Pass by plausibility and enjoy the read! I didn't read the first book in this series that I recall. Anyway, Nora is suddenly CIA. Pretend she was qualified and go for it. A Russian ballerina is seeking freedom in the USA. The stage is set, and plans are carried out, only nothing goes quite as planned does it? You have to read it to find out what all happens, it's a reasonably good read and you can find out what side effects there are when you know too much.

My copy came from Net Galley. My thoughts and opinions are my own. This review is left of my own free volition.

I am loving this series! Nora Baron is a wonderful character, and reading about her is a joy! In this one, Nora is tasked by the CIA with helping a Russian theater star defect. The job should be easy, but of course, nothing goes as planned! As Nora ends up on the run from Russian agents, she has to figure out how to get herself and her charge to safety. The action never stops in this one, and it is fast paced and exciting.

Nora Baron's husband works for the CIA and she gets the chance to work a mission. Based in Venice it has a very interesting backdrop to this exciting political mystery thriller. Assigned to assist a Russian actress to defect, Nora's detailed plan starts to go awry. As the only one in the team visiting Venice who really knows what is happening it becomes very difficult for Nora to decide who to trust. This is quite a clever story with the author releasing enough clues along the way to keep your interest. Written in an easy style I found you don't have to work too hard to understand what it going on, and just enjoy the story. Some political novels can get too complex and kill any enjoyment, due to
continually trying to keep up with the twists and turns. Good book.

Nora Baron is asked by her husband's employer.. the CIA to help a Russian actress who is requesting asylum in the United States. Nora has helped the CIA before and they think she is perfect for the job. Nora is not only married to a CIA agent, she's a drama teacher and a mom. Acting is something she does very well.

The woman requesting asylum is the mistress of a powerful Russian general. Pillow talk has put her in the know about a lot of his secrets .. and she's willing to sell him out.

The plan to get her out of Russia seems to be simple, almost too easy. Things go wrong and the two women find themselves being hunted by Russian agents. And the blizzard doesn't help anything. Lives hang in the balance.

I confess ... I don't usually like spy novels and read very few of them. However, this one drew me in from the beginning. The characters are intriguing, sometimes even humorous. I love the interaction between Nora and her husband. There is action and excitement on almost every page. Quite an enjoyable read. It was nice to step out of my comfort zone when it comes to reading.

Many thanks to the author / Random House Publishing Group - Alibi / Netgalley for the digital copy. Opinions expressed here are unbiased and entirely my own.

An intelligent and witty suspense, with international implications. Nora is asked to join the CIA on a temporary basis by her husband's employer, in order to help extricate a Russian actress who is in danger. The stories don't quite match up, and the teams of people working both sides make this an interesting and thought provoking mystery.
The characters are original and entertaining, each bringing their unique flavor to the story and the mission at hand. The plot and the writing itself is inventive, and the mystery creative. Definitely one I'd recommend!

This was a great mystery with a twist on the usual spy novels. The wife of a CIA agent is asked to participate in this suspense filled, drama. I thoroughly enjoyed Nora and sympathized with her doubts and fears. By the end of the book I felt like I knew her, now I will go back and read the first novel in this series.

A formatted "B" mystery/thriller that seemed contrived to continue the task of writing the book.

I did not finish reading this book. I did read a significant portion and I liked the characters but I got to a point where the story seemed to be dragging so hard I was getting frustrated. I will NOT be posting a review on my website.

The author seems to have another successful character in Nora Barton. She is a college professor who is married to a long-time CIA agent. Her husband's boss recruits her to perform an undercover operation in Venice, Italy. The description of Venice and other locales where Nora visits are very well described by Mr. Savage. He hits the not-so-great weather that frequents Northern Italy in January right on the nose. Without getting specific about the plot - I don't care to issue spoiler alerts - Nora is twisted and turned by the Russians and the people she is trying to help. The action keeps the reader involved and in suspense. Because the book is well-written and the plot moves quickly, it is an easy read that I highly recommend. Enjoy.

"The Woman Who Knew Too Much" is the 2nd book in Tom Savage's "Nora Baron" series.

Nora Baron is back! The wife of a CIA operative, this mother and drama teacher has proven to be an asset to the CIA in the past.
Disguised as a television news host Nora heads to Venice, Italy where she is to help a defecting Russian actress. The op turns deadly and the two women are on the run when a snowstorm buries Venice.

A page turning thriller that is very well written and extremely compelling.
I look forward to the next Nora Baron novel.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group Alibi for an arc of this novel.

A great read! A plot that keeps you turning the pages and characters that make you want to!

Nora Baron just became one of my favorite heroines because her name is a palindrome. In fact, her husband, Jeff's nickname for her is Pal. This is the second in the series involving this couple and this time, actress Nora is called on to Argo a Russian actress out from under her traveling theater group while in Italy. She seems scared of her high ranking Russian military boyfriend and all involved hope helping this woman defect will lead to good intel. Nora is surrounded by some great characters in their small production crew. I liked the youthfulness and "cool" that Patch brought to the group. And once in Venice, Nora's husband, a CIA operative himself, lends a hand slightly off the books. There's even a Mother Abbess who would give any of the nuns in the Sound of Music a run for their money. This was a great read, the story kept pace with the reveals as it went along.

