A spy thriller with a female in the lead? Umm, yes please sign me up! This was just a great paced story with little twisty treasures along the way. Amanda Cole is a strong female character you can get behind. Watching this story unfold between two story lines was one of my favorite things behind this entire story. Blackmail, espionage and family drama all make it to these pages in what is testing everything she believes in! Love it! Can’t wait to read more from this author!

I recently read a female spy novel written by a former female CIA operative. It was amazing, but I’m afraid that it set the bar really high for what I look for when it comes to this type of book. I found this one to be rather slow for my liking. My favorite parts were the historical elements surrounding the cold war, which I enjoy, but wasn’t looking for. I really enjoyed the dual timelines, it was done well and was really interesting. While this book was solid, and a worthwhile read, it just wasn’t my favorite.

Thank you so much to the publisher and netgalley for this e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

3.5 stars

The book was very well researched. However, there seemed to be too much useless information. I found myself skipping several parts. I gave it four stars due to the fact it was well written. Was just not my type of book. I’m sure a lot of people will enjoy and I don’t want to criticize a book just because it is not my style.

Thank you @SimonBooks #SimonBooksBuddy for the free copy of The Helsinki Affair by Anna Pitoniak. This is a seriously amazing book. Anytime I really enjoy something I’m reading, I have to share it with whoever is around me. I spent at least thirty minutes the last couple of nights discussing this book with my husband. He finally said stop- I have to read this one myself.
Amanda Cole a promising and dedicated young spy. Unfortunately for her, she’s stationed in Italy. It’s beautiful and relaxed, but away from the action she craves. Until a Russian comes in on vacation with an incredible story- there’s a plot to assassinate a United States Senator. The story is wild, but convincing to Amanda. Her superior does not agree and twenty four hours later the Senator is dead.
What unfolds from there is a conspiracy that dates back to the Cold War, incorporates modern day meme stocks and algorithms, and Amanda’s own father - a fellow CIA agent.

I haven’t read a book like this in a long time. The parallels between fiction and our state of current affairs was fascinating. I would feel confident recommending this book for any type of reader. It becomes available November 14, 2023.

An ambitious CIA agent. A dead US Senator. A new arena for Russian aggressions.

Amanda Cole is a dedicated CIA officer stationed in Rome, where she is quite frankly a bit bored. When a Russian man wanders in to warn of the impending assassination of US Senator Bob Vogel, she finds him credible but her superior does not. The information is not passed along, so when Senator Vogel dies exactly where and how it was predicted Amanda’s boss is encouraged to “retire” and Amanda is promoted to replace him as station chief. As Amanda works to turn the Russian into an informant, back in DC things are happening that relate to the situation. The now-deceased Senator’s aide comes across some handwritten notes with which she is completely unfamiliar. On one page, Senator Vogel had written a name with which she is somewhat familiar….Charlie Cole, a CIA employee who just happens to be Amanda’s father. What was Vogel working on that would make Russian intelligence target him for assassination? Is Amanda’s father involved, and if so how? Will misdeeds of the past resurface? And will Amanda, in order to do her job, have to betray her father? With the help of veteran CIA agent Kath Frost, Amanda works to discover what Vogel knew, how to stop the covert Russian manipulations, and protect her father from the sins of his past.
I have been reading espionage novels for a long time, loving the works of John Le Carré and Martin Cruz Smith, as well as more recent discoveries like Charles Cumming. One thing those authors, and most others in the genre, have in common is a male protagonist. It is only recently that I have started seeing similarly well-written books featuring a female spy, like Stella Rimington, Francine Matthew’s and now Anna Pitoniak. Amanda Cole is no Bond girl, she is committed to a difficult career that does not always treat its female members well. She has things in her own past that haunt her, and parts of her family history that have never quite made sense. She has had to learn to behave like a good team player, biting her tongue if needed when she disagrees with decisions being made against her own inclination. In The Helsinki Affair, she has to weigh what information to disclose, and to whom, all the while knowing that her actions may not only endanger her father, they could end her career. I found the story fast-paced, the characters well-developed, and the described Russian intelligence operation quite believable. I recommend that lovers of a good espionage thriller add this to their TBR list, particularly if you have been looking for a strong if flawed woman in the leading role. Many thanks to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for allowing me access to an advanced reader’s copy of The Helsinki Affair, it was a very entertaining read.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read an ARC of this book.
As an introduction, Ms Pitoniak tells us that she has always loved spy novels. However, it didn't escape her notice that all the good books were about male spies. (She needs to read Mick Herron). So she set out to write a spy novel that starred female spies and make it just as thrilling as a le Carré. For the most part, she succeeded.

