THE WOMAN WHO KNEW TOO MUCH is a fast paced mystery spy adventure full of action, manipulation, betrayal, secrets, and relationships. The storyline comes alive in Venice, Italy for Tom Savage’s readers as he describes the scenery. Savage’s protagonist Nora Baron responds to CIA Agent, Hamilton Green request to help the CIA extract a Russian actress to the United States. The author provides backstories for Nora and her CIA agent husband Jeff Baron. Nora agrees to the undercover assignment as Joan Simmons, TV Journalist. She will travel to Venice with her crew of specialists to engage in filming an interview Galina Rostova. Galina is traveling and performing with the Russian State Theater Group Tour. The CIA has a request to leave Russia. Galina wishes to defect to the United States promising to supply intelligence relating to Russian Military leaders.

Nora and her team arrive in Venice and begin to implement the extraction plan. Savage shares with his readers Nora’s uneasy feeling after her first meeting with Galina. She reports to Ham her feeling Galina is holding information and requests help checking out several details. The more the team digs the facts, the more Galina’s story seems to unravel. Nora doesn’t think Galina is trustworthy.

Savage keeps readers interest high building the suspense and increasing the momentum helping his storyline moving forward. The author introduces readers to support characters giving them details of their history and the roles they play as they enter the storyline. He keeps readers looking for answers giving them a reason to turn to the next page. Savage creates several subplots changing the direction of the story helping Nora to piece the puzzle together. Nora accepts the challenge is separating who is telling the truth. Unfolding events uncover Galina’s secrets convincing Nora how she should proceed. Nora asks Ham to check on several facts relating to Galina’s actions. Ham delivers answers to Nora’s questions just in time. THE WOMAN WHO KNEW TOO MUCH keeps readers in the dark until the very end. Fans of conspiracies and espionage will enjoy the dramatic ending.

It was the middle of the night. There was a strange morse code tapping at the front door. Nora goes to answer the door with a loaded gun in her hand. The CIA are there. So starts another exciting adventure for Nora Baron. This book is the second in the series. I read the first one, Mrs. John Doe, and liked it but I have read better. I decided to give Nora another chance and I'm glad I did. This book is really good. Nora and the other characters are well developed and the plot is very exciting. There are enough lies being told that it keeps you guessing as to who to believe. It held my interest from beginning to end and I finished in one day. I received this ebook free from NetGalley for an honest review.

Another action packed thriller from Tom Savage. Great storyline, amazing characters and an absorbing read. The author makes every thing seem so real. Great twist in the tail!

I thoroughly enjoyed Tom Savage's first novel featuring Nora Baron, Mr. Jane Doe, in which Nora discovers that her missing husband is a CIA agent. Now, as the blurb says,

"Nora Baron is back! When the CIA helps a defecting Russian actress in Venice, the op turns deadly in this white-knuckle thriller from the bestselling author of Mrs. John Doe—proving once again that, in the words of James Patterson, “Tom Savage knows the mystery novel inside and out.”

Galina Rostova, the hot new star of Moscow’s theater scene—and mistress to a powerful Russian general—has reached out to the CIA. In exchange for information vital to U.S. security, she requests asylum in America. The Company’s top pick for the mission is Nora Baron. The wife of a CIA operative, this Long Island mother and drama teacher has proven to be an asset in the field before. And as an actress herself, her cover will be convincing.

Disguised as a television news host, Nora heads to Venice, Italy, where Rostova is appearing in Chekhov’s The Seagull. As the cameras roll during their mock interview, the starlet will make her escape—or at least that’s the plan. But when the defection goes off-script, the two women are on the run from Russian agents. And when a snowstorm buries Venice, clogging the streets, waterways, and airport, the stage is set for tragedy—with several lives at risk of a final curtain."

This is another entertaining novel. Most of the action occurs in Venice. Not everything is as it appears, particularly Galina Rostova and her motive for defecting to the USA.

An enjoyable read! Thanks to Net Galley and the publisher for providing me with an advance copy.

This book grabbed me from the opening action packed page, and I identified with Nora from the start. I enjoyed the storyline and the descriptions of Venice which were very vivid. I found it a little incredulous that the CIA would engage a 43 year old wife of an agent for something like a defection, past experience or not. I also had a hard time believing that the bad guys hadn't put bugs in their hotel rooms after the elaborate opening scene. I liked all the characters and will look for another book in this series, with the same characters.

"oh what a tangled web we weave when first we practice to deceive". Nora Baron is back in this espionage thriller involving a talented and beautiful Russian actress Galina Rostova, the mistress of a Russian general who is trying to seek asylum in the U.S. in exchange for top level security information involving the U.S. Enter Nora Baron, married to a CIA operative, Jeff Baron, and herself a drama teacher who is perfect for the job of getting her safely to the US and away from the general. Taking place in Venice all s not what it seems there is enough subterfuge, intrigue, greed, defections and danger, not to mention murder and attempted murder to keep you looking around corners to see who's hiding where and what's going to happen next. A really good thriller.

