I am delighted to share my review today of The Kremlin Vote by Andrew Turpin. This is the 1st book in the Jayne Robinson Thriller series and is a natural continuation of the 6th book in the Joe Johnson series.
A plot against the US presidential election, born in Moscow . . . Two top US officials are gunned down while visiting London. A trail of deception misleads the CIA. And former intelligence operative Jayne Robinson is viciously targeted during a high-risk foray into Russia.
Robinson, previously a long-term MI6 officer, is covertly deployed by the CIA in a deniable operation to handle one of its biggest assets in the Kremlin and to get to the bottom of a threat that seems likely to engulf the White House—just as the next presidential election looms.
The mission becomes deeply personal for Robinson when it emerges one of the victims is married to one of her best and oldest friends.
But nothing is what it seems in this vortex of deception and deceit. As she gets closer to the truth behind the killings, Robinson finds herself challenged to the core while fending off threats from unexpected directions.
MY REVIEW
After recently reading the 6th Joe Johnson book, it is a natural progression to then move on to the 1st book in the Jayne Robinson series. It is a continuation of Jayne and Joe’s last mission together in Russia.
While Joe is taking time out to be with his sister and children, Jayne is called in to have a look into the death of a US secretary of state who has been killed on UK soil. It is a professional hit, those in the various agencies have suspicions but do not know why. It gets even more confusing when another secretary of state is also murdered.
Jayne has experience working with various agencies around the world, it is something she has done for years, this is the first time she has her own story and series and it is going to be another fabulous one from this author. I would recommend reading the Joe Johnson series as it gives, as I mentioned earlier, a natural progression into this one.
Jayne is soon caught up in the undercover spy, espionage, corruption and conspiracy world, not that she has ever really left it. While Joe does have a guest spot, she is on her own but with the backup of those she trusts in the CIA and MI6 (I think I got the right departments, there are so many 3-letter agencies lol). She has to rely on her contacts, existing and new, as well as reporting to her superiors when possible. This is a dangerous mission for Jayne, but not one that she completely understands as she tries to work out the reasons for the deaths. With the US pitting its wits against Russia with an ex-MI6 agent there is quite a lot at stake for various reasons. The upcoming US election is giving social media and others a chance to have a dig politically.
This is another fast-paced story that once again has its roots based on facts. I adore the fact that the author includes a round-up at the end of his books regarding the facts, his ideas and inspiration and also his research and what he found useful. This story has a theme that is not discovered until much further into the story and I am not mentioning that it would lead to a spoiler. Reading through the progress Jayne makes, those she meets and her thought process is great.
Jayne is a fab character, she comes across as understated and cocky, I prefer this approach and it fits with a stereotypical female Brit. She is not, however, to be underestimated, she knows her job and role as well as knows what she needs to do if necessary.
This is one for those who like fast-paced action, thriller and suspense reads. I do like the way the author uses his protagonist in this series and look forward to reading more. A great start to a new series and one I would definitely recommend.
Many thanks for reading my post, a like or share would be amazing 🙂 xx
