An Amazon Charts, Washington Post, and Wall Street Journal bestselling series.An American operative in Russia is on the run for his life in a thriller of heart-stopping betrayal and international intrigue by the New York Times bestselling author of The Eighth Sister.Betrayed by his own country and tried for treason, former spy Charles Jenkins survived an undercover Russian operation gone wrong. … Jenkins survived an undercover Russian operation gone wrong. Exonerated, bitter, and safe, the retired family man is through with duplicitous spy games. Then he learns of a woman isolated in Moscow’s notorious Lefortovo Prison.
If it’s Paulina Ponomayova, the agent who sacrificed her life to save his, Jenkins can’t leave her behind. But there’s no guarantee it’s her. Or proof Paulina is still alive. To find out, Jenkins must return to Russia. Next move: blackmail Viktor Federov, a former Russian officer with his own ax to grind, into helping him infiltrate Lefortovo. The enemy who once pursued Jenkins across three continents is now the only man Jenkins can trust.
Every step of the way—from Moscow to Scandinavia to the open ocean—they’re hunted by a brutal Russian agent on a killer quest of his own. Out of loyalty to Paulina—dead or alive—Jenkins is putting everyone’s life on the line for a new mission that could be his last.
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The Last Agent by Robert Dugoni is a fantastic tale of strength, obsession, dedication, and trust. I love this series. Charlie is such a fabulous character.
Will Charlie save Paulina and get them both to America safely?
Charlie is asked to determine if Paulina Ponomayova is in the infamous Russian prison, Lefortovo, in Moscow. He agrees since he thought that Paulina gave up her life so he could return home. However, Charlie has decided that if Paulina is alive, he isn’t leaving without her. So, he sets up a plan that should work if all things go as planned. However, many things could go wrong.
We see characters from the first book again and a few new ones too. The settings are so brilliantly described that it comes alive in my mind.
Things that I liked:
• Getting to know more about Viktor Federov
• Seeing the inside of Federov’s apartment
• Paulina is still as tough as ever.
• Alekseyov has a conscience.
• Efimov has a great backstory that explains his attitude.
• Rod Studebaker is fabulous. I love his philosophy on life and his attitude. Flying with him would be so fun unless you get motion sickness.
• Charlie’s realization of how he feels at the end of the story
Five Stars
Robert Dugoni’s books take a bit to leave my brain. I know that I have another book to read, but I need time to let the characters and the story get out of my mind. Every part of the book is resonating in my mind over and over. Honestly, I feel like I was on that wild ride with Charlie. One of the things I was trying to figure out after reading The Eighth Sister was how the author would pull off another book in this series. Yet, The Last Agent by Robert Dugoni is fabulous, and my rating is five stars.
I highly recommend this to all spy and espionage thriller readers out there. It is amazing!
I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy from the author. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
Thank you for dropping by! I hope you enjoyed this review of The Last Agent by Robert Dugoni.
Until the next time,
~Jen
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I LOVED IT!! I was a little nervous going into this one… I loved the spy bits of the first book, The Eighth Sister, which comprised about the first half of the book, but the remainder was a bit more courtroom drama than I am normally interested in, so I netted out at three stars. Still, I loved the characters and the Cold War, old-school spy feel of the parts that focused on the mission and escape so much that I knew I’d give the next in the series a chance, and I was not disappointed!
This one is a classic US/Russia spy story from start to finish. And it’s BRILLIANT. Think Nelson DeMille or John Le Carre in their heyday. Seriously. It’s that good. The characters, the pacing, the drama, the settings and details – it’s all spot-on marvelous. Dugoni is a very strong writer – I’ve said that before and I’ll say it again. He crafts complex tales with complex characters, throws them into unbelievable situations, and then forces them to navigate their way out. It should, at least occasionally, mean suspensions of disbelief – after all, some of the things Charles Jenkins pulls off seem near-impossible – but somehow it never does. That I chalk up to his facility with language and ability to pain vivid pictures that suck the reader entirely in. It doesn’t leave any room for disbelief – largely because the action is so non-stop you don’t have time to entertain it. They HAVE to escape, so they do. Cogito, ergo sum.
It makes for an incredible heart-pounding read, all the more emotionally charged because of its references to contemporary geopolitical realities and emotionally charged responses to them. This one also ended with a lot of things left open – which I’m hoping means we’ll get to see more from the marvelous Mr. Jenkins and his improbable team of Russian compatriots. And I say bravo!
