This was such a fascinating book. I love a good spy book, but this one featuring retired spies over the age of 60 was brilliant. I love the trend of older people as the main characters. Certain parts are really sad. Maggie sacrificed a lot for her country. She’s suffered years of guilt. I didn’t like Diana at all. I was very engrossed in the storyline.

I have been a big fan of Tess Gerritsen for a long time and her new book “The Spy Coast” has reinforced my enthusiasm for every book she writes. This story is different from her other books as we are following a group of retired CIA operatives living in rural Maine come out of retirement to protect one of their own from an “old mission” gone wrong. The new cast of characters are charming, intelligent and exciting, and I found myself rooting for all of them as this fascinating intense mystery sweeps us across the globe. I believe this is the first of a new series and I cannot wait to read what follows! I especially appreciated how Ms. Gerritsen makes us aware that these agents may be in their golden years but they are still a formidable group who can outwit their much younger adversaries. I highly recommend this to all who enjoy this genre.

Thank you NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

I was drawn to this new series by Gerritsen as I have read !most of her other books including her early romantic suspense. The Martini club did not disappoint. A bit predictable vin some elements, the story evolves filled with strong characters who make up for the right guesses. I loved the travelogue of exotic places and food descriptions. I want to see more sleuthing from this cosy mystery with an edge.

Copy provided by the publisher and NetGalley

Thank you to Net Galley and to Thomas & Mercer for an early copy of The Spy Coast by Tess Gerritsen

"And that's what we must learn to deal with: our place in a world that sees us as used up and irrelevant. This new generation looks only to the future, with little regard for the past and what it could teach them. What we could teach them."

Maggie Bird, a former spy who never really retired, and Jo Thibodeau, acting police chief of Purity, Maine, will match wits when a dead woman is found on Maggie's driveway. The victim had visited Maggie that same day, but Maggie must unravel the terrifying message the woman brought: something in Maggie's spy past has come to light and she is needed in order to find someone she used to know.

With the help of Maggie's small but very effective band of former spies who now live in Purity, Maggie will put the pieces together, begin her globe-trotting journey and ultimately confront her past. And what a past! Her backstory is revealed in a harrowing series of chapters where Maggie falls in love, faces danger and must constantly weigh what to reveal and what to hide.

This is the first book in what will be The Martini Club series as this small group of very sharp "retired" spies make use of their varied and crucial skills to solve crimes.

As a longtime fan of the Rizzoli & Isles books, I can often take or leave Tess Gerritsen's standalone books. This one is a keeper! Mysterious characters, well-developed relationships, riveting plot. The heroine is an older woman who is not held back by societal thoughts on anyone older than 40. This one kept me guessing until the end, and I was lefting wanting to know what's next for Maggie, her friends – and her foes.

Thank you Netgalley and Thomas & Mercer for the chance to read an advance copy of The spy coast by Tess Gerritsen. The author is a long time favourite of mine, and I was excited to see a new series by her. The spy coast is a total departure from her Rizzoli & Isles thriller series as she ventures into the espionage world. One of my favourite thing about this book was the characters. Maggie retired from the CIA after a devastating loss and ends up settling down in a small town in Maine, where other CIA retirees have settled. I am used to reading thrillers whose main characters are under 50 and I am thrilled that Maggie and the rest of The Martini Club are older! If you enjoyed the movie Red (with Helen Mirren, and Bruce Willis) you will definitely enjoy The spy coast!

Good but not great.
Dwelled too much on the past…I thought yhe present day story was more interesting
Ending was a little far-fetched
Well written

Sixty year old Maggie thought she left her spy days behind when she retired to quiet, small town coastal Purity, Maine, the home of some old friends of hers from her early CIA career. When a woman comes knocking at her door to find out if Maggie knows where Diana Ward, a name from her past escapades, is, she realizes her cover has been blown. Shortly thereafter, Maggie discovers the woman making the inquiry dead in her driveway, having been tortured. Maggie knows she is in trouble.

Told in two timelines, the history behind Diana Ward and a mission gone horribly wrong sixteen years ago is revealed while in the present, Maggie and her friends try to keep her safe. Local police chief, Jo Thibodeau, is suspicious of Maggie and before she knows it, this retired spy is back on the road trying to put an end to that chapter of her life.

I am a fan of Gerritsen’s Rizzoli and Isles series and this is the promising first installment of a new series, “The Martini Club” so named because it is the moniker Maggie quickly made up when Thibodeau questions why Maggie and her friends are meeting together so frequently.

I’m not a huge aficionada of spy novels because they often are a bit over the top. Gerritsen, though, has a great talent for captivating her readers and this book is no exception. The story is an entertaining, fast read; suspenseful with charming characters. There is some lightheartedness and I particularly appreciated the reflections on aging.

I am looking forward to Book 2.

This was spectacular!
From the setting of a quaint, coastal Maine town to the characters, an endearing bunch of retirees, this book was a delight from start to finish. Don't get me wrong, this is no cosy mystery, there's violence, bad language and sex involved and many twists and turns as the reader delves into the backstory of Maggie, one of the members of the 'Martini Club', a group of retired CIA operatives who have settled into the charming enclave of Purity, Maine.
Maggie's past catches up with her in spectacular fashion and whilst this elderly group may be settling into their golden years, they still possess a formidable skill set to end the ambush on one of their own.

Wow. Maggie Bird and her quiet, unassuming life in Maine.
Loved this story. A bit different from other Gerritsen books, but a great read. Had me hooked and had to keep reading. No lag in the story qt all, and it held mt attention the whole way. Maggie is the next retired 007.
Can’t wait for another Maggie Bird installment

Well over a decade ago, after a mission went disastrously wrong, ex-CIA operative Maggie Bird was forced to go into early retirement. Opting to become a chicken farmer (!) in the small town of Purity in Maine, she left the danger and excitement of a globe-trotting past well behind her, settling into her bucolic surroundings.

