"The CIA operation had been named "the seven sisters" ... taking a page from the KGB playbook, seven Russian women had been raised from birth to be American spies, what the KGB referred to as "illegals" -- deep-cover agents who blended in seamlessly with the target country's citizenry."

These moles are now women in their 60s who have attained positions which have allowed them unprecedented access. Three of the seven sisters have met terrible fates, and now the CIA is scrambling to ex-filtrate the remaining four. As the FSB's original source of intel to expose the seven sisters is no longer available, the FSB prepares to launch Operation Herod to find the remaining four. Some of the sisters have gone silent; ie. they're unwilling to meet with their CIA handlers to pass along information. They know that they're close to facing the consequences of betraying Putin's government - interrogation under torture and then death. Time is running out.

Charles Jenkins, also in his mid-60s, is very interested in following the CIA's progress since he had unwittingly become involved nearly two years ago.

"Jenkins fought his emotions. Every time he had left, he asked himself why he had done so. He had everything he needed on his little farm--a woman he loved and who loved him, two beautiful children, a home, a place to call his own. And yet he had that longing. That need to be needed, to help those who asked for help."

In The Silent Sisters, Jenkins is willing to risk his life once more on behalf of the seven sisters even though his multiple prior visits to Russia have earned him a spot on Putin's kill list. And because of an error in judgment, Jenkins inadvertently catches the attention of both the violent Russian mafiya and the police, in particular an appealing Hercule Poirot-like figure. Both parties possess compelling motivation as the former lost a family member and the latter - Senior Investigator Arkhip Mishkin - wants to retire with his impeccable case resolution rate.

Dugoni deftly juggles the multiple plot strands as Jenkins once again throws himself into CIA intrigue in Moscow. Readers get to see some of the sisters in action and how they've survived for decades. Internal politics within the FSB hierarchy are portrayed as well as the corruption within the government of a society run by oligarchs and mafiya. The Silent Sisters is the best installment of the trilogy as both humor, unexpected loyalty, and suspense conclude the tale of the seven sisters. It can be read as a standalone but it would be best to read the entire trilogy in order to fully appreciate Jenkins' role and character arc.

In addition to these deadly games of wits among spies, Dugoni has emphasized one other theme in this trilogy -- age is just a number. Jenkins isn't the only hero who is at the age in which retirement is the usual occupational status. This has been true in the preceding installments but this theme is supported by a larger cast of characters in this novel.

Thank you to the author, Thomas and Mercer, and Netgalley for providing me with a digital ARC in exchange for an honest review. Quotations in this review are from an uncorrected proof (ISBN 13-9781542029919) and may differ from the final version. Publication date is February 22, 2022.

The Silent Sisters (2022) marks the completion of Robert Dugoni’s Charles Jenkins trilogy, following The Eighth Sister (2019) and The Last Agent (2020). For the uninitiated, Charles Jenkins is a six foot, five inch black man who in his sixties has been called back into CIA service so that he can extract several women who were trained to spy for the US since birth. You read that right: a huge, black American spy is expected to go undetected inside Russia long enough to help US spies escape the only country they have known their entire lives. Rather surprisingly, Dugoni makes it all seem very possible…if not likely…to work.

Originally, there were seven women working in critical Russian positions who were providing key intelligence information to American counterintelligence officers. Each of the women had been groomed and trained by their Russian parents from birth to believe in what they were doing, and to do it well. But now, things are starting to fall apart, and time is running out on the Seven Sisters because an American traitor has revealed their existence to the Russians. Russian intelligence officers do not know their names, but do know that seven women were planted — and that some of them are still on the job. Now, the Russians are ruthlessly looking at all women in their early sixties who are working in jobs that would allow them to pass critical intelligence to the US. In biblical fashion, all of these women are going to be eliminated in order to make sure that no spies survive the purge; they will be tortured and killed, one-by-one, until that possibility is eliminated.

The CIA knows that two of the women are still active, but each has gone silent in recent weeks, meaning that the women realize the end is near for them. They need to get out of Russia, and if they are to survive, they need to do it now. Charles Jenkins, who has already gotten one of the seven women out, is going back again to rescue the surviving pair before they meet the fate of those who have already been arrested, tortured, and killed. That the odds are stacked against Jenkins is an understatement. Before this one is over, Jenkins and the women will simultaneously be chased by Russian intelligence agencies, the Russian police, and the Russian mafia, all of whom want to capture Jenkins for reasons of their own. But is being chased by three such powerful groups at the same time necessarily a bad thing?