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for my obligation-free review copy.
In this second installment to his Charles Jenkins spy series, Robert Dugoni delivers another riveting, edge-of-your-seat story that left me clamoring for more!
While “The Last Agent” can easily be read as a standalone, the main premise is a follow-up to the first book in this series, “The Eighth Sister,” bringing Charles Jenkins back to Moscow on another heart-pounding mission that’s tied to his past.
Though this s not typically my preferred genre, Robert Dugoni has made me a convert. Clearly, he has the Midas touch—because whatever he writes is absolutely golden. And “The Last Agent” is no exception. Pick it up and give it a try. If you love a good spy novel, you won’t be disappointed!!
Buckle up for another wild ride as Charles Jenkins, former CIA agent, agrees to go back to Russia and rescue the American asset Paulina Ponomayova from an infamous prison. Paulina has been interrogated without mercy as the Russians try to find out the names of the remaining four women who have spied for the CIA for years. The mission has less than a 1% chance of succeeding, but Charles cannot leave Paulina behind especially since she risked her life to help him escape Russia the first time.
Mr. Dugoni weaves a suspenseful tale of a precision mission that relies on the barest of chances that events will happen as the CIA has planned. With obstacle after obstacle is thrown into their escape plan and dogged by a determined and obsessed Russian interrogator, Charles and Paulina adjust plans and race against time to get out of Russia. This is the second book about Charles Jenkin and it can be read as a stand-alone, but I think reading the first book will increase your enjoyment of this book.
I voluntarily read this advanced reader copy and all opinions are my own.
A High Octane Novel
Men rush into a woman’s hospital room and hustle off her to cell to be interrogated quite painfully. The novel then switches to the main character, Charles Jenkins, who six months after being found not guilty for espionage. He is finally free of the vestiges of these events by signing his last check to pay the last contractor hired by his former company. He was now debt free and living with his wife and children on his Washington State Camano Island farm. He is visited by a well dress man looking for Jenkins. Jenkins asked what it is about. The man responds, “Russia.” He is from the CIA and explains that the woman that helped Jenkins escape from Russia, Paulina Ponomayova, is believed to be alive in Lefortovo prison. She is being interrogated for the identity of the last four sisters, U.S. spies. The CIA wants to get her out, and who is better candidate for this job than Jenkins. How could Jenkins refuse to save the woman who he thought had died saving him and named his then unborn daughter after her? From this seed, the main storyline grows.
Once Jenkins makes the decision to proceed, the action is fast-paced. I was captivated immediately. Many of the characters from the first novel make an appearance starting with Demir Kaplan who helped Jenkins escape from Russia the first time. New and equally entertaining characters are introduced that enrichen my reading enjoyment. Jenkins also needs his former nemesis during his escape from Russia, the disgraced former FSB Colonel Victor Federov. The plan develops and morphs as the situation changes. The main storyline stays fresh as it continually shifts and proceeds in a new direction. The voices of the chapters changes and belongs to the main character of that chapter. The reader receives multi-perspective view into the main storyline.
The storyline is very rich. At the start, the decision to proceed is a family discussion. There is much interaction with his wife that provides a very poignant insight into the Jenkins’s character. Additional insight is provided in Jenkins interaction with Victor and Paulina. Jenkins’s nemeses in this novel also are well developed as are some new and returning FSB characters. These B-storylines were well woven into the main storyline threads.
The level of sex and language is very low. There is violence and described as it happens, but the descriptions are not graphic. These aspects should not hinder most readers. This is the second novel in the series. Many characters reappear with the baggage from the first novel. I have read the first novel, but adequate background and context were provided, so I believe reading this novel first is quite feasible. A reader will just miss a great story.
I observed only one drawback. The ending was a plug for the next novel. I call these ending after the seasonal ending to the TV show, Dallas, “Who shot JR?” ending. The ending of the first novel didn’t have this type of ending. It was saved for beginning of this novel. This is a nitnoid of mine.
Based upon the enjoyment I received in reading this novel and how it held my interest right up to the end, I rate it with five stars. If you liked The Eighth Sister, do not miss this one. If you like exciting chases, do not skip either. I am looking forward to reading the next novel in the series.
I have received a free e-book version of this novel through NetGalley from Thomas & Mercer with an expectation for an honest, unbiased review. I wish to thank Thomas & Mercer for the opportunity to read and review this novel early.