Or she thought. Until a most unwelcome reminder arrived dead in her driveway, making Maggie realise that whatever her aspirations for a peaceful existence, her enemies had certainly not forgotten her!

So Maggie turns to her 'book club' aka her fellow 60-something retired spies' network for assistance. Meanwhile, police investigator Jo Thibodeau wonders what on earth is going on, when she is repeatedly beaten to the punch by this den of silver-haired snoops...

Moving on from her police investigation stories, Gerritsen has done an excellent job of providing us with a whole new cast of characters to enjoy. I read it in one sitting.
The first book in the series begins things with a bang. And with plenty of action, an eventful storyline, and her trademark humour, the author has given us lots to look forward to from Maggie and her gang of formidable pensioners.

I really liked this book. The characters are well developed and interesting. Now I can't wait for the next book. Thank you to netgalley for the ARC.

I really enjoyed this story of spies in their golden years as their pasts come back up to haunt them. This illusion of a peaceful life now broken, the story takes readers around the world, in flashbacks to the exciting pasts of these spies. This was a quick read, perfect to get though in a weekend.

I would recommend this book for fans of Killers of a Certain Age for their similar stories of retired spies that take readers to far-off locales.

Enjoyable and quick read! I really loved the premise behind this group of retired spies. I’m just shy of 30 so I don’t typically read stories with older heroines and heroes and this was actually refreshing to have a sixty year old female protagonist. I’m young myself but some old running injuries had me relating to Maggie when she said that cold weather makes one of her bad joints ache. I love how the author handles aging for her characters, how in their minds, they don’t feel much different than before but then their reflections remind them of the reality. I think it’s cute that they’re kind of being a menace to the local town chief of police, so I’ll be reading future installments of the Martini Club to see what they’re up to next.

Best book I’ve read in a long time! I have read most of Gerritsen’s novels, and this is a unique story. This story has it all - spies, murder, exotic locations, interesting characters, and a rural coastal Maine town in the dead of winter. Gerritsen is such a good writer and an immediate go-to for me. I loved the inspiration for this book in the Author’s Note, and it also makes me wonder about my own neighbors!
Recommended for her fans, and those who will become fans.

Thank you to NetGalley for the advanced ecopy of The Spy Coast.

This was an entertaining and fast-paced read about a retired CIA agent and what happens when the past comes back to haunt her. Featured really great characters with a great plot. I've never read any Tess Gerritsen before, but I can see from this why she continunes to be a popular author. If you like books featuring spies, especially ones featuring older protagonists, this is a great read.

Thanks Netgalley for allowing me to read this book. Maggie is enjoying her quiet life. When someone is found murdered, Maggie is guessing that it has something to do with her previous job. She will use all her contacts at her disposal. This book kept me guessing.

Name of Book: The Spy Coast
Series: The Martini Club #1
Author: Tess Gerritsen
Genre: Mystery/Thriller
Publisher: Thomas & Mercer
Pub Date: November 1, 2023
My Rating: 3.4 stars
Pages: 341

Maggie Bird is now sixty and has retired to Purity, Maine, and a small seaside town. (Hmmm perhaps somewhat like Cabot Cove, Maine from “Murder She Wrote” fame.
Although we Californian’s know it was filmed in Mendocino, CA!
Sorry I had to mention that as we do we do have some great seaside villages!)
Okay back to story~ Several other retired CIA officers have already retired there and are busy doing retirement things- gardening, raising chickens, and reading books for their’ Martini Club’ –book club gathering
(My book club - ‘Reading Between the Wines’ preferred wine.-However we never got into dealing with ‘real’ mysteries as the “Martini Club”’)
This group doesn’t tell anyone they're ex-Agency - once a secret agent, always a secret agent
Sure enough someone dumps a dead body on Maggie's driveway.

The body is Bianca Miskova, who just happened to visit Maggie recently. Bianca said she was a CIA agent and asked about Diana Ward, who is now an ex-CIA; but had worked with Maggie ages ago. Maggie hasn’t had any recent contact. - Maggie explains “Diana "turned me into a traitor."

Purity’s acting police chief; Jo Thibodeau is tough but more accustomed to rowdy tourists than murder investigations is somewhat puzzled by Maggie’s reluctance to share information—also by her circle of friends, who seem to be a step ahead of her.

Sure enough Acting Police Chief Jo’s investigation collides with the Martini Club’s maneuvers,

Yikes! I had high hopes for the story. I was expecting more from the “Martini Club – you know like the “Thursday Murder Club”? Okay that’s been done but it is successful and why not something similar but with the great Gerritsen touch?

Yes! I was expecting more out of this.
These characters were only okay. I hope since this is first in the series that it will go in another direction in Book #2!
I will read next in this series as I love Tess Gerritsen!!

I have read all the stories in the ‘Rizzoli & Isles’ series.
This is my twenty-sixth Tess Gerritsen novel.

I love her stories and call myself a fan!😊
However – this is the very first time the story didn't live up to my expectation. 😥

Want to thank NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for this eGalley.
Publishing Release Date scheduled for November 1, 2023.

This was a fun and action packed spy thriller. I greatly enjoyed the group of retired spies and their adventures. Looking forward to the next book in the series

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/131068071

A great start to a new series. This book started off with a bang and didn't let up all the way through. I loved the setti g and all the twists the story gave me. Looking forward to the next in the series. My thanks to netgalley and the publishers for giving me the opportunity to read this book in return for an honest review.