The Woman Who Knew Too much fits into my "couple action" genre category ala Sharpe and Donovan, Wilde and Chase, King and Maxwell, etc. all of which I greatly enjoy and for which I eagerly line up for the next installments. This was my first Baron and Baron read and, while I do not regret the read and will probably give it another a try, I found the characters and plot lines unusually "cheesy" even vis-a-vis the norm in this genre. It was kinda fun, though, and a nice, lazy read. If you like that kinda of thing, you may enjoy it.

Nora Baron with her acting background is the perfect person for the CIA to send to meet Galina Rostavo in Venice to help her defect to the U.S. Galina is an actress from Russia on tour and Nora is to act as a host of a program to do shows on celebrates and with the help of her husband, Jeff and some other talented people Nora works to make the show look as real as possible to make this work. But then she wonders if all is as it seems when she talks to those around Galina. The CIA gives her the freedom to investigate this as she sees fit. Great story and some great twists and turns. The end may not be as expected.

This is a delightful, fun spy thriller. Lots of action but without blood and guts violence, a great story.

I loved this book! It's a well crafted spy mystery/thriller with a bit of cat and mouse in it. I loved Nora and how she viewed the world through the lens of an actress that is almost hyper aware of her surroundings.

Nora is a former actress and current acting teacher that is asked to assist the CIA with an extraction in Venice. Nora's husband is a CIA officer, but he isn't tasked with this assignment as the person to be extracted is a well known Russian actress.

The bulk of the book is set in Venice and I loved the author's descriptions of the city. He made me feel as though I was there and structured it in such a way that the city almost became a character in its own right.

Fans of the genre will love this book. While its the first book I've read by this author, it won't be the last - I've added him to my must read authors' list.

Kindle Copy for Review

Once again Nora Baron finds herself called on by her husband CIA boss. Going undercover as a television host, she heads to Venice to interview actress Galina Rostova who will conveniently effect .

Besides being an actress and the mistress of a high level Russian general. She decides to ask the CIA help for information as Nora is brought into the mission.

The weather plays havoc as the two are on the run. Fast moving storyline with lots of action.

Russian actress wants to defect to US. She is involved with a powerful soldier in Russia. He has a lot of money.

Although this is book #2 in the Nora Baron/CIA series, the author and his books are new to me. I jumped at the chance to read an arc through NetGalley for an honest review because the synopsis sounded rather intriguing.

Its delightful setting was a mini-vacation to Venice, Italy, which was fun even though it took place in January and the city was hit by a huge snowfall! Did you know Venice occasionally gets snow? I didn't so I Googled that to check and they do in fact, although any snow doesn't last long. Interesting!

Nora Baron is an actor and college professor at Stony Brook University in NY and married to a CIA agent. She is approached by Ham Green, her husband's boss and the director of the New York CIA field station, to help them with a case in which a Russian actor wishes to defect to the US while performing in The Seagull by Anton Chekov in Venice.

Why would the CIA come to Nora? Well, apparently in the first book in the series, Mrs. John Doe, Nora was involved in rescuing her husband, which earned her the boss's respect. He believes she can utilize her prodigious acting skills to carry off the mission.

This whole scenario seems a little suspect to me, which keeps the book from rising into the 4-star range. Surely there are trained agents who could do this job just as well or better! Would this ever happen in 'real life?' I guess we'll never know but I highly doubt it, old skeptical me.

Is there such a category as 'cozy thriller?' That's how this book felt to me, and for these reasons: the book reads quickly, though I wouldn't call it a page turner; the utilization of conflicting stories to try to muddy the waters which lead to plot twists that weren't all that surprising; characterizations that never go beyond the superficial; not a lot of suspense/drama to pull the reader in until the last 15% of the story or so as we begin approaching the usual 'dramatic' conclusion. Would I read more of this author's work? Probably not.

Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity, even if this wasn't really my cup of tea. I am grateful for the nudge to read The Seagull, which was something I meant to do during my mini-Russian kick earlier this year.

Princess Fuzzypants here:
I thought Nora Baron got into a lot of trouble in her first book but she is up to her neck in alligators this time, figuratively of course. Last time she was swept up by her husband's heretofore unknown profession with the CIA. She handled herself pretty well, so well that Jeff's boss wants to hire her for a job in Venice. He asks her to pose as a television journalist complete with film crew. She is going to assist a Russian actress to defect during the taping of the interview. Said actress is the mistress of a big wig Russian general and she says she has some very important information to sell.
It is a great adventure until things start going wrong. Nora is forced to question almost everything and everyone on the Russian side. Nothing is quite as it seems and as she learns more and more, she realizes just how right she is about the double and triple crosses. Thankfully, Jeff came along to help out but he has some exciting moments too. Again, nothing is quite as advertised. All that means is the reader is in for a thrilling and unexpected ride.
If you like a good mystery set in exotic locations with characters that you like and stories that grip you, check this out.
I give this five purrs and two paws up.