The Shadow Friends is my favorite of the three Martini Club thrillers by Tess Gerritsen. However, you really need to read the earlier books, meet the ex-CIA friends, and learn a little about their current lives before you delve into the latest book. So, pick up The Spy Coast if you’re interested in the small group who retired to Purity, Maine.
Purity has the clout and location to attract those interested in global affairs. The Stone Coast Conference brings in speakers and attendees from all over the world to the Cod Cove Resort. The current topic is bioweapons, and all the members of the Martini Club are in attendance. In fact, Ingrid Slocum is pressed into service as moderator. When a keynote speaker doesn’t show the second day of the conference, Ingrid’s friend Maggie Bird offers to check his room. She finds the disease expert and Russian defector dying in his room, and tries to save him using CPR. That only lands her in the hospital because the doctor just returned from Africa, and may have been infected with Ebola. While all kinds of doctors check her out, Maggie begins to suspect the Russians may have found the man and poisoned him.
Ingrid is on the scene when Police Chief Jo Thibodeau finds a waitress’ body. That scene reminds Ingrid of an episode in France in her past, and she suspects a killer is still out there from almost thirty years earlier. When she disappears, Ingrid’s husband panics, and he and Maggie set out to find the missing woman. While Maggie tries to restrain Lloyd Slocum, the two blunder into trouble in their search.
Multiple agencies and multiple murders force the retired CIA agents to realize they are no longer at the top of their game, but they still have knowledge and the skill needed. But, who can they trust when they begin to doubt each other?
I was afraid when I started The Shadow Friends that it was going to be two timelines since it started in the past. However, that was just a triggering incident for all the ones to come. It’s an engrossing, puzzling story, bringing up events and threats along with a romantic figure who still offers a tempting future. It’s an easy read, with a complicated plot and subject matter. Best of all, it’s a story of strong friendship.
Tess Gerritsen’s website is https://www.tessgerritsen.com/
The Shadow Friends by Tess Gerritsen. Thomas & Mercer, 2026. 293p.
FTC Full Disclosure – I received a galley from the publisher, through NetGalley, with no expectation of a positive review.