Amanda Cole, joins the CIA following in her father's footsteps. She is assigned to Rome and becomes the recipient of news that an American Senator is to be killed. No one believes her. The Senator is killed and Amanda is given the post of Station Head of the Rome office. Her father gives her papers that had been in the Senator's possession that give clues as to what he was working on that probably caused his assassination. Her father's name is in the papers.
Amanda wants more information and turns an informant. She also suspects that her father might be a traitor. She holds on to that information as she tries to unravel the latest "game" between the Russians and the Americans.

The book was a page-turner and quite good. There were a few nail biting times, enough for me, but le Carré fans may want a few more.

I hope Ms. Pitoniak writes more of these books. I think she could only get better.

Make room in the spy fiction thriller world for a new voice! Anna Pitoniak, a former editor at Random House, enjoyed spy fiction but was unable to find any female-centric spy novels. She endeavored to fill that gap with her own heroine, Amanda Cole, in a soon to be released book (November), The Helsinki Affair. And fill that gap she did! The story is fast paced with two timelines at work. The characters are well-developed. Amanda faces several moral dilemmas throughout the story and even if I might have disagreed with how she chose to resolve them, these ethical quandaries serve as a connecting thread throughout the story. I’ve always struggled with stories with more than one Russian named character and so I had trouble keeping a third of the characters straight. (My Bad!) All in all, a great entry into the spy novel world…. I can’t wait for the next “Amanda Cole” installment.

This spy novel was a wild and fun ride. I will admit that this isn’t a typical genre for me, but I really enjoyed it. I think my favorite part is that the main character, Amanda Cole, is a female spy which I feel like is overlooked in most media about spies. The book takes place in two timelines and I will admit the switches between them were frequent and random often mid-page. I wish hat had been a little more clear, but it was a small annoyance and didn’t really detract from my enjoyment for the story. Amanda follows in her father’s footsteps and joins the CIA. Stationed in Rome she doesn’t expect much until a Russian citizen turns up and insists he has information that is life or death which starts her down a path of the case of her lifetime.

The Helsinki Affair by Anna Pitoniak is a spy novel with a plot line that is absorbing and complex. It starts out with Amanda Cole, a CIA agent who is an American working in Rome, Italy. She was the only agent who was in the building during lunch time when a man came in and warned that he was aware of a plot by the Russians to assassinate an 80 year old American senator by making it look like he died of natural causes in the hot sun. Amanda feels like the contact was telling the truth, but it was really just a feeling.

Amanda takes her concerns to her supervisor, who did not speak to the man who came in, and he said they were being conned by the Russian. Amanda at this point was almost sure her instincts were correct, but lacking her supervisor’s ok, her hands were tied.

In the end, Amanda was proven to be correct and was put in place as the head of her CIA department in Rome. This leads to a web of occurrences that involves spies, double agents, triple agents and much more. The plot is well thought out and brings characters from Amanda’s past, present and future into her story.

One aspect I enjoyed about the book was that the plot involves multiple cities in multiple countries so readers have an international experience. Anna Pitoniak has a story teller’s gift, weaving important details where and when they make the most sense. The Helsinki Affair is well worth reading, especially for readers who enjoy espionage and travel.

Multiple timelines and perspectives make for an intricate plot. Suspense ratchets up as the pages fly by. Fans of Chris Pavone may enjoy it.

I've read each of Anna Pitoniak's books as they've been released, and since I want this review to be spoiler-free, given the intricate plot, I'll just say this—each book I've read by her has gotten better and better. I thought Our American Friend was a huge leap forward in terms of themes, research, and plotting, and The Helsinki Affair ups the ante even more! I'm so glad she stayed in the same world of espionage and international affairs that she explored in Our American Friend, and I can't wait for the next one (which I believe takes place in the same world). Bravo!

This read like a movie script! This would make a super fun movie with a badass female protagonist that has good instincts. Look forward to reading more by this author!