Bottom Line: Robert Dugoni writes a heck of a thriller, the kind of story involving long, potentially deadly chases where the hero must run for his life even though survival seems a long shot at best. But what Dugoni does better than most thriller writers, is create characters that the reader truly cares about because they become so easy to identify with. We learn about their spouses and children, their hopes and their fears…what makes them tick. And Dugoni does it for both the good guys and the bad guys. The world is not as black or white as we used to believe it was; it’s a hundred shades of grey, instead. There are good guys, and there are bad guys, on both sides. The beauty of The Silent Sisters is watching the good guys find, recognize, and help each other.

I recommend the Charles Jenkins trilogy to spy novel fans, and personally I’m happy to see that Dugoni has at least left the door cracked open enough to allow for the possibility of a fourth Jenkins book. So here’s hoping this is not the last time I’ll be reading about the man.

The Charles Jenkins series is one of my favorites among the books of Robert Dugoni. This third (and final is my solid guess!) installation keeps up with the high pace set in the past two books. The CIA needs Jenkins' help once again to go back to Russia, from which he has only very narrowly escaped before, and get not one but two additional "sisters" - female sleeper agents high up in the Russian intelligence ranks - out and in safety as the Russian counterintelligence service is doing all it can to identify them.
As in his equally excellent series about police detective Tracy Crosswhite and trial lawyer David Sloane, Dugoni knows his way around plot development, falls leads, credible twists and turns etc. However, the mere notion of having an unusually tall African American as a covert asset in Russia is just pure nonsense and one that Dugoni's editors should have talked him out of already in book one. The problem probably was that Jenkins was an existing character from the David Sloane series, and therefore his characteristics were somewhat hard to change. My second objection to the work of Dugoni and the editors is that male Russians are given female Russian last names (e.g. -ova) and vice versa (-ov) - probably in order not wanting to confuse readers unfamiliar with Russian names. This is bordering the unprofessional and much beneath an excellent writer as Dugoni. In my reviews of the past two books in the series, I furthermore question Dugoni's insistence on writing transcribed Russian sentences with its English translation right after it. It adds absolutely no value to the story, and non-Russian speakers most likely think that it is annoying to read - hell, I know Russian and I think it is annoying to read.
Well, these editorial blunders aside, the book is a very exciting conclusion to the trilogy. Newcomers to the Charles Jenkins series should save this book for last as there are numerous references to the events of the first two book in the series and much needed background in those two books to get the full enjoyment out of this third book.
Solid four stars!

I have absolutely adored this Trilogy! Robert Dugoni is one of my favorite authors. He has a way of telling a story that is so immersive and engaging that you cannot put the book down once you start it... I am also a huge fan of classic Cold War spy novels, and really love the way he has taken that sensibility and brought it into the modern era.

This was a fantastic way to wrap up the story of the Seven Sisters - and I love how his acknowledgments include an intimation that he might not be done with Charles Jenkins just yet... I for one hope he is not - he is a fantastic character and I would love to see his Adventures continue!

Loved this third book in the trilogy! WOW! Could not put it down. Lots of action, some mystery, and many connecting stories.
Charles Jenkins is called back to Russia to help the last two of the "Seven Sisters" to escape. But, Charlie is on the kill list in Russia, and escaping is not going to be easy.
Great story, love the characters, and the flow from one scene to the next. Even if you haven't read the other two books, you will have no problem following along.
I received an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

This is an espionage thriller which leaves the reader breathless. Robert Dugoni has sent Charlie Jenkins back to Russia in the third installment of the series. The plot centers around the last two (and silent) of the so-called seven sisters. These women were CIA operatives raised from childhood in Russia during the Cold War. Four of the women (now in their sixties) have already been uncovered, tortured and eliminated. Charlie, a CIA operative has already successfully exfiltrated one of the three remaining and is enjoying his quiet life on his farm in the Pacific Northwest. Despite being on a "kill list' in Russia, he is asked to exfiltrate the remaining two sisters who are now asking for help and no longer silent. Charlie accepts the job but finds it will be more complex and dangerous than anticipated. High echelon Russian bureaucrats, the Russian mafiya, double agents and local police officers stand in the way of Charlie successfully saving the two silent sisters. Robert Dugoni's research and writing skills provide a very satisfying conclusion to the Charlie Jenkins trilogy. And the best part is that you need not have read the books in order though you will want to go back and read the others in case you missed them!

