The Silent Sisters

The Silent Sisters is the third and final book in the Charles Jenkins series which is a blend of suspense and espionage. Normally, spies and espionage aren't my cuppa tea, but Robert Dugoni is one of my favourite authors so with his name on the cover, you know I'll give it a try.

I have read and enjoyed the first two books in this series (I recommend reading them prior to this book) and it was nice to see the series end with this nail-biter of a read. This book is fast-paced and with a great main character in Charles Jenkins, an American spy in his 60's with a strong moral compass and desire to finish the massive and dangerous task he started. The Seven Sisters are a group of women who were raised in Russia and from birth, trained to be spies for the US and have infiltrated high echelons of Russian government. Jenkins is responsible for bringing the last two spies safely to the US. 

The action scenes were amazing, and the tension was kept high. Jenkins, now on his third mission, is well-known to the Russian government and is at the top of their 'kill list'. He has the FSB (successor to the KGB) hot on his heels and the Russian Mafiya has noticed he's back in town. With everyone on his tail, Jenkins uses some interesting ways to hide his 6-foot frame and African American complexion which will require readers to suspend disbelief but it was a fun Mission Impossible kind of thing. 

This was a great addition to the Charles Jenkins series. Filled with Russian Mafiya, murder and political intrigue (without being too 'politic-y'), this is a story about unexpected collaborations and edge-of-your-seat action scenes that explores the blurred lines between good and bad and featuring a main character who shows readers that age is just a number. 

My Rating: 4 stars

Author: Robert Dugoni

Genre: Suspense, Espionage

Series: #3 in the Charles Jenkins series

Type and Source: Hardcover from public library

Publisher: Thomas and Mercer

First Published: February 22, 2022

Book Description from GoodReads: In this pulse-racing thriller by the New York Times bestselling author of The Last Agent, an American sleeper cell in Russia goes silent—and it’s one man’s duty to find them.

After a harrowing escape from Russian agents on his last mission, Charles Jenkins thinks he’s finally done with the spy game. But then the final two of the seven sisters—American assets who have been deep undercover in Russia for decades—cut off all communication with their handlers. Are they in hiding after detecting surveillance? Or have they turned and become double agents? It’s Jenkins’s duty to find out, but he’s been added to a Russian kill list. It will require all of Jenkins’s knowledge of spycraft—and an array of disguises—to return to the country undetected.

But plans go awry his first night in Moscow when Jenkins gets involved in an altercation that ends in the death of the son of one of Russia’s most powerful organized crime leaders. Pursued by mafia henchmen, Russian agents, and a particularly dogged Moscow police detective, Jenkins is determined to track down the final two sisters and get them to America—or die trying. As various forces close in, Jenkins fears this time he might’ve pushed his luck too far.