The Method: A Thriller

by Matthew Quirk

Overview

From the author of The Night Agent—the #1 global Netflix sensation—comes an edge-of-your-seat thriller about a young actress who must go undercover in a deadly world of espionage to save her best friend…and herself.

The role of a lifetime. The stakes: survival.

Actress Anna Vaughn is fearless—on screen, at least. She tends to play doomed brunettes with a badass streak, and has put in countless hours training for parts and learning how to fight, shoot, and drive like a pro.

She likes to believe she is as tough as her characters, but off-camera she leads a far quieter life: trying to keep her acting career alive so she can take care of her younger sister.

When her best friend Natalie, her rock, disappears after a night out with a mysterious new man, the signs point to foul play and a circle of spies operating in Manhattan. Anna must use all the tricks she’s learned for her roles to hunt for her missing friend. She quickly learns the dangers are all too real.

She crosses paths with Kevin Matthews, an FBI agent on the same trail, tracking a string of killings and disappearances and a powerful clique of oligarchs. With Matthews as her handler, she has only days to prepare for the greatest performance of her life—going undercover. She will follow in her friend’s footsteps through the gilded mansions, yachts, and secret clubs of New York to infiltrate the conspiracy and bring Natalie home.

As the killers close in, her only chance for survival is to become as lethal as the characters she once played.

No camera. No script. Just instinct.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780063393028
Publisher:	HarperCollins
Publication date:	01/20/2026
Pages:	400
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 1.15(d)

About the Author

Matthew Quirk is the New York Times bestselling author of Inside Threat, Red Warning, Hour of the Assassin, The Night Agent, The 500, The Directive, Cold Barrel Zero, and Dead Man Switch. He spent five years at The Atlantic reporting on crime, private military contractors, terrorism prosecutions, and international gangs. He lives in San Diego, California.

Editorial Reviews

"A whirlwind of action and suspense."  — The New York Times on The Night Agent

“The breakneck pace never flags, and the interplay between Hill’s world-weary cynicism and Cody’s institutional confidence is a delight. Readers will be eager for a sequel.” — Publishers Weekly (starred review) on Inside Threat

“Quirk has earned his spot in the front ranks of thriller writers. Opens with a bang and keeps exploding for three hundred pages." — David Baldacci on Hour of the Assassin

“Intricately plotted with extraordinary characters and riveting action, Matthew Quirk’s Red Warning needs to be at the top of your list! Once you crack this high-octane thriller, be ready to cancel all plans. You won’t put it down until the final bullet hits its mark.”   — Jack Carr, #1 New York Times bestselling author of In the Blood

“Plenty of breathless one-more-chapter, stay-up-late suspense wrapped around a meaty and timely story ... irresistible.” — Lee Child on The Night Agent

“A heart-thumping conspiracy that feels like something right out of Vince Flynn or David Baldacci’s playbook....Few writers have shown a better understanding of how to manipulate their words in a way that drives suspense while still engaging the reader, holding their attention, and forcing them to keep turning pages as they race to see how things will play out. And just when you think you have it all figured out, Quirk throws a few surprises in the mix to make sure that even veteran thriller readers won’t predict how this one ends.” — Real Book Spy

“[A] taut thriller.” — AARP's 32 of 2023's Hot Summer Novels

“[A] gritty, intense political thriller, filled with nuance and dire exploits. Totally entertaining. A treat from start to finish."  — Steve Berry on Hour of the Assassin

“Red Warning is the latest intense espionage drama offered by author Matthew Quirk…Gripping…The adrenaline rush doesn’t abate with this read until after the last page has been read.” — Seattle Book Review

“Hour of the Assassin is written in terse, swift prose as it sketches a panorama of 'Washington at its worst,' a place ruled by 'the corruption and blood sport of high politics.'” — Wall Street Journal

“Of all the literary genres, a suspense novel is highly dependent on a good hook. Matthew Quirk knows this better than anyone… His books do not begin with subtle language or mysterious foreshadowing. They begin with a bang, sometimes quite literally.”  — San Diego Union-Tribune on Hour of the Assassin

"The action never ceases in Quirk’s story, and you’ll find yourself reading way past your bedtime." — Newark Star Ledger on Hour of the Assassin

“This story is impossible to put out of mind.... Relevant and revealing, this is one of the best thrillers to come along in years.” — Michael Connelly on The Night Agent

“The Night Agent is a whirlwind of a book, a captivating narrative that takes us inside the White House’s inner sanctum and the shadowy machinations surrounding it. A powerful and taut thriller.” — Mark Greaney

“Strap in for one hell of a ride. The Night Agent is full of twists and surprises you’ll never see coming.” — Ben Coes

"Matthew Quirk moves into David Baldacci and John Grisham territory with The Night Agent, a paranoid, pulse-pounding thriller that could not be more prescient. If you’re wondering where the best of the next generation of suspense talent is headed, look no further.” — Joseph Finder

From the Publisher