Charles Jenkins is back in another nail biting adventure !!
He is headed back to Russia to rescue Paulina who saved his life the last time he was on a mission in Russia.
I don’t know if after all he went through I would go back but that is the beauty of Charles Jenkins: its not about him but others. ( Hope if I need rescuing Charles will come running).
The pages fly by, the light stays on for one more page. One more chapter.
You can feel the cold Russian air, the cold seas.
The Russians are determined Jenkins and Paulina will not escape.
Cant wait for another adventure , hopefully !! No pressure !!
Robert Dugoni is one of my favourite authors. Don’t miss this series of any of his books.
Thanks to NetGalley and Thomas Mercer publishers for a nail biting read. Cant wait to get my copy.
Buckle up for another wild ride as Charles Jenkins, former CIA agent, agrees to go back to Russia and rescue the American asset Paulina Ponomayova from an infamous prison. Paulina has been interrogated without mercy as the Russians try to find out the names of the remaining four women who have spied for the CIA for years. The mission has less than a 1% chance of succeeding, but Charles cannot leave Paulina behind especially since she risked her life to help him escape Russia the first time.
Mr. Dugoni weaves a suspenseful tale of a precision mission that relies on the barest of chances that events will happen as the CIA has planned. With obstacle after obstacle is thrown into their escape plan and dogged by a determined and obsessed Russian interrogator, Charles and Paulina adjust plans and race against time to get out of Russia. This is the second book about Charles Jenkin and it can be read as a stand-alone, but I think reading the first book will increase your enjoyment of this book.
I voluntarily read this advanced reader copy and all opinions are my own.
Dugoni is a versatile writer. This book is a thriller and very much a “cat and mouse” thriller where all the agents are clever, persistent, good at their trade, and it also had some surprising twists and turns.
Dugoni’s Jenkins books are impossibly readable — involving, fast-paced, strong characters, and lots of action.
Another peek into Russia
Left in debt by a covert operation and betrayed by the CIA, former agent Charles Jenkins was tried for espionage and released. He wants to farm his land and provide for his wife and young children but a CIA operative appears, asking Charles to get involved in an operation in Russia. A Russian agent who saved his life is locked in an infamous Moscow prison, and he must trust the agency that abandoned him and get her out of prison. I enjoyed the book’s plot twists and, after our hesitant hero accepts his mission, the fast-paced writing filled with adventure, racing across countries pursued by Russian agents. This book follows The Eighth Sister but can be read as a standalone novel. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.
I am exhausted. I can only imagine how tired Robert Dugoni must be after he devises the twists, turns, and plans for his characters.
Charles Jenkins goes back to Russia to help the one who saved his life in The Eighth Sister. The twists and turns and the advanced planning make this story so intriguing that you can’t stop reading it. How does anyone think that far ahead? Robert Dugoni does.
I love Maureen, the waitress.
Another page-turner from Robert Dugoni!
This was a sequel to The Eighth Sister. I did read that book, but it has been awhile since I finished and don’t remember every detail. There was reference to events and people in the previous book, but it was not overworked where you’re bored at the re-hash. I think someone who had not read the first book would still find it engrossing and not be lost so I would call this a stand-alone. Clearly having read the previous book makes this story more compelling. Great characters you loved to hate and fabulous “good guys” – with lots of action to keep you on the edge of your seat.
Really enjoyed this book! Started reading and just couldn’t put it down. Read long into the night!
Author never fails to provide an exciting read. Thanks
This book was well written. Although I have read many a murder trial mystery, it kept my attention as the facts were revealed slowly. A good twist at the end. I have read more books by Dugoni this was the best so far.
I received a copy of this story from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Again, I’m honored to have received an ARC of Robert Dugoni’s upcoming novel! It was a pleasure adventuring with Charles Jenkins once more. This one, however, fell a bit short of the mark for me. I much preferred his previous novel – The Eighth Sister – to this continuation.
This one felt like it was all about how many crazy scenarios the characters could be thrown into and escape from. I enjoyed the calmer moments of planning and strategizing because it felt like peeking behind the curtain. And there wasn’t as much of the Russian culture and history in this one. Don’t get me wrong; it’s a very enjoyable read! It just needed a bit of a boost to push it into a great read.
I’d recommend this book to anyone who:
– enjoys a good action story
– likes spies and their hijinx
– wants a quick, entertaining, and transporting read