I wanted to read The Helsinki Affair because it is a modern spy novel written by a woman! I love the espionage sub-genre of thrillers — I absolutely devour Daniel Silva and Charles Cumming, as I have John le Carré. And yet, I have found that espionage novels are almost exclusively the realm of men and male authors, leaving a missing piece of storytelling behind. The Female-centric espionage story.
The book’s heroine, Amanda Cole, is a young CIA officer following in the footsteps of her father, who was a spy during the Cold War. Unable to prove herself in the male dominated spy business, Amanda is lucky to be on duty one hot day in Rome, while the others are on vacation, when a Russian defector walks into the Embassy. Strangely, Amanda’s father is at the heart of the unfolding story she discovers. Bringing even more female energy into the story, Amanda’s partner is an older, seasoned female spy.
Amanda travels from Rome to London, and then from St. Petersburg to Helsinki where the story comes to fruition. I enjoyed the female point of view as the novel unfolded, though I would have preferred to have felt more of the various settings as we traveled with Pitoniak. Setting was essential in this story, and yet it took third place to character and plot. Both character and plot excel, however.
Pitoniak has written several other novels, though The Helsinki Affair is her first espionage novel. Let’s hope she sticks with the sub-genre of spy thrillers, and we see more of Amanda Cole.
My rating 4 of 5.
This ARC title was provided by Netgalley.com at no cost, and I am providing an unbiased review. The Helsinki Affair will be published on November 14, 2023.
Pam Did It 