Amanda Cole, deputy chief of station in Rome, a posting she finds utterly boring, is faced one lazy summer afternoon with a walk-in, a Russian on vacation with his wife in Italy claiming that a New York senator is going to be assassinated. This interesting spy story moves between two timelines - the present day and Helsinki during the Cold War - prescient too on focusing on stock market manipulations through algorithms by the Russians, along with double agents and more, including the relationship between Amanda and her father, also a CIA agent though Charlie Cole has held a desk job in PR at the agency for decades. I enjoyed the machinations, assumed the algorithm/stock market manipulation is probably actually happening, though the ending let me down - unless this is the first in a series and the story of Amanda and Charlie will continue - which I hope it does.

Thanks to Simon & Schuster and Netgalley for an ARC.

After a slew of heavy memoirs and some ponderous literary fiction, this spy thriller was the palate cleanser I needed. Thankfully Pitoniak set out to write the book she wanted to read - a propulsive spy thriller told from the perspective of a female CIA agent. At 40, Amanda Cole is young enough to retain her idealism about her work but old enough to trust her instincts. When a case drops in her lap that could unravel not just Russian-led stock market manipulation, but potentially her own father's career, she must tread carefully and keep her wits about her. This is a clever and action packed spy novel and a welcome addition to the genre. I enjoyed Pitoniak's Our American Friend and her deeper dive into political spy-tinged fiction does not disappoint! Thank you to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for the ARC.

In Necessary People, Anna Pitoniak took us inside a TV newsroom with a thriller that kept its foot on the gas from the beginning (difficult friendships! grudges!) to the perfectly-rendered ending. This time, she unleashes her considerable skills for plotting and characterization on an espionage thriller — while keeping female characters front and center. I'll be recommending this book in the 17 November episode of my podcast 'The Library of Lost Time.'

Wow 6 degrees separation really is close! This quite the story of family, and secrets. Makes you wonder IF anyone is who ' THEY say they are?

The Helsinki Affair is about a female spy, Amanda Cole, who works for the CIA while stationed in Rome. When a Russian operative shows up claiming that a US senator will be killed, Amanda’s Station Chief insists that the guy is bonkers. However, the Senator soon dies of apparent medical reasons, and Amanda is tasked with the investigation.

This is a great spy story with many interesting tidbits thrown in. I’m ecstatic to finally read a book with a female lead in this sort of role. This is a 4-star read for me and I look forward to more from Anna Pitoniak. Thank you, NetGalley and Simon and Schuster for the advanced copy.

Amanda Cole feel punished as a rising CIA agent for her boring assignment to the Rome bureau, where nothing exciting happens except for diplomat visits and parties. That is until one late afternoon when she’s the only one in the office on a hot summer day and she agrees to take a meeting with a low-level Russian bureaucrat who’s desperate to share information he overhead that a U.S. Senator visiting Cairo is about to be assassinated. Amanda hears him out and ultimately believes him, only to hit up against complete dismissal by her sexist Bureau Chief. When the assignation take place, Amanda finds herself as new Rome Bureau chief as well as the agent running the Russian operative. She gets partnered with a tough, crafty, seasoned bureau partner, CIA legend Kath, in her quest to figure out who’s behind the assignation – the KBG, the KRU, the Kremlin?

Meanwhile, Amanda’s Dad, Charlie, who’s about to retire from the service, comes across private notes from the Senator that he shares with Amanda, including a cryptic mention of his own name among the notes. A secondary plot unravels back in time with Charlie as a young agent in Helsinki with a young wife and daughter and struggling to find any Russian spies of his own to run. How his marriage unravels and the Helsinki affair connected to it will intersect brutally with the main plot.

Amanda finds herself up against double agents, sophisticated stock value manipulations, blackmail, murder and mayhem as she races to sort out just what is really going on.

Got to love this latest missive from the incredible Anne Pitoniak!

Thanks Simon and Schuster and NetGalley for an advanced reader’s copy of this book.

I loved this book! I couldn’t put it down! The spy plot was twisty, but not too hard to follow. This is the perfect book to while away an afternoon.

Loved this book! I'm a fairly regular reader of the spy fiction genre, and this one rates at the top of the list. How refreshing that the main characters were mostly women combined with a father-daughter dimension that added not only emotional tension, but a narrative tool that allowed for a seamless back and forth exploration of the differences not only in spy craft but in relationships between the US and Russia across decades, during- and post-cold-war. I tore through the book, it completely kept my attention, I was eager to get back to it each evening. And while it is a spy thriller, fans of smart well-written, escapist fiction will enjoy this book, with or without their own spy genre background. Top notch.

I received this book free of charge from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

I loved this book. A current day spy/espionage novel with strong female characters. I love it!

Amanda Cole is following in her fathers footsteps as as CIA Agent. She is stationed in Rome which is normally pretty quiet. Until someone comes to her and tells her of a plot to kill a Senator. When she takes this to her boss, he doesn't believe her.... until the senator ends up dead. Somehow her father is also tied to this. But how? What is really going on here?

This was a fast paced and well written novel. It was easy to follow along.

4.5/5 stars

I really liked the Helsinki Affair. I am a fan of Anna Pitoniak and I feel like she took a leap forward in her writing and the complexity of the story here. Recommend for fans of Alias Emma!

If you love a good spy novel, Anna Pitoniak should be on your radar.

