"Walker’s present-day spy adventure involves three flawed characters whose lives briefly, but chaotically, intersect.

Undercover CIA agent Sadie views her work as personal penance for a horrific childhood mistake: She delivered her best friend to human traffickers when she was 12 years old. Forbidden from attending AA meetings, Sadie turns to an anonymous sponsor online, Anon381, to help her navigate her recovery one day at a time. Falling off the wagon in multiple spectacular ways, Sadie struggles through her problems, botching her latest job in the most public manner possible. Meanwhile, Sadie’s handler, Trish, indulges her high-stakes gambling problem to numb the trauma of her eight-month stint in a Russian prison. The book’s third protagonist, psychologist Adrian, deals with failed relationships, an abusive, demanding mother, and his own selfish motives for entering the mental health field. When Sadie’s downward spiral and substance abuse derail her undercover operations to gather intelligence, she inadvertently sends Trish and Adrian on wild goose chases in her destructive wake. In this unpredictable thriller, each of the characters alternate narrating the story from their point of view. These flawed characters are propelled by the captivating train wrecks of their personal lives but excel in their chosen professions: “Why train willpower when you can recruit a pathology?” Walker expertly escalates the stakes as all three protagonists hit rock bottom; she’s crafted a tense, character-driven thriller filled with dark humor and unpredictable turns. The chaos is balanced with crisp, sharp dialogue and a keen eye for the absurdities of modern covert operations. The spy elements really take second place to the character foibles and how even the most dissolute of circumstances can bring people together in ways that might turn out all right in the end. Readers will appreciate the tragically amusing story of a brilliant, charismatic spy who “makes treason look like self-care.”

A darkly comedic, fast-paced spy thriller that turns character flaws into a wild ride."

Kirkus Reviews