I have enjoyed every Claire Kendal book I have found and this is no different. An orphaned girl grows up with her grandmother dreaming of one day joining MI-5. She spies on everyone and keeps notebooks because she thinks that is what secret agents do. When she is older, she goes through the training program to join the government agency, but fails a test in her final interview and her dream of being a spy is over. Several years later, she has a clerical job at a local clinic where she falls under the spell of a compelling neurosurgeon. She is carried away by the whirlwind of romance with an older man and soon finds herself living in his house and pregnant with their child. So what if he hates all her friends? He is just protective. Sure there are things he keeps to himself, but he is just a private sort of man.

Then the day comes when MI-5 offers her the chance to work with them as an asset. She must spy on the father of her child. A man whose first wife didn't just run off and leave him. She is a missing person.

This book is a "spy" novel, but not the usual kind. Its much more of a modern day version of that genre.
It is an enjoyable tale of a woman who wants so badly to be a "spy" only to be turned down, and then
enlisted back into service unknowingly. Lots of twists and turns. I good read

This is, by far, the best thriller I've read in 2019. The use of the shifting timeline is brilliant, and the way Kendal unravels Holly's narrative is engaging and thought-provoking. At times, I truly felt Holly's frustration and rage as she tried to figure out just what the truth was. Bonus points for the best ending of any thriller I've yet to read -- I've grown tired of the cliche "confession" from the unexpected villain, and the way Holly's story wrapped up was absolutely stunning.

I really enjoy when a book executes alternating timelines well, just as this book does. Normally I am not interested in spy books but I enjoyed this one quite a bit. I will purchase it for my library, and I thank Net Galley for the opportunity to review it!