Book Review: The Spy Coast by Tess Gerritsen
By Doreen Sheridan
November 29, 2023
Maggie Bird is a woman quietly living out her sixties in comfortable retirement, raising chickens on a farm in the small town of Purity, Maine. Her biggest day-to-day concerns are what to do about foxes stealing her hens, and how to help her grouchy older neighbor and his endearing teenage granddaughter Callie, who’s taken quite a shine to the only maternal figure in the younger woman’s life.
But when a stranger shows up on Maggie’s doorstep one day, her hard-won tranquility is shattered by an unwelcome name from the past:
“Diana is in trouble?” I laugh. “Yeah, that’s a given. But she’s a survivor and she’s perfectly capable of looking out for herself. Now, if that’s all you came to ask, it’s time for you to leave[.”]
Bianca finally steps [out] onto the porch, then turns to look at me. “Help us find her, Maggie. You must know where she’s gone. You worked together.”
“Sixteen years ago.”
“Still, you probably know her better than anyone.”
“Yeah, you’re right. I probably do. That’s why I don’t give a fuck what happens to her,” I say, and close the door in her face.
Sixteen years ago, the seemingly nondescript Maggie had worked undercover for the CIA. Diana had been her team lead in an operation to flush out a covert Russian asset deeply embedded in British high society. Maggie had risked everything, including her marriage and her life, to uncover the agent codenamed Cyrano. She’d been contemplating retirement even before the operation but agreed to one final assignment out of a genuine belief in helping her country fight for freedom and peace. In exchange for her sacrifice, Diana destroyed her.
Almost two decades on and retired from service, the last thing Maggie wants is to assist the woman she blames for her losses. But when a dead body shows up on her doorstep, she knows she’s getting sucked into the hunt whether she wants to be or otherwise. Fortunately, she has allies. She didn’t choose Purity at random, after all: some of her closest friends from her former life have also chosen to retire here, touting the town’s quiet and stability as a welcome change from their own prior turbulent existences.
These friends are more than happy to help Maggie get out of trouble once more, even before she asks. To her surprise, a simple potluck dinner turns into something much larger:
“That’ll be Ingrid and Lloyd,” says Declan. He leaves the kitchen to answer the door.
“You told them what happened?” I ask Ben.
“Of course. We’re all on the same team here, and we need all hands on deck. It’ll be like old times.”
“Why do you sound like you’re enjoying this?”
“Frankly, retirement hasn’t been much fun for any of us. This gives us a chance to see if we’ve still got what it takes. It’s good to feel useful again. Back in the game, so to speak.”
“I am the game this time.”
Her understandable irritation at their flippancy regardless, Maggie is happy to have allies, even when their desire to help necessitates that she confront painful truths about her own past. And what will they all do about the tenacious local chief of police Jo Thibodeau, who is smart enough to see past their excuses as they attempt to handle solving the murder themselves?
The Spy Coast moves back and forth in time and place as Maggie unwraps the many layers of protection she’s put between herself and the events that precipitated her retirement from the CIA. It’s a solemn tale of grief and regret, leavened slightly by the camaraderie of the Martini Club, as Maggie terms her group of friends when challenged as to what they’re doing by a chagrined Thibodeau. The plot is as layered and smart as readers have come to expect from bestselling author Tess Gerritsen. I’m looking forward to reading more of the series, especially if future books delve into the backstory of Maggie’s fellow spy, the charming and enigmatic Declan Rose.