Robert Dugoni’s “Silent Sisters” takes us on a wild game of “Cat and Mouse” with Charles Jenkins, again(is this REALLY the end of the series?), as the CIA agent, on a mission in Russia, to extricate two female operatives, Russians who had worked as spies for the US, since childhood. The two women have gone “silent” and it is unclear if they have “turned”, or are in trouble. Jenkins is sent in to discover the their whereabouts.

Jenkins, in his first few days back in Russia, mistakenly leaves his fingerprint on a beer bottle in a seedy watering hole, where a prominent member of the Russian mafia ended up dead. Already hunted by the FSB, as a result of his last advenure in Russia, Jenkins finds himself as the prey of the Mafia family’s Matriarch, as well. Added to the mix is a detective on the verge of retirement, tunnels beneath the streets of Moscow, a Trans Siberian adventure, more than a few “villains”, and a pinch of romance, and, of course, plenty of subterfuge. This brings us to what Dugoni does best…keeps us on our toes! You cannot help but love Jenkins, who is conflicted with “the thrill of the hunt” and the ache to return to his young, growing family as he realizes the physical, and emotional, toll his career takes on his life. Please, don’t let this be the last of Charles Jenkins…maybe he just needs a new “venue”!

In this third installment to author Robert Dugoni’s Charles Jenkins spy thriller trilogy, the reader is transported back to Russia where our favorite “former” CIA agent is tasked with the extraction of the final two of the “seven sisters.” As the story begins to unfold, it comes as no surprise that Jenkins finds himself—yet again—entangled in a complicated and potentially deadly situation from which he’s hard-pressed to escape. And along the way, readers are taken on one hell-uv-an exhilarating, suspenseful ride in this page-turner of a story! While “The Silent Sisters” is the final book in the Charles Jenkins series, I suspect this will not be the last we see of him! At least, that is my hope!!

I am thriller and mystery nerd and this book was a ride , this is the first I have read by this author but it good the least to say , yes there were certain parts that bored me or maybe I didn't really pay attention but anyway it is a book any person who loves thriller should read

I've read many books by Robert Dugoni and have enjoyed them all. I've read all of the "sisters" books. This one, like all of them was easy to read and fast paced. Good characters and pacing. I highly recommend this book.

This is my favorite series. Charles Jenkins is a semi-retired CIA operative, semi being the key word. There appears to be another assignment that only he can carry out.

Dugoni's writing is always intelligent and thoughtful, his characters always three-dimensional. A nail bitter of a mystery set in Russia that could very well be a Bond thriller.

Thanks to #NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for an advance readers copy.

This is the third book of a series, but the first I have read. I will quickly correct that and read the others. It is a typical spy v spy book with the Russian mafia thrown in, it was a thoroughly enjoyable read.

It starts with a prologue that is actually events that happen at the end of the book. So you know the hero gets badly beaten and is on the verge of being killed, but not why.

The characters, especially Maria and Arkhip were especially enjoyable.

The final(?) book in the Charles Jenkins series has Jenkins once again going to Russia for the Sisters.

The last two Sisters - sleeper agents for the American CIA - have gone radio silent. Jenkins is once again recruited to head to Russia. The mission this time: get the two remaining women exfiltrated and back to the US.

I've mentioned in previous reviews my major issue with this series. It's just fantastically difficult for me to see an over six foot tall, over 200 pound, black spy in Russia able to move around as he was, in a country that is predominantly white. That is (partially) solved, at least at the beginning here, by Jenkins assuming a disguise that involves making him white: mask on the face, long gloves on the hands, and so on. He also enters the country under an assumed ID of a British textile salesman (and hilariously, gets asked by a guard to give the uniform manufacturers something breathable, like cotton, as Moscow is in the throes of a late heat wave).

Jenkins checks in at an out of the way hotel, then goes to a really out of the way dive of a bar, where he does something monumentally stupid: he involves himself in the business of two locals and a woman who is obviously a prostitute. In the alley, he steps in when one of the guys is about to sexually assault the woman. One of the men accidentally shoots the other dead, then runs away, and the prostitute asks Jenkins, "What have you done?"

Good question. As it turns out,the dead guy is the son of the woman who runs one of the most powerful organized crime families in Moscow. Jenkins realizes he's left a fingerprint behind at the scene.

So now, Jenkins has the mob boss, a cop on the verge of retirement (who is a widower with a perfect record of closing cases, of course), and the head of a division who is looking for a promotion on his tail. But not, amazingly, the FSB, who has a kill order for Jenkins. It would be inconvenient for all these other parties if Jenkins was knocked off.