The Helsinki Affair is a cerebral spy thriller with a wide reaching cast, and decades of secrets.

When CIA agent Amanda Cole is visited by a man who tells her a senator will die after he gets off a plane the next day, she believes him but her boss doesn't. They ignore the tip, and the senator dies of a stroke the next day. Amanda starts pulling at threads trying to figure out why the senator was assassinated, and stumbles into an international conspiracy that spans decades. Amidst the conspiracy is her revered father's career in the CIA, and the more Amanda learns, the more she wishes she was never informed about the senator's death to begin with.

The Helsinki Affair is a high stakes, high minded conspiracy spy thriller with vibrant characters and a timely tech manipulation at the center of it. It is a truly fun read for fans of the genre.

A captivating and timely tale of espionage. i would love to see this made into a movie.
Many thanks to Simon & Schuster and to Netgalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.

“The Helsinki Affair” was a really exciting spy thriller. We don’t often see women as MCs in stories like this, so I really enjoyed just how unique this book was. And regardless of its uniqueness, it was a really good story! Pitoniak did a great job building the plot and telling this story.

This author is a first-time read for me, and I was intrigued by the fact she’s writing a spy thriller with a female lead character. It’s not often we get the female vantage point of view in an espionage thriller like this.

The story brings several threads that are woven together to create a unique look at the inner workings of an agent, and what they see and deal with, including recruitment and double agents.

The story has a father and daughter working in the agency at the same time in different capacities but their intersection creates a jumble of woven intricacies that make the story shine.

The author has her research down, and her imagination has allowed us to travel to Europe and the East Coast. We jump timelines a few times in the story to find and gather past history, along with the in-depth behind-the-scenes action that ties together with today’s threats.

The station chief, Amanda, has her work cut out for her and is not one to sit idly by and push paperwork. When unbelievable evidence is passed her way, she dives in with the help of a fabulous old-school female spy, Kath. The two of them weave together a fabulous subterfuge while unraveling conspiracy, double agents, treason, and more. The ending will have your heart pounding! But what a fabulous twist!

Bravo to Pitoniak for giving the female reader what we didn’t know we were missing! The Helsinki Affair is a totally different type of plot based on betrayal, secrets, and manipulation. I hope this becomes a series!

Amanda Cole is a rising CIA officer who’s gone into the “family business.” Her father, Charlie, was a spy during the Cold War, but resigned from field duty under murky circumstances. Chafing against the boredom of working in the CIA’s Rome office, Amanda gets a chance to prove herself when a Russian official shows up at the embassy, claiming foreknowledge of an assassination plot against a U.S. senator.

Unfortunately, her boss doesn’t give the threat any credence, even though Amanda is sure it’s real. Less than twenty-four hours later, the senator is dead. And the assassination plot turns out to be a thread that begins to unravel a much larger conspiracy.

While investigating the corporate blackmail and covert manipulation that are at the heart of the Russians’ plot, Amanda comes across a reference to her father in the dead senator’s notes. Why was he mentioned? Could her father be the long-rumored CIA mole? Amanda finds herself torn between loyalty to family and loyalty to country, as she pushes to uncover the ugly truth.

Pitoniak deftly manages the plot twists and turns that every reader expects from a good spy novel. But at the same time, she imbues the tale with emotional depth and a rarely seen (in spy stories) female perspective. The Helsinki Affair is a satisfying read for fans of John Le Carré and Alan Furst, while still bringing something new to the game.

This was such a fun read. I really enjoyed the plot and the story kept me guessing. I love spy books and this was a fun addition to the genre (not to mention timely). I do think the writing was a bit weak and the characters not as strong as in other books in this genre, hence the three stars (I'm a tough grader) - but if you like spy thrillers, this is a solid pick.

I liked this one but didn't love it. I found the historical elements about the Cold War to be the most interesting parts of this one, as opposed to the more contemporary storyline both in terms of the spy game and the father-daughter dynamic. It just seemed to read a lot slower than I expected, given the topic in genre.

A compelling dual timeline spy thriller, following the lives of Amanda Cole, CIA Rome office chief, and her father, once a CIA Cold War spy. I loved the feminist slant and the pounding action that kept me plowing through to the end.