I liked this book! The intertwined stories and timelines made it even more interesting, and I liked a lot of the characters.

Anna Pitoniak’s “The Helsinki Affair” is a very good spy novel. More like a Le Carre than a Fleming or a Ludlum or a DaSilva, it focuses on the decades-apart careers of two CIA officers and the continuing war of espionage between the US and the Russia that once was the Soviet Union.

If anyone was ever meant to be a CIA officer, it is Amanda Cole. Her grandfather was OSS during WWII. Her father ran assets for the Agency in Algiers and Helsinki during the 1980s.

When the story begins, she is second-in-command of the Rome station. A man purporting to work for Russian Military Intelligence (the GRU) walks into the American embassy and reports that a US Senator is about to be assassinated. Amanda believes the "walk-in." Her boss does not. When the senator is assassinated, Amanda becomes the chief of Rome station. She also becomes the walk-in's handler, sending him back to Moscow to continue work at the GRU and send her more intelligence.

Through him, and other sources, Amanda learns that the Kremlin is influencing the decisions of American corporations using stock manipulations and blackmail. She also discovers the presence of a long-time “mole” within the CIA. Evidence suggests her father could be the traitor. Her job now is to stop the Russian manipulation and discover the mole's identity. If it is her Dad, where will her loyalty lie?

It's a well-told story that covers the period between the 1980s and today and takes readers from Washington to Moscow to Helsinki to Rome with side trips to Algiers, Switzerland, Manhattan, and other venues. So, it’s a very international story. But it’s not a glamorous one. Author Anna Pitoniak strives to depict the “nitty-gritty” of life as a CIA officer, showing us that there’s more call for mundane, bureaucratic paper-pushing and patience-demanding waiting than for feats of daring-do. That sometimes slows the novel down. Also, don’t expect much in the way of whiz-bang gadgetry or mano-a-mano melees to set you on the edge of your seat.

Instead, Pitoniak employs high, high stakes and a creative conspiracy to keep us engaged. Her premise as to how the Kremlin, its intelligence services, and a particular oligarch seek to manipulate American corporations is fascinating. Her main character's efforts to counter that threat to the lifeblood of the US economy, plus the mole hunt, plus the story of her father’s service during the 1980s, plus all the twists and turns as to who is loyal to whom, are what compel us to turn pages.

It's a very good story that lovers of spy novels, especially cerebral spy novels, should very much enjoy.

My thanks to NetGalley, author Anna Pitoniak, and publisher Simon and Schuster for providing me with an electronic ARC. The foregoing is my honest, independent opinion.

This is a terrific book. The writing is good, characters are really well written and interesting,.and the plot is terrific. Honestly could not stop reading it once started, so be warned. It has female protagonists, but everyone of importance is realistic, complex, far from flawless. This book is a nuanced and subtle spy story, modern and relevant. Appreciate the advance copy The plot revisits cold war issues between the U.S. and Russia but is clearly set in the modern era, with social media and manipulation central to the plot.
It would do a disservice to summarize the plot - just delve in and enjoy.

This is a fun spy story, mixed in with a touching look at a father/daughter relationship. Amanda Cole has to make a hard choice when she’s confronted with information that doesn’t reflect well on her dad.

I received an advanced copy of this book from Netgalley, but all thoughts are my own.

The Helsinki Affair by Anna Pitoniak

This is the second book I have read by Ms. Pitoniak. I had read Our American Friend which was an enjoyable read. But this book is infinitely better and shows remarkable progress as a writer. The Helsinki Affair is an espionage novel written by a woman and about a woman CIA Station Chief who must solve a complex plan put into place by the Russians. The pace of the story is excellent from beginning to end. Many writers tend to rush to the ending as they come close but she does not. Also, I do not like espionage novels that must have sex. There is none in this book which on its own makes it a good read by me. The protagonist (Amanda Cole) is a third generation CIA agent but the story weaves the past and the present of her father who betrayed the US to the Russians. The story begins when a Russian walks up to the US embassy gate who wants to tell a story of a plot to kill a US senator in 24hrs. in Greece. Her boss does not believe the story until it becomes true. He then resigns and Amanda is now in charge attempting to find out why the senator was killed and why her father’s name is in the document that the senator has written. That I hope is enough of the story to intrigue you. I can not really suggest a make writer who I would compare her to which is in my mind a very positive statement. She has her own style and the story has the mind of how a woman might access the situation which I think it a good thing to say. Hope you find the time to read the book.

A terrific women-oriented spy fiction! I loved every second of this compelling thriller and can’t wait for the author’s future titles!