Official Review: Alone Among Spies by Rhiannon Beaubien

[Christabel Uzoamaka]

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Alone Among Spies" by Rhiannon Beaubien.]

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4 out of 4 stars

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Jillian Myers is the kindest person and believes the world is black and white. She is a Canadian engineer working on a Signal Intelligence mission in Germany. She must lead a regular, boring life while on the job. So she has only one friend named Lisa. Her quiet, rational life changes drastically when she suspects Marco, her friend with benefits, of cheating. Impulsively, she follows him one night and makes a shocking discovery that rocks her world to its core. Now, she is a person of interest to the CIA. Lisa is also Canadian and on a mission of her own. When Lisa lands in an unimaginable mess, Jillian feels obligated to try and rescue her. Can she rescue Lisa when it seems that she needs to be rescued herself? Jillian is alone among spies. Who can she trust now that she needs help the most?

I loved reading Alone Among Spies by Rhiannon Beaubien. I liked that while I knew that Jillian was the heroine, other characters were not left out. While I was hooked on what Jillian would do next, other characters made me feel different feelings. For example, I felt respect and awe for James, exasperation for Claire, and feared Marco. Although they appeared briefly, Wilhelm and Victor made me feel great disgust. The good character development allowed me to have a rounded and pleasant reading experience. The ending also impressed me. The author left some loose ends, but I was still satisfied with the way things ended, which I think is no mean feat.

The story is set in Germany around 1980, and I loved how real the characters’ experiences felt to me. The writer’s descriptive prowess is commendable. During that time, Germany was still divided by the Wall. Beaubien was spot on with her descriptions of the place so well that whenever Jillian visited East Germany, I felt palpable bleakness and couldn’t wait to see her out of there. Whenever Jillian’s heart would beat faster, mine would follow suit; when she breathed a sigh of relief, I would let out the breath I didn’t know I was holding. That, for me, is what makes a great book, the ability to make readers feel like they’re living the story. This book delivered superbly on that part.

The editors did a great job of editing the book. This book is over 400 pages, but I found only two minor errors. I found Jillian irritating and greatly naive at times. At some points, I yelled at the book when Jillian would go ahead and do something that would get her into trouble. But I also found it endearing that Jillian was so kind that she would go out of her way to do the things that she did for her friend. The only thing I did not like was that the author did not expressly indicate the timeframe the story was set in; I had to figure it out myself. I advise readers to brace up because Cold War-era Germany is not an easy place to journey to.

This book contains profanity and some sex scenes, though not explicit. Readers who love spy novels will love reading this book. Although the author did not fully explore that genre, there is a dash of romance in this book. So I would still recommend it to readers who like romance novels. With the way the author ended things, I will not be surprised to see a sequel and will love to read that as well. Alone Among Spies deserves 4 out of 4 stars.

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Alone Among Spies
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[Kavita Shah]

Jillian is in the middle of spies and has to rescue Lisa. A spy novel I would like to read. If a makes you feel the characters emotion then that is a really engaging book. Thank you for a great review!

[Sakura5]

Spy novels are a genre I would like to explore, and this would seem like the perfect book to start with! Thanks for the detailed review!

[Eddy E]

I can relate when characters naively put themselves in danger all the time, you want to to scream! I had a nice time reading through this review, you rhetoric questions give it and edge.It sounds like a great book to read. Great Job

[Qer]

I agree with this review 100%. A story with such a strong female lead always makes for a great read as far as I'm concerned. Lisa is such an endearing character and her seeming innocence about how murky her situation really is keeps one on edge. I can't wait to find out if she ever discovers the truth about Marco and how it affects her world.

[markodim721]

A very interesting story. I am definitely interested in the book. Thanks for the good review.

[Becca Olsson]

It’s so good the author was able to make the side characters feel just as authentic and important. Thanks for the great review!

[Suzer6440 xyz]

Sounds like such a good book. Jillian Myers is one to be curious about. This review makes me interested in all these well put together and believable characters. I’m wondering how Lisa, Marco and Claire are connected to Jillian. This book sounds engaging thanks for your detailed review .

[NetMassimo]

I like spy stories and the idea of such an innocent and naive person caught in a web of spies during the Cold War is intriguing. Thank you for your great review!

[Buk Nerd]

Alone Among Spies sounds like a captivating read with fascinating and well-developed characters. Splendid review.

[Hhannahh]

Jillian sounds like quite a sweet character. It must have been an experience for her when her life took a drastic turn. I like a book with good character development. Overall, this sounds like an awesome book.
You did a great review of this book—good analysis and summary.