He manages to get away fro his hotel before anyone comes looking, and gets the first Sister passed on to the person who will then pass her on to another person, etc., until she's out of the country. There's very little about her, as the other Sister - Maria, assistant to the head of the division - is the more interesting one.

Quite a good chunk of the middle is taken up by narrative from Maria's POV, and it is absolutely fantastic. It's the best part of the entire book, in my opinion.

Eventually, Jenkins and Maria are on the run - there's an assassin working to eliminate her and capture him, the mob family, the cop, our old friend Federov who used to be FSB, and a heroin dealer whose nickname is The Fly involved and a nice comeuppance at the end for a particularly slimy party.

Overall: a solid four out of five stars, and a good closing to the series. Maybe. Dugoni puts in the afterward that he's heading to Egypt, so who knows what the future holds for Jenkins. I sense Jenkins might fit in a little better there, but still, 6'+ and 200+ pounds? I suppose we'll see.

Thanks to Thomas & Mercer and NetGalley for the reading copy.

The Russians are no match for the Americans in this third installment of a Russian spy series by Rober Dugoni. Charles Jenkins returns to Russia to assist in the rescue of spy sisters trapped in the oppressive regime of Russia. Jenkins gets caught up in an unrelated murder and uses all his resources as well of those he is rescuing to stave off the blood-thirsty Russian mafia, those in charge at the governmental level, and local cops seeking to solve a murder mystery of their own. I had not read the previous books in this series but this one stands alone as a good spy/mystery/thriller. The characters are likeable, the plot twisty enough to keep the reader's interest, and the Russian location is different enough to spark the reader's intellect. This is overall a good entertaining read. I have been a fan of Dugoni's other work but never read his series books. This one won't be my last. Thanks to #TheSilentSisters#NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book.

Robert Dugoni is one of my favorite authors these days. He continues to put out great books to keep you on your toes, time flies when you're reading them, with in-depth story lines that continue to surprise you asking the way!

This is the third book following Charles Jenkins, a CIA operative. Though reading the first two books may help you understand the story line a bit, it is not mandatory, and the story makes sense enough as is and will draw you in quickly. Perhaps Dugoni's best gift is creating stories where the line between good/evil, and friend/foe is blurred. This story definitely does that!

I highly recommend this one, and highly recommend looking at other publications from Robert Dugoni.

A very good story. Although this is the third in a series it is the first I read and did so quite happily as a stand alone. Once I figured out which Russian was which, it was easy to follow. The chapters moved along at a good pace - easy to pick up where you might leave down. All in all a very enjoyable read if you like spy thrillers and even if you don’t.

“The Silent Sisters” completes Dugoni’s Charles Jenkins espionage trilogy, the story of the Seven Sisters, spies embedded in Russia for decades, strategically placed at the upper echelons of Russian bureaucracy. This series, and in particular this latest addition to the story, returns Jenkins to Russia when the last two sisters go silent. Someone has to rescue them and, although all the new surveillance cameras throughout Moscow are enabled with face recognition and he’s a wanted man, its again up to Jenkins to pull off the impossible. It’s not a story of secret gadgetry, but an old fashioned action packed espionage story of secret drops and code words and a race to escape the Russian secret service. Of course, to complicate matters, Jenkins manages to become the chief suspect in a murder of a mafia leader’s son and also has that entire organization after him as well as the head of the secret service’s private assassin.

In short, this novel is everything you could want out of an espionage story from a seductress with the goods on the spy chief’s extracurricular activities to a chase across all of Russia, an incredible area to operate in since its borders are not necessarily porous and there’s no escaping a secret service armed with modern surveillance technology. A terrific read!

An excellent book. I have not read previous books in this trilogy but certainly will now. This can be easily read as a stand alone book.

This is the 3rd book in the Charles Jenkins spy thriller series by author Robert Dugoni.

This is one series I feel really needs to be read in order to fully understand what is going on. Charles Jenkins is back after escaping Russian agents in the previous book ‘The Last Agent’ and once again is determined to lead a quieter life away from spying. But once again Jenkins needs to put his pipe and slippers dream on hold so that he can hunt down the final two of the seven sisters who have been working under cover in Russia for the Americans. It is not known whether the women are in hiding or now working as double agents, Jenkins who the Russians have now put a target on his back must uncover the truth and track down the final two sisters to bring them back on American soil.

Another exciting spy thriller that is again written at such an high standard.

I would like to thank both Net Galley and Thomas & Mercer for supplying a copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

This is one of the few Dugoni books that I didn't enjoy. The premise and the composition the agent used to find his quarry was to exaggerated for my imagination I'm sure others will definitely enjoy his book.