Ghosts of the Cold War come back to haunt the Martini Club

When a renowned disease expert and Russian defector dies mysteriously during a global affairs conference in Purity, Maine, the tight-knit band of former spies in the Martini Club once again sees their quiet coastal retirement interrupted by international intrigue. And when a waitress at the conference hotel is found murdered, Ingrid Slocum sees chilling links to a disastrous mission that nearly killed her three decades ago.

Desperate to uncover the truth, Ingrid’s drawn back into the game by a magnetic ex-CIA colleague ― and former lover ― who was with her on the long-ago doomed mission. He convinces her to join him, and together they head to Amsterdam to track down her would-be killer.

Ingrid’s frantic husband Lloyd and Maggie Bird are close behind, but a clandestine network of assassins is intent on stopping them. Forced to question every allegiance, the Martini Club must rely on the skills they tried to leave behind. Because in this game of revenge and deception, the past never dies ― it just hides in the shadows.

The first novel I read by Tess Gerritsen was The Spy Coast (2023), the first book in the Martini Club series. It was a fantastic introduction to the group of retired spies living in Maine, juggling civilian life with the now-frequent resurrection of issues from their past actions. The Summer Guests (2025) nicely expanded readers’ picture of these characters and the lives they lived at CIA. In The Shadow Friends, Gerritsen continues to develop the characters and the world they live in, and also gives another member of the group the spotlight. It’s another engaging thriller/mystery, which I very much enjoyed.

The Shadow Friends, like the other titles in the series, alternates between the past and present, and each flashback provides additional character details for the central Martini Club member. Ingrid, one of the Club regulars who appears to have adapted to retirement rather well, takes centre stage, and we get to see a different side to her. Lloyd, her husband, is really put through the emotional wringer in this novel; faced with revelations about his wife that make him question their past and also just how well he knows the woman he’s been married to for decades. It was great to see their dynamic explored, but also the way other members of the crew relate to the couple. Some of the newer people in the Club members’ lives also make appearances, and the dynamic between them and local law enforcement remains amusing: I can only imagine how frustrating and confounding Jo Thibodeau finds these highly-competent, meddling retirees…

Gerritsen delivers another very satisfying spy-led mystery, as Lloyd et al scramble to find out where Ingrid’s disappeared off to, who she’s with, and what they are actually doing. Ingrid’s actions and level of secrecy casts a pall over their memories of their friend, and for a moment they question where her loyalties lie.

We also see the retired spies continue to confront their frustrating reality: experience and muscle-memory meeting the effects of aging, in the field. Seeing them adjust to this reality is interesting and well-done, and their victories feel earned and never ridiculous (these aren’t Bond-ian heroes who can pull off incredibly/improbable physical feats).

Three books in, this series has been well-established and the characters now feel familiar (yet not fully know, which is also good). Gerritsen isn’t writing to a formula, which suggests there is plenty of scope for continuing. It is making it more difficult to review, though: I find myself wanting to reiterate what I’ve written in my reviews of the previous two novels. So, the characters remain well-rounded, well-written, and distinctive — each brings something of their own to the group dynamic and their new “missions”. The author’s prose is nicely composed, the plot moves at a good clip; never feeling rushed, but also never drawn-out. The mystery at the heart of the story is nicely and gradually revealed, and doesn’t take abrupt, jarring turns. Readers will pick up hints about what is going on throughout, but even if you figure it out, the ending is nevertheless satisfying.

If, like me, you’re enjoying this apparent new golden age of espionage fiction that we’re living through, then I would strongly recommend you add the Martini Club series to your list: in addition to how well it’s written, it also offers something a little different and keeps the genre fresh and engaging. The Shadow Friends isn’t out for a couple of months (a fair bit longer, if you’re in the UK), which means I’ll no doubt have a long wait until book four in the series, but I am very much looking forward to it.

Definitely recommended.

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Tess Gerritsen’s The Shadow Friends is due to be published by Thomas & Mercer in North America (August 25th) and Penguin in the UK (January 14th, 2027).

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Review copy received via NetGalley