Red London

Red Widow, Book 2

By: Alma Katsu

Narrated by: Mozhan Marno, Fiona Hardingham

CIA agent Lyndsey Duncan's newest asset might just be her long-needed confidante...or her greatest betrayal.

After her role in taking down a well-placed mole inside the CIA, Agent Lyndsey Duncan arrives in London fully focused on her newest Russian asset, deadly war criminal Dmitri Tarasenko. That is until her MI6 counterpart, Davis Ranford, personally calls for her help.

Following a suspicious attack on Russian oligarch Mikhail Rotenberg's property in a tony part of London, Davis needs Lyndsey to cozy up to the billionaire's aristocratic British wife, Emily Rotenberg. Fortunately for Lyndsey, there's little to dissuade Emily from taking in a much-needed confidante. Even being one of the richest women in the world is no guarantee of happiness. But before Lyndsey can cover much ground with her newfound friend, the CIA unveils a perturbing connection between Mikhail and Russia's geoplitical past, one that could upend the world order and jeopardize Lyndsey's longtime allegiance to the Agency.

Red London is a sharp and nuanced race-against-the-clock story ripped from today's headlines, a testament to author Alma Katsu’s thirty-five-year career in national security. It’s a rare spy novel written by an insider that feels as prescient as it is thrilling and utterly unforgettable.

©2023 Alma Katsu (P)2023 Penguin Audio

Critic reviews

One of CrimeReads’ Most Anticipated Crime Fiction of 2023
One of BookPage’s Most Anticipated Mystery/Suspense of 2023

"A well-written and fascinating look at a CIA officer and a Russian oligarch in post-Putin London…Katsu captures the mystique and mystery of the shadowy world of espionage." —The Washington Times

"Alma Katsu is a top-flight writer.…What allows the book to rise above Red Widow is the intimate way that Katsu threads together the minute details about the espionage world that only someone on the front lines would know. This, coupled with a fine blending of interpersonal relationships, makes Red London an outstanding and immensely readable thriller." —Book Reporter

"Katsu, a former intelligence officer, shows us how intelligence-gathering works, how spies relate to each other, how intelligence agencies uneasily coexist. What sets the novel apart even more is the smoothness with which the author builds her tense narrative and characters—Lyndsey is unflashy but sensitive and principled and good at what she does, while Emily is one of the most sympathetically drawn victims in recent spy fiction. A strong second installment in a series we hope continues.” —Kirkus Reviews

Plot deteriorated in second half

Not sure what happened with the author or editors, but the story deteriorated into really unbelievably poor decisions and nonsensical efforts by main character. Recovered the mission in the end. I hope there will be a book three and that it will be better than book two.

Great narration, good story

It’a a solid story. Not hang on the edge of your seat, suspense but it’s really enjoyable and the narrators were great.

I really enjoy Ms. Katu’s novels about “spies”.

She brings years of experience working for the CIA and living in the DC area. I really enjoy the novel when I can recognize and imagine the places in the DC and Virginia area that I have been to and lived in. I highly recommend all of her books. The Hunger, The Deep, Red Widow, and Red London. Also looking forward to reading her novels The Taker, The Reckoning, and The Descent. I still need to read the Fervor as well. She also writes short stories. Highly recommended and very personable and nice.

Great story in a town full of stories

Intrigue, dysfunctional romance, Russians. what's not to love. Good series. Hope the series continues.

Predictable

I read other reviews before selecting the title to read. I loved Red Widow. The novel was predictable and not particularly engaging. I really did not get involved in the characters. It seemed like with a better editing it would have had some life.

Taut Spy Thriller

The story kept me on my toes. I afraid for the women and could relate their mistrust of controlling men in their lives.

"Mission Creep"

After Red Widow, I pre-ordered Red London with high expectations. While not a total disappointment, I can't give it five stars for story or performance. The addition of a second narrator seemed distracting and unnecessary. Emily's thoughts and viewpoints were not illuminating and seemed like shortcuts throughout the story. I have listened to the book three times before writing this review, and still think the simplistic plot was overshadowed by the details of an oligarch's excessive lifestyle. I just couldn't feel any real political suspense. First Lyndsey is rendering aid to MI6 in lieu of her primary assignment. Somehow her mission then shifts from feeling out Emily's willingness to turn on her husband to finding the location of the oligarch's billions; for someone as insightful as Lyndsey, her failure to provide a read on Emily seemed like neglect. The entire "will she/won't she" pursue the attentions of the husband to further her mission felt contrived, unrealistic, and out of character--especially when his very presence makes her nauseated. Her further neglect of her friend Theresa (the Red Widow in book one) is also inexplicable. To me, it read like a definite set-up for a third novel. Partway through, I kept wondering how it suddenly became Lyndsey's mission to find the money--I'm certain an agency like MI6 has personnel more qualified for digging out offshore accounts. The "battle for the brass key" was inane and childish...the idea that access to everything depended upon opening one door was ridiculous. Finally, I had hoped for a more satisfying resolution to the love affair which almost cost Lyndsey her job. Wouldn't there have been more chemistry between the two when they were working so closely together, no matter what excuses and rationalizations were presented? All in all, I hadn't expected a trilogy, and I definitely won't pre-order book three.

An okay read

Good enough but not as good as her prior outing. Plods along to a predictable ending.

When’s the next one?!

I really enjoyed the two “Red” books. Characters and stories are fascinating. Ready for more.

Sup[er believable story

It's a driveway book. That means you wait in the car until at least the chapter is over! So interesting, different and suspenseful. Cant wait for book 3.