The Housewife Assassin's Gambit

The Housewife Assassin #22

by Josie Brown

IN BOOK 23 OF THE HOUSEWIFE ASSASSIN Donna and Jack Craig are on an around-the-world mission to retrieve nine digital directories listing names of intelligence operatives—one belonging to the United States, the other eight belonging to its allies and enemies—as they are sold by the highest bidder by an anonymous terrorist. At the same time, Jack has reason to question Donna's love for him. Will saving their country cost the Craigs their marriage?

If you love addictive unputdownable absurdist dark comedy satires starring hardboiled women sleuths mixed up in international crime and mystery, you will love the Housewife Assassin romantic mystery series. PRAISE FOR THE HOUSEWIFE ASSASSIN "Brown's unorthodox surprises did make me laugh. I taught it in a class about comic novels." —Jane Smiley "This book hits all the right notes...I now want a week at the beach to read them all...I'm completely smitten." -- Barbara Vey
READERS LOVE THE HOUSEWIFE ASSASSIN SERIES

"Brown's writing is vivid, concise, absurdist, and humorous. At the same time, she manages to convey the seriousness of the situations that the Craigs and Acme find themselves in. I hated all the right characters, believed every bit of the situations presented, and most of all, loved Donna and her family."

"Love the details that Josie adds to her political thrillers. I learn so much and often come away feeling as if I was right there immersed into the plots and deeds. Love my Josie Brown domestic thriller novels. Five stars And love."

"I'm hooked on these absurdist pulp thrillers. I can see this series being brought to the big screen. Five stars all the way."

"Another amazing suspense that kept me glued to the book. For the twentieth time with this series, I was unable to put down this romantic comedy from the moment I opened it. I absolutely love Jack and Donna and their adventures and brushes with death."

"Oh, my heartstrings...Josie Brown took them up to dizzying heights, twisted them into various shapes, then threw them on such a roller coaster ride that I think I may have whiplash. The characters were there to love, the locales vivid and exciting, it almost seemed like a vacation- notwithstanding the murder and espionage. Thank you for another exciting Kindle thrillers read."

"Can't wait for the next one (already). Love all of Josie Brown's funny mysteries books! I normally read these in a day or two—can’t put them down."

"Brilliant! Josie has excelled with this absurdist romantic comedy book! A gripping, exciting read as always, but with an additional twist. Couldn't put it down!"

265 pages, Kindle Edition

Published June 30, 2023

About the author

Josie Brown's forty-two novels are now in the hands of over two million readers.

She has been published by St. Martin's Press, Simon & Schuster, HarperCollins Publishers, Penguin Books.

Read Josie’s books. You’ll get a good idea of her sense of humor. https://www.JosieBrown.com

You'll also find Josie on
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/JosieBrownCA
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/josiebrownau...
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/josiebrownn...

Visit her podcast, where she discusses writing with other authors:
http://bit.ly/AuthorProvocateurApple

Josie is the author of these novels:

The Housewife Assassin Novel Series, including
- Handbook (Book 1)
- Guide to Gracious Killing (Book 2)
- Killer Christmas Tips (Book 3)
- Relationship Survival Guide (Book 4)
- Vacation to Die For (Book 5)
- Recipes for Disaster (Book 6)
- Hollywood Scream Play (Book 7) [2014, Signal Press]
- Killer App (Book 8) [August 2014, Signal Press]
- Hostage Hosting Tips (Book 9)
- Garden of Deadly Delights (Book 10)
- Tips for Weddings, Weapons, and Warfare Hosting Tips (Book 11)
- Husband Hunting Hints (Book 12)
- Ghost Protocol (Book 13)
- Terrorist TV Guide (Book 14)
- Deadly Dossier (Book 15 - SERIES PREQUEL)
- Greatest Hits (Book 16 )
- Fourth Estate Sale (Book 17 )
- Horrorscope (Book 18 )
- White House Keeping Seal of Approval (Book 19)
- Assassination Vacation Tips (Book 20)
- Antisocial Media Tips (Book 21)
- Manners, Missiles & Mayhem (Book 22)
- Gambit (Book 23)
- Underwater Assets (Book 24)

The Candidate (Steamy Political Thriller)

Extracurricular - 3 episodic Novels (2020; Signal Press)

Totlandia - 8 episodic Novels (2014-2017; Signal Press)

The Baby Planner
[2011, Simon & Schuster]

The Housewife Assassin Gets Lucky (written with Deborah Coonts)

Secret Lives of Husbands and Wives
[2010, Simon & Schuster 2014 Signal Press]]

Hollywood Hunk (Book 1 - True Hollywood Lies)
[2005, HarperCollins; 2010 Signal Press]

Her novel, Secret Lives of Husbands and Wives (Simon & Schuster), is being produced by Jerry Bruckheimer as a dramatic series for NBC-TV.

She is also the author of three non-fiction books: The Complete Idiot's Guide to Finding Mr. Right [Penguin/Alpha]; Marriage Confidential: 102 