Her latest, The Helsinki Affair, features CIA agent Amanda Cole, who finds herself in the middle of a plot that harks back to the late days of the Cold War and her father's CIA service in Helsinki.

When a nervous Russian shows up at the embassy in Rome, where she's posted, no one but Amanda believes the tale he's spinning. Her instincts are proved correct. Then it's up to her, her Russian asset and a legendary spy named Kath to expose the scheme. But where does her father fit into all of this, and how does Amanda balance her loyalty to her father and to her country?

As with her previous book Our American Friend, Pitoniak's story clips right along. Once again, smart and competent women drive the story. This is a fast, fun read.

I received an early review copy from NetGalley.

I have really come to enjoy Anna Pitoniak's books and get excited for a new one. "The Helsinki Affair" is an intriguing spy-novel that allows the reader to really dive deep into CIA and the small Cole family. If follows a decades long secret that that tests Daughter Amanda's loyalties. Another exciting novel that I would highly recommend.

The Helsinki Affair was a compulsive spy thriller. I enjoyed the complex characters and fast paced and will be recommending it to readers!

This was the perfect espionage book about a father and daughter and the secrets we keep. I tore through every page, and it kept me guessing the whole way through. Anna Pitoniak is quickly becoming a must-read author for me. Highly recommend!

Thank you NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for the early copy.

I really enjoyed the book and would recommend it to anyone looking for a quick read.


Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I would recommend this book to readers that are interested in a spy novel, told from a female protagonist's point of view.
If you enjoyed Amaryllis Fox's memoir., you would also enjoy this!

Pros
-Anna Pitoniak's prose
-A spy novel that is not political or biased

Cons
-Would love further explanation of the background of characters, history of events, and locations where the novel is taking place could use more development

Thanks to NetGalley and Simon and Schuster for providing this advance readers copy, in exchange for an honest review. The Helsinki Affair is a female centric spy novel about Amanda Cole, an American working for the CIA and currently stationed in Rome. She receives a tip from a Russian operative, letting her know about a covert assassination that is planned against a US Senator. It is this event that kicks off of the story and we are taken along with Amanda as she tries to learn why this assassination happened and especially, what her father (a fellow CIA agent) may have had to do with the whole scheme.

This was an excellent spy novel and was enjoyable to read. There were a manageable number of characters to follow and even though the story jumped perspectives a bit, I was able to keep track of what was going on. Additionally, the characters also felt very realistic and the story felt contemporary, even if there were references and allusions to the Cold War (which of course still shapes American/Russian relations). The story also balanced maintaining a fast pace and being slow enough to appreciate the build up before the ending. As a result, I felt that the ending was satisfying and was eagerly reading to see how it would all wrap up.

I was a huge fan of this author’s first novel and was super excited to read this one; fans of her previous work will enjoy this one. I’d also recommend this book to fans of political thrillers or spy novels.

Thank you NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for the opportunity to read an advanced copy of this terrific upcoming thriller. I thoroughly enjoyed Anna Pitoniak's recent book, Our American Friend. She has upped her writing game even more with The Helsinki Affair.

CIA agent Amanda Cole is serving as deputy station agent in Rome, not exactly an exciting post in the center of international action, when a Russian man walks in to the station office asking for a meeting and warning of the imminent assassination of an American politician in Cairo. Amanda believes him even though her superior officer doesn't want to give him the time of day. After the senator dies on his trip to Cairo, seemingly of a heat induced stroke, the warning of the assassination turns out to have been true. Amanda is elevated to station chief and embarks on a mission to find out just why the Russians would take such a risky action.

Of course there's more to it than simply figuring out the Russian plot - Amanda's father Charlie had been a CIA operative in Helsinki back in the day, but he suddenly and mysteriously stepped back to a desk job at Langley in the early 1990's. Now his name is found among some of the senator's secret papers, with a possible link to the case. She now has a moral dilemma to deal with - was her father Russian mole? And does she really want to find out the truth about him?

The book shifts backward to Charlie's Cold War days in Helsinki and forwards to Amanda's pursuing of her current case. Moles, double agents, oligarchs, financial market shenanigans, rivalry between the FSB and GRU, a Putin like head of the Russian government pulling the strings, mistakes and betrayals in the past and present. This is spy thriller with all of the elements.

In her forward to the book the author reveals that during her time as an editor at Random House she longed for a female-centric spy thriller with a complex heroine, but one never crossed her desk. So she embarked on writing one herself. Bravo! can't wait for more from her.

The book was just ok with me. I felt like it was well written but there wasn't enough driving me towards the next page. I understood it was looking for more sublety than I was hoping for. It didn't keep my interest as much as I would like but I think others may disagree with me.

This is an incredibly timely, well-written spy novel. Since much of it takes place in Helsinki and details the Russian/American rivalry in the area, it was a reflect moment to revisit this city. Additionally, much of it concerns the stock manipulation which has recently occurred.

The story is centered on Amanda Cole and her father, Charlie. Both CIA agents, both involved with Russia and both dealing assets, but in very different ways. Amanda has to make heart wrenching decisions when her father’s name comes up during an investigation.

Watching today’s news, I was truly impressed by Pitoniak’s almost psychic ability to have written this novel several months ago. It is a bit hard to understand the central stock manipulation scheme, but well worth the effort.

This is a very good, well-paced novel that will be enjoyed by those with political and economic interests. Thank you Netgalley for this engaging spy novel.