An Amazon Best Book of the Month: Mystery, Thriller, and Suspense
“A gripping thriller…[The Eighth Sister] is destined to be a classic in the genre, and Dugoni is arguably one of the best writers in the field right now.” —Associated Press
“With lean prose and spot-on local color, this plot-driven thriller pulses with tension and fraught escapes, the action capped by a courtroom drama as good as any from Grisham. A must-read for fans of legal thrillers and/or spy novels.” —Library Journal (starred review)
“Dugoni delivers an exceptionally gripping spy thriller that will keep readers on the edge of their seats.” —Publishers Weekly (starred review)
“[Dugoni] has outdone himself here, serving up a double-barrelled blast of action mixed with espionage in what’s perhaps his most unputdownable thriller yet…Treason, moles, and plenty of misdirection…Robert Dugoni’s The Eighth Sister is a high-stakes game between spies, and he doesn’t take his foot off the gas pedal for a second.” —The Real Book Spy
“The Eighth Sister is a taut thriller in the fine tradition of spy stories.” —Authorlink
“If you’ve eagerly devoured [Dugoni’s] previous works for their cinematic pacing, tautly written thrills, and wonderfully developed characters, you’re in for all of that and so much more with [The Eighth Sister].” —Bookreporter
“The perfect pacing and brilliant intrigue of [The Eighth Sister] result in a page-turning, intelligent tale that will keep readers engaged until the very last page…The perfect combination of espionage, history, and quick-witted characters—a rare feat in the thriller genre.” —New York Journal of Books
“A marvelous read that begs for a sequel. There is more story to tell.” —The Missourian
“Dugoni’s novel is, on all counts, a first-rate thriller!” —Popular Culture Association
“The Eighth Sister is a great mix of spy craft and classic adventure, with a map of Moscow in hand.” —Martin Cruz Smith, international bestselling author
“Feels so fresh and authentic we could see the story breaking in the headlines tomorrow.” —Mark Sullivan, bestselling author of Beneath a Scarlet Sky
“Exhilarating…A tightly written, flawlessly executed espionage novel that takes the reader on a refreshingly unique, white-knuckle journey through the byzantine world of modern intelligence.” —Steven Konkoly, USA Today bestselling author
★ 04/01/2019
Forty years ago, Russian specialist Charles Jenkins left the CIA in disgust after a botched op in Mexico City. Now, with his finances in disarray and his younger wife in the throes of a difficult pregnancy, the 64-year-old security expert finds his former station chief on his doorstep. Seven long-serving female spies in Russia are being hunted down by an eighth "sister," apparently a counterintelligence agent for the FSB (formerly the KGB). Three women have already died. Jenkins reluctantly agrees to help, though he knows if anything goes wrong the CIA will deny him aid and recognition. In Moscow, he tangles with a relentless FSB officer. This is only the first stage of what will turn out to be a desperate cat-and-mouse game with odds against him. Set in the new Cold War between Putin's Russia and the United States, Dugoni's 15th novel (after The Extraordinary Life of Sam Hell) is a riveting tale of treachery. VERDICT With lean prose and spot-on local color, this plot-driven thriller pulses with tension and fraught escapes, the action capped by a courtroom drama as good as any from Grisham. A must-read for fans of legal thrillers and/or spy novels.—Ron Terpening, formerly of Univ. of Arizona, Tucson
★ 02/18/2019
Forty years after leaving the CIA, Charles Jenkins, the hero of this nail-biter from Edgar finalist Dugoni (The 7th Canon), is living in Camano Island, Wash., with his pregnant wife and nine-year-old son. Since Charles is threatened with losing his debt-ridden security consulting company and his home, he agrees to be reactivated when his former CIA station chief, Carl Emerson approaches him. He is sent to Moscow, tasked with finding the woman responsible for the elimination of three of seven Russian women known as the Seven Sisters, who were chosen from dissident parents and trained from birth to infiltrate Russian institutions and provide the United States with valuable intelligence. Charles must identify this assassin, the Eighth Sister, so the CIA can take action before the remaining four agents are harmed. He quickly discovers that the Eighth Sister is not as Carl portrayed. Someone has set both her and Charles up, putting both in grave danger. Dugoni delivers an exceptionally gripping spy thriller that will keep readers on the edge of their seats. Agent: Meg Ruley, Jane Rotrosen Agency. (Apr.)
Narrator Edoardo Ballerini's smooth delivery and mastery of accents ratchet up the excitement in this espionage thriller. The audiobook begins with a well-worn spy trope—a retired CIA caseworker is called back into action to locate a Russian assassin known as the "Eighth Sister.” As you might expect, our man's mission to Moscow doesn't go as planned, and the hunter soon becomes the hunted. The resulting plot has more twists and turns than Le Mans. Listeners will appreciate Ballerini's precise theatrical delivery during Jenkins's final race to safety, in which he must elude Russian security forces and a vengeful Russian intelligence officer. Author Robert Dugoni has created a unique protagonist with the gruff 64-year-old Charles Jenkins, and, happily, this audiobook is the first in a series. R.W.S. © AudioFile 2020, Portland, Maine