The Night Agent

The Night Agent by Matthew Quirk
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

While this is different from most books I usually read, I decided to take a chance on this one, and I am so glad I did. It was exciting, suspenseful, and hard to put down.
Peter is a vigilant by-the-book FBI agent who, due to his checkered past, winds up working the night-shift in the White House Situation Room. His only job is to monitor one phone, answer it if it rings, and give whatever information he might receive to one of two people. While his job is seemingly boring and perhaps pointless, Peter takes it very seriously, and is ready when, one night, the phone finally does ring. That one very short phone call leads to events that will completely turn Peter's life on its head. He is soon drawn into a conspiracy involving assassinations, Russian double-agents, acts of terrorism, and moles in the White House. Peter must decide of following the rules he has strictly adhered to all his life are worth ignoring the threat to the United States.
Peter was a great character, and it was interesting to see his journey throughout the book. The prologue gave hint about what would happen and it seemed crazed and frightening, but by the end of book everything made total sense. I wasn't quite sure about the character of Rose, however. Although a few portions of the book were told from her point of view, I still didn't feel like I had a great handle on her. I think that if the reader did not have information from her perspective, it might have ramped up the tension even more in the final chapters.
Some secrets were revealed early on, and some were left to unfold in later chapters, but it was all very well done.
All in all, this was a fast-paced, action-filled thriller with a believable plot in today's world. I really enjoyed this book and would recommend it to anyone who likes to read adventure, political-thrillers, suspense, or espionage dramas. It certainly made me want to read more books in this genre.


View all my reviews