I enjoyed The Woman Who Knew Too Much more than I thought I would. I had thought it was heading toward a ho-hum spy story – it started a bit slowly – but then it took a right turn and became a good mystery. I was afraid the story was headed toward an ending that I wouldn’t like. It didn’t.

Mr. Savage did a great job keeping the many characters in this book from being confusing. There were a couple literary stretches that I thought were a little lacking. One was that Nora was acting as an American tv personality. If she really were that, anyone in Russia or Italy would have been able to look her up on the internet. They didn’t and trusted that she was. Another was that she was given this responsibility by the CIA and was heading up this operation, yet she wasn’t even trained for it … not plausible.

All in all, The Woman Who Knew Too Much was a good read, and I thank NetGalley for the opportunity to review it.

This was a quick and fun spy romp through Venice. It will be a good book to recommend to people who want some action/adventure without too much violence. This is the second in a series that I had not read before, and while there were some references I didn't get, for the most part it is fine to stand a,one. I'll be looking for the first book, and any more that come along.

I enjoyed this book. A lot to like. Interesting story regarding helping a Russian celebrity escape to the U.S. I generally enjoy books that grab my attention immediately and this book does that. Not a lot of page fillers. The book really held my interest because of the strong beginning. Additionally the setting is in Venice and that adds to the enjoyment. The author does well creating numerous suspicious and questionable characters that helps keep a reader like me off balance and analyzing. It also provides some interesting twists at the end and overall was a very good read. I strongly recommend the book.

I enjoyed reading this book. It's also the kind of story that is so involving that it's hard to put down. When reading the book their were several references to adventure
S the main characters had in previous books. I wish I had read them too. There are many twists and turns in the story. The ending was a complete surprise..

This was the first book I have read by Mr. Savage and I thoroughly enjoyed it. It is very fast paced and is a thrilling read. I look forward to more books by Mr. Savage

So living around the DC Beltway and having family and friends who might be in the intell biz, I was a bit dismissive of the whole concept. I mean, c'mon. Really? However once I got over my little snit and decided to go along for the thriller ride I found I really enjoyed it. Except for the first really stupid door "knocking" part.

Nora Barton is an actor currently teaching drama at Stony Brook University. She is married to a long time CIA agent-case agent I assume. His boss asks Nora's help in getting a Russian defector from Venice to the US. Nora is not a total amateur. Evidently she acquitted herself well in the book Mrs John Doe. Seems like the defector, a beautiful actor has a Russian general as her paramour and he might not be happy to see her leave Russia.

On short notice Nora and Ham Green -Nora takes great pleasure in the fact that her DH is not on first name basis with his boss, Ham.-put together a workable plan.

Nora and her band of merry amateurs head off to Venice. Well you know what they say about plans, they only work for the first move. Or is that battles. No matter.

As with most espionage books the story devolves into smoke and mirrors. Who do you believe? Who do you trust? Clever plotting keeps you guessing.

I really enjoyed Nora Barton, especially her quick wit and ability to think on her feet. Her helpers also showed the same quick thinking ability. Galina Rostova, the defector is a clever little minx, with true acting chops. Venice herself, in a rare winter glimpse offered her own enticements, painted beautifully by Mr Savage.

Thank you NetGalley for a chance to read this book in exchange for a fair and honest review.

THE WOMAN WHO KNEW TOO MUCH by Tom Savage is the story of Nora Baron, wife to a CIA agent, who is asks to work for the CIA to find, communicate, and the help extract a Russian actress who has important information that can severely alter the United States' diplomatic position with Russia. Things are not what the seem and don't go as planned in the fast paced, hold on to your seat thriller where Nora doesn't know who to trust expect herself and her instincts.
Nora Baron has a theater background and a strong minded woman, so the reader immediately sees and supports the logic on how she is recruited to help the CIA. Her husband, Jeff, is underdeveloped as the husband who tries to protect and help his wife "in secret" from the CIA, only it seems like in the end, the CIA appreciates his help. The cast of characters around Nora are all fascinating and fun and make the story that much more engaging and being set in picturesque Venice helps too. The book is structured and reads similar to THE TRAVELERS by Chris Pavone, with the right amount information given and withheld so that the reader is involved and committed to the story but at the same time is yearning to find out more. I enjoyed the pace of the book too, not only did it not really slow down, but the anticipation towards the end made the book hard to put down.
I would definitely read another book by Tom Savage, particularly one focused on the Nora Baron. As far as espionage thrillers go, this is good one to check out.

