Malta. The ghosts of her past have returned, but with the help of her friends — and the reluctant Jo Thibodeau — Maggie might just be able to save the life she’s built.

This is the first novel in Tess Gerritsen’s new series, the Martini Club. It is also, somehow, the first of Gerritsen’s novels that I’ve ever read — not entirely sure how this happened, given that the Rizzoli & Isles series looks like it should definitely appeal. (I also enjoyed the first season of the TV adaptation). Anyway, I digress: The Spy Coast is a really good start to a series, which I really enjoyed, and it will definitely not be my last Gerritsen read.

This first novel focuses on former spy Maggie Bird, and a case from her past that comes back to upend her quiet, anonymous retirement in a sleepy Maine town. Bird has been living the quiet life of a chicken hobby-farmer, fending off hungry foxes, (warily) getting to know her neighbours, and generally keeping to herself. One day, though, she’s confronted by a newcomer with clear connections to Maggie’s former employer: the CIA. Later, this newcomer’s body is discovered displayed in Maggie’s driveway, and she knows her life won’t be quiet until she gets to the bottom of what’s happening.

The Spy Coast alternates between the past and the present, gradually parcelling out information and context to paint a bigger picture and understanding of the events that have informed the person Maggie she is today. (It’s a similar approach to that taken by Charles Cumming, in his Box 88 series — which I also very much recommend.) In particular, a chance encounter on a mission in Bangkok leads Maggie down an unexpected path — at first, exciting, then both settling and unsettling, and finally devastating. Along the way, we learn of some of her early introductions to her fellow retirees in Purity, Maine. Along the way, we see Bird’s evolution as an operative for the CIA, and get a sense of her focus and dedication, and what could cause her to question her life choices.

The plot moves swiftly, and the momentum never flags. There are a few nicely-placed red herrings and twists, which kept me guessing until shortly before the Big Reveal towards the end. I was always eager to get back to reading, and irked by any interruption when I was doing so. Gerritsen’s prose is excellent, and her characterization is superb — each of the characters feels realistic and three-dimensional. There’s plenty of tradecraft, but Gerritsen doesn’t let it get in the way of the story, and instead weaves these details expertly into the narrative. All of this makes for an engaging and gripping read.

Definitely recommended for all fans of espionage and thriller fiction, I can’t wait to read the next book. I really enjoyed The Spy Coast.

(According to Amazon, The Summer Guests is due out in March 2025 — which is ages away!)

*

Tess Gerritsen’s The Spy Coast is published by Thomas & Mercer in North America (out now), and is due to be published by Bantam in the UK, on January 18th, 2024.

Follow the Author: Website, Goodreads, Instagram, Twitter
Review copy received via NetGalley