AGENT X

Author: Noah Boyd

Genre: Mystery, Steve Vail Series #2

Published: 2011

Personal Rating: 2.75/5 (eh +)
Format:  eBook - iPad

Yearly Count: 10



From the Publisher:

FBI-agent-turned-bricklayer Steve Vail once helped the FBI solve a brilliant extortion plot. It was supposed to be a one-and-done deal. But when he's in Washington, D.C., to see Kate Bannon—an FBI assistant director—on what he thinks will be a romantic New Year's Eve date, suddenly things get complicated. The FBI has another unsolvable problem, and it has Vail's name written all over it.  

A man known as Calculus, an officer at the Russian embassy, has approached the FBI claiming that he has a list of Americans who are selling confidential information to the Russian SVR. In exchange for the list, he is asking for a quarter of a million dollars for each traitor the FBI apprehends. But then Calculus informs the FBI that he has been swiftly recalled to Moscow, and the Bureau suspects the worst: the Russians have discovered what Calculus is up to, probably have access to his list, and will be hunting the traitors to kill them unless the FBI can find them first.

The FBI realizes that it has to keep the operation quiet. Once again, Vail is the perfect man, along with Kate Bannon, who would be anyone's first pick for help on an impossibly dangerous case. But finding the traitors isn't going to be easy. In fact, it's going to be downright deadly. And if the Bricklayer survives, he will have to come up with a few tricks of his own.

I was so excited to see that Boyd came out with the second in this series and jumped at the chance to get it in eBook format. I really enjoyed his first and was looking forward to more.  Unfortunately, it didn't live up to my expectations.

There was some good, though.  I thoroughly enjoyed the main characters (Steve and Kate) and a minor character as well. There was a playfulness between the three of them (mainly S and K) that made me want to read more. The teasing was not pervasive, but it was very apparent, and I love relationships of that nature. If these characters were placed in a different story line, I think I would have been a happy camper (like I was in the first).

Simply stated - I didn't like the story line or how it was executed.  At times it was very difficult to keep plugging away.  Although, that hasn't deterred me from eagerly awaiting the next installment of the bricklayer.  He's an interesting character, and I want to read more about him.

My thanks go to HarperCollins and NetGalley for sending me this eGalley.