SO not plausible but also not a bad little thriller that's got some good atmospherics from the Venice setting and an entertaining character in Nora. Suspend any knowledge about how the CIA actually works and you might enjoy this for what it is- a fast reading page turner. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. Try this one for escapism.

An International Fake News thriller
“The Woman Who Knew Too Much” by Tom Savage is an international thriller. It has everything a good thriller needs -- murder, deceit, spies, pretend spies, double-dealing, tragic mistakes, and tons of secrets. It involves the defection of a Russian actress who is to be “extracted” in Venice, Italy by a fake TV news crew from the U.S. headed not by a CIA agent, but by the wife of an agent who wonders just what this actress could possibly know that is so valuable. The action is non-stop, and plot has lots of twists, turns, and detours all on the way to a surprise ending. There are lots of nice geographic details about Venice as a bonus.
“The Woman Who Knew Too Much” is really a "thriller-lite" because while there are chills, thrills, anxiety, stress, and even murder, it won’t give you a stress-induced headache because of the blood, gore, and guts -- just a regular nail-biting headache from speculating on what comes next. Don’t start this book if you have plans for the next few days, because you will have trouble putting it down.
I received a copy of “The Woman Who Knew Too Much” in exchange for my review, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I have not read “Mrs. John Doe,” the first book in the Nora Baron series, but it is not necessary to have read the first book in order to enjoy this one. There are references throughout the book that fill in any relevant details from the first book without wasting pages and pages rehashing the first book.

I have read other books from Tom Savage so I was excited to read The Woman Who Knew Too Much. This is the 2nd book in the Nora Baron series but it is fine reading it as a stand-alone.

Nora Baron is a drama teacher and a wife to a CIA operative. Galina Rostova is the hot new star of Moscow’s theater scene and the mistress to a powerful Russian general. In exchange for information vital to U.S. security, she requests asylum in America. Nora is hired by the CIA to help with the defection.

I thought the first half of the book was really slow. It detailed more about Venice's history and points of interests than on the story. I also had a hard time believing Nora as a CIA operative. She has no training but because she is an actress and her CIA husband has given her pointers, she is the perfect field agent.

The story was well written and very suspenseful at the end.

Thank you to NetGalley, Random House Publishing Group - Alibi and Tom Savage for an arc of "The Woman Who Knew Too Much" in exchange for my honest review.

In 2015, one of the 87 books I read was Mrs. John Doe, the first in a series featuring Nora Baron, wife of CIA operative Jeff Baron, actress and drama teacher at Stony Brook University on Long Island, N.Y. I enjoyed that one, so when I got the chance to request an advance review copy of this second installment, I didn't hesitate for a second. And you shouldnt either. Excellent novel

As the second book in a series, there is no let down as the action continues. Venice is a wonderful site for the action, and the environment adds to the suspense. The characters are all interesting, and the suspense is heightened as more is revealed about each of them. While the ending is foreshadowed, it takes a while for all the threads to be pulled. I'm looking forward to more in this series.

If mystery and crime can be considered 'light', this one seemed so to me. The idea that the CIA would use an actress as a field agent on what could be a dangerous mission is a stretch too far for this reader to take seriously. I actually found myself rolling my eyes a couple of times with incredulity at what the reader is expected to believe the CIA would put into the hands of an untrained non-agent. Nevertheless, if you go into the book with the knowledge that it can't be read too seriously, there are some interesting characters and a nice twist at the end.

Tom Savage continues his mastery of the spy thriller in “The Woman Who Knew Too Much.” It’s all here; the defection, elaborate deception, clever disguises, and the inevitable screw-up that endangers everyone. Savage takes well-worn themes and dresses them up. An unexpected twist at the end adds to the allure of this novel.

The CIA has drafted Nora Baron for the task of extracting a superstar of the Russian theater, Galina Rostova, from an appearance in Venice. She has information to share and CIA officials want to hear it. Unfortunately the actress is the mistress of a high-ranking Russian general with a suspicious mind and security people to feed it, so nothing will be easy. What starts out to be a well-planned operation with capable operatives to institute it turns out to be a massive bungle leaving a jumble of deep crap.

Savage to the rescue. The author creates the rat’s nest and the reader will be interested to see if he can clean it up to everyone’s satisfaction. You will have to read the book to find out. His writing is clever, his characterizations are immaculate, and the scenic backdrop will promote beautiful Italian music in your mind. Venice, with its archaic buildings, culinary delights, and winding waterways, is artfully depicted.

I recommend this book. It’s a clever novel that is both simplistic in its presentation and intriguing in its theme, making for an enjoyable read. Tom Savage knows his stuff.