Review of The Spy Coast

I’ve never read a Tess Gerritsen book but was intrigued by the plot of this one. What did I think of The Spy Coast, what kind of book was it and, most importantly, will you like it? Plus a link to SPOILERS for The Spy Coast! It’s all in my Review of the Spy Coast by Tess Gerritsen.

Jen’s Quick Take on The Spy Coast

• I thought The Spy Coast was fun and well-plotted, with the twists and double-crosses necessary for a good spy novel!
• The Spy Coast has a past-present storyline that explores a past case in Maggie’s career that went very wrong and led to all this mayhem in Maine.
• The book has three narrators: Maggie, local police chief Jo Thibodeau, and the mysterious Diana, a former colleague of Maggie’s.
• Looking for Spoilers or a plot summary for The Spy Coast by Tess Gerritsen? You can find them right at the top of my Readers Guide to Book Two, The Summer Guests.
• I read this book in November 2023
• Published on November 1, 2023 by Thomas Mercer.
• Thanks to the publisher for providing an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

My Guide to The Spy Coast

I went into The Spy Coast with no expectations, having never read a book by Tess Gerritsen and not being someone who reads a lot of political thrillers.

My overall thoughts:

The Spy Coast is perfect for fans of The Thursday Murder Club series

• A group of crime-fighting retirees
• Former CIA characters
• A small town
• Local police who are a bit bemused by it all
• Even a FOX (RIP Snowy)

Main character Maggie is just trying to enjoy her retirement in a small seaside town in Maine. Yes, her security system is off-the-charts. No, it doesn’t help keep her poor chickens safe from a hungry fox.

One day Maggie gets a message from a mysterious visitor, who then turns up dead in her driveway. Local police investigate, Maggie acts like she has NO idea how this could have happened, and she and her friendly neighbors (the “martini club”) get together to discuss how to handle this situation.

Are you looking for more books like The Thursday Murder Club?

Above I mentioned the parallels between The Spy Coast and The Thursday Murder Club.

There are some differences between the Spy Coast and The Thursday Murder Club, though.

• The Spy Coast, while not extremely violent, has a little less of a cozy feel, with the action leaving Maine at times and going international.
• The Spy Coast has a more serious tone, as opposed to the dry humor of the British series.
• The characters in The Spy Coast are in their 60s, so, while still retired, younger than the eighty-something senior citizens in The Thursday Murder Club

In addition, The Spy Coast features an entire group of CIA characters. In this regard, the book also felt a bit like Killers of a Certain Age, a book I also recommend to fans of The Thursday Murder Club.

Will you like The Spy Coast?

If, like me, you are not a hardcore political thriller reader, don’t worry. You don’t need a PhD in international relations to understand the book and the story is a lot more about the personal relationships that Maggie forged — and broke — in the course of her career.

I didn’t connect that much with the characters (except Jo the police officer). To be honest, I had the same issue with the first Thursday Murder Club book! Book with ensemble casts can take a while to gel.

I am curious as to where the “Martini Club” series is going. There are a total of five CIA characters in this first book (Maggie Bird, Ben Diamond, Declan Rose, and married couple Ingrid and Lloyd Slocumb). That offers plenty of material for future books so I wonder if Maggie will remain the main character or if we will get new narrators going forward. There’s also a suggestion of a romance between Maggie and Declan.

If you loved this book, try the sequel, The Summer Guests!

As of February 2024, The Spy Coast is in development as an Amazon series! Exciting news!

Are you going to try this one? Tell me in the comments!