4.25/5⭐️

This is the second in the Emma Makepeace series featuring a young British spy who focuses on Russian threats.

When an MI6 operative is killed via a chemical weapon exposure, Emma is tasked with going undercover on a Russian oligarch’s luxury yacht to find evidence of the triumvirate of villains involved in drugs, chemical weapons, money laundering, murder, etc. Alone on the open sea, she is shut off from any support. And as she searches for evidence, she is forced to consider that a member of the trio is a British spy turned traitor. Who can she trust?

I’m really enjoying this series so far. Emma (and her background) is compelling, and there’s a good dose of suspense and adventure throughout the book. And while the unknown villain was fairly obvious to me, there was still enough of a pull to keep me along for the ride.

Well done, and I look forward to seeing more of Emma in the future.

My sincere thanks to the author, NetGalley and Bantam for providing the early arc of The Traitor for review. The opinions are strictly my own.

Strap in for a wild ride! British Intelligence officer, Emma Makepeace's assignment is to solve the mystery of why a minor agent who was a "number cruncher" was murdered and found stuffed into a suitcase. The M15 agency knows two of the players in this deadly game, but who is the third? Placing Emma on board the Russian Oligarch's yacht as a staff member in hopes of her finding the information needed to break the international crime ring almost gets her killed when her cover is blown. Even after being pulled off the case, Emma won't give up and continues to investigate. Who is the third man and who inside M15 knew her whereabouts and divulged her real identity to the Russians? This will keep you turning the pages late into the night. Movie adaptation anyone?

In THE TRAITOR, by Ava Glass, Emma Makepeace is thrust into the middle of investigation where she has to assume a secret identity and infiltrate a Russian oligarch's yacht staff to discover what is the greater meaning for a recent MI6 agent's murder. Can Emma use her wits, talents, and a little luck to uncover the truth before she gets caught or is the mission doomed from the start?
The book hooks the reader from the start, with very little exposition and the reader feels thrown into Emma's situation of knowing just enough to get by. As the story unfolds, clues and tidbits are revealed and the reader and Emma settle into the assignment. The book follows Emma, so the reader really doesn't get much that Emma doesn't observe or think, which holds the mystery of truth intact and fun to figure out. As the time on the yacht becomes more intense and reaches maximum thrills, Glass throws a giant twist on the story that carries the reader until the end. I did unfortunately figure out who the traitor was way before it was revealed and that's rare for me because I usually enjoy the roller coaster ride of a good thriller and never try very hard to figure things, I just happily wait for them to happen. The story was still exhilarating and just because I figured out one piece of the puzzle doesn't mean the novel lost the frenzy and unpredictability of a good spy novel.
Emma Makepeace is a wonderfully fun character to follow and root for in THE TRAITOR and I hope Ava Glass writes more books with her in it. A exciting and fun read!

The Traitor

3.75 ⭐️

Felt appropriate to read a spy thriller set in Europe while in Europe!

This is the second book in the Alias Emma series, full of action and adventure. Emma is a spy for a British agency that is tasked with following Russian business men who are suspected of having chemical weapons. But can she figure out who is betraying her?

I really enjoyed how quickly this book went. While I saw the twist coming, it was still a fun ride!

Thanks to @netgalley for this ARC of The Traitor, available in September!

I love the Ava Glass series about this strong woman. The second in the series doesn't have the jaw dropping twist of the first book, but is still enjoyable. Recommend you start series from the beginning for most enjoyment.

I really enjoyed this spy thriller. I had to keep turning pages to see what would happen next. I look forward to more in this series.

This book,#the traitor was so good I read it in nearly one sitting! What a lovely romp of a spy thriller! I was compelled to keep turning pages to see what would happen next-couldn’t wait to find out who the traitor was (did not know until the reveal). I thank #netgalley and #ballantinebooks for the opportunity to read this arc in the Sluas Emma Series ahead of publication. I can’t wait for #3 to continue Emma’s story!

A MI6 operative was found dead in his apartment. After an exhaustive search, the crime scene is clean, no trace whatsoever. Emma Makepeace and her handler know an assassination when they see one, and this is an assassination.

As Emma digs into the operatives past, she discovers some secrets she wishes she hadn’t. When Emma finds herself on an oligarch’s million-dollar yacht, undercover and alone, she does everything to keep her identity a secret. As she uncovers secrets, the danger rachets up, and Emma is at risk.

This is the second book featuring Emma Makepeace. This can be read as a standalone and I thoroughly enjoyed it despite not reading the first.

I loved this book! It was a high-octane spy drama akin to a Netflix show. I love it when the scenes play out in my head like a movie as I am reading – it is so much fun when writing transforms me that way. I really enjoyed reading about Emma and her spy antics. The spy aspect was just so much fun, and the writing was believable. I loved how by the end I was questioning all the characters trying to figure out who the mole was. While I had a good hunch about who it was, I was still surprised and enjoyed it. Being set on a yacht was interesting. I am still trying to visualize it in my head as I have never seen one quite the way as described.

If you are looking for a fun, fast paced spy thriller with a strong female main character, then I hope you check this one out.

Thank you so much to the publisher, Random House Publishing Group – Ballantine, Bantam, and Netgalley @Netgalley for this e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

Additional links will be added once posted.

I hadn’t read the first book in this series, so while I was excited to read it, I was nervous I might not understand everything at first. This book sucked me in, and I became so engrossed in Emma’s world. I love the fast pace and really enjoyed getting to know Emma. If you’re a fan of espionage thrillers, you will love this book. Thank you NetGalley for an advanced copy!

I love this series. I read the first one, Alias Emma, last year and raved about it to everyone. I was so glad to see it continue with this, The Traitor. Emma is a female James Bond. I want to work for their private agency (MI5/6 are "Neighbors"). The supportive characters are perfect, particularly at the agency. Just a book about them, I would read it.
This plot is timely. The bad guys are the Russians and they are selling chemical weapons. Oligarchs run amok. Emma goes undercover on a super-yacht without backup so the stakes are high. The mission: proof that the two Russians are connected as they think they are -- and find out who the third bad guy is ... the one who seems to be connected to the UK.
I'm actually giving this 4.5 stars and not a solid 5 for two reasons. First, Emma makes a silly decision from an agent's point of view at one point and second, I suspected the bad guy from the get-go. I kinda wish it had been a little more cloudy in that regard.
I've started a BookTube channel and would like to have a "Spy v Spy September" readathon and plan to definitely talk up this series.
However, I love this author's work and look forward to the next. ASAP, please.

Thank you, Ava Glass, for writing another chapter in Emma Makepeace's life. I thoroughtly enjoyed 2022's Alias Emma and was delighted when NetGalley sent me the ARC for The Traitor.
Despite all the Ian Fleming/James Bond comparisons, Glass is a far better writer than Fleming and Emma is a herione for the 21st century. The settings are memorable; the action and twists, believable; the conclusion, a surprise.
Please, may I have another?

Book Number 2 in the Emma Makepeace series is one you shouldn’t miss. Yes it can be read as a stand alone, but Alias Emma is a great book.

First of all , I think it’s high time we have a female kick butt James Bond type character and that’s exactly what Emma is. A head strong woman, with the will to protect her country and bring down the bad guys in Russia working for MI6 - and the cool part is she never has a gun. This is an old school spy novel and I love it. Action packed with wise cracks and all of the cool things that all spies need. This sophomore novel needs Emma to bring down the mole inside of MI6

Looking forward to the next Ms Ava Glass! Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC in return for my review

<i>I received a copy of this story from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.</i>

Honestly, the only reason I read this one is because I was ambivalent about the first and I wanted to see if it got better. But I'm still ambivalent.

The pacing is a bit better in this one. You have time to breathe, to wonder what's going to happen next. And there are some genuine surprises here. Unfortunately, I was only surprised by the small twists -- I saw the large one coming from a mile away. It made the ending someone anticlimactic for me.

Both books feel like they could've used some more time to marinate. I can see the potential in both of them but they don't quite deliver. If there's a next one, I don't know that I'll read it.

*note: this can be read as a standalone*

The Traitor was like reading my favorite genre of Netflix shows. Emma Makepeace is a special agent who will not take no for an answer and risk her life to find out the truth in order to save many lives from terrorism. Trust is a powerful thing that can turn catastrophic. Follow Emma on the hunt to uncover the traitor! This was a quick engaging read and I really enjoyed it. Thank you Netgalley and Random House Publishing Group for this ARC!

I really enjoyed this second book about Emma Makepeace as a British spy. It’s a fast paced page turner espionage story and I was surprised by the ending, though I had a feeling about it. I read lots of spy thrillers and this can hang with the best of them.

While I enjoyed this installment (2nd book in what I’m hoping is an ongoing series), I didn’t enjoy it as much as the first. Emma appears to be a good agent, however she’s quite headstrong and doesn’t always “play nice with others”, others being her superiors at the agency. I have to say that while I anticipated a twist, I didn’t see this one coming. The book did seem a little long, but I wouldn't be able to identify what might have been discarded.

Regardless, I look forward to the next intallment.

DNF at 25 percent. This is just not my kind of book. I did try it and there isn’t anything particularly wrong with it. I just didn’t find it entertaining. The spy stuff has a certain amount of cheesiness to it that I can’t take seriously. I do think a lot of people will enjoy this if they like spy books. Their writing is decent and it reads quickly. I just didn’t want to read this and rate it low knowing it isn’t a book for me.

Thank you so much to the publisher for sending me an arc of this to try out!

The Traitor by Ava Glass will make you doubt the sincerity of nearly every character in the novel. Emily Makepeace, no, that is not her real name, is a skilled, though young MI6 agent. She is placed on an oligarch’s yacht to learn whatever she can. She shares the life saving tips that keep spies alive despite danger and the life of lies they must always live. Emily is a very engaging character. And the mystery will keep you awake, guessing. Very entertaining.

I didn’t realize this was the second in a series but do not feel I was left wondering by not reading the first book. The story was fine, taking place on a super yacht with some sketchy characters and Emma Makepeace, a spy, trying to obtain information. I didn’t find the story overly suspenseful, but I couldn’t determine who the traitor was prior to the reveal and enjoyed that part. Overall, a pretty good read.

Thank you to NetGalley, Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine, Bantam, and Ava Glass for the eARC.

The Traitor was the follow up / next in the Emma spy series by Ava Glass. The book starts several years later after her first assignment. I like when a book is part of a series and if you haven’t read the first one you can still enjoy later books because while they reference the previous book it doesn’t impact the story enjoyment. Emma and Ripley of the M16 are back at it again in the war of spies with the crafty Russian GRU. This book finds Emma becoming Jessica and taking them on in a yacht out at sea. The excitement and drama continue in this series. I enjoyed it. I am still a fan of the fact that our spy hero is a female and continues to be as crafty and lethal as her male counterparts. It’s fast paced and exciting.