The Trap

Move over, Emma Peel of the beloved 60s TV series The Avengers and Eve Polastri from the more recent 2018 series, Killing Eve. This is the third appearance of Emma Makepeace (real name: Alexandra) in her thrilling reprisal in this page-turning espionage spy novel. This clever and ingenious heroine grapples with hordes of Russian GRU/FBS agents and their assassin henchmen to uncover a plot that threatens to disrupt the upcoming G7 meeting.

This novel can be enjoyed as a standalone due to Glass’s effortless insertion of necessary backstory. Emma is part of the small, secret “Agency,” focused on identifying and stopping Russian spies working inside Britain. Tension between London and Moscow is at an all-time high due to the ongoing Ukraine war and Russia’s efforts to keep gas prices spiraling upward. In just a week, the G7 meeting will take place in Edinburgh, Scotland. The seven most important and powerful leaders of western democracies will gather to discuss possible Russian sanctions, as well as other world issues, to promote the global economy, stabilize democracy, and even rein in China and Russian aggression.

Emma was born to be a spy. Her Russian father was a scientist spying for Britain, sharing information he believed could avert a nuclear war. Her mother fled Russia while still pregnant. Her father was betrayed and executed when Emma was only several months old. After university, she joined the Army and was immediately placed in military intelligence, being fluent in Russian, Polish, and German. After her service, she was recruited by MI5 under her current boss, Charles Ripley.

What are the Russians planning? How are they going to disrupt the G7 meeting and humiliate the leaders of western democracies? Multiple British intelligence agencies know that a high-ranking FSB operative has flown to England and was observed entering the Russian embassy. He was subsequently followed to the palatial home of Russian expat, Nikolai Orlov. This operative is known to be ruthless and directly responsible for the deaths of thousands of innocents in Syria and Ukraine. Orlov is a self-made successful businessman and doesn’t fit the mold of a typical FSB operative. How and why is he involved? A targeted assassination is suspected. They have less than a week to uncover the plot. Emma is assigned to spearhead the surveillance and investigation of Nikolai Orlov. It’s vital that she gets inside his house. Intelligence suggests that Orlov is having dinner at the Balmoral Hotel. With an elegant disguise and guile, she confronts and mesmerizes Nikolai, posing as “Anna Case.” She piques his interest and vanity with subterfuge, lies, and her beauty. Feigning familiarity from a previous lecture he had given, she secures an invitation to his mansion for a personally cooked dinner the next day. Orlov has no house staff, nor has he ever wanted any. Emma is tasked with placing three micro transmitters in the house—one in his study, one in the living room, and the other in his bedroom. Although she’s never attempted a “honey trap” before, she is prepared to do whatever it takes to gain his confidence and, hopefully, uncover the target and method of assassination. She suspects “Nick” is being coerced into the plot and might ultimately be a target himself.

Ava Glass crafts a masterful narrative that is a cinematic gem, deftly capturing the reader’s imagination. A lethal cat-and-mouse contest plays out in the shadowy streets of London and Rome. Emma must use disguise and subterfuge to avoid capture, and the action—filled with explosive, hand-to-hand combat—ratchets up to an exhilarating, high-octane climax. In my mind’s eye, I picture Diana Rigg or Uma Thurman playing the part of Emma Makepeace. This will appeal to aficionados of Ian Fleming’s James Bond series. Emma could easily hold her own alongside James.

Thanks to NetGalley and Bantam Books for supplying an uncorrected proof in exchange for an honest review. Although this is the third in a series, I’m fully on board for the further travails of Emma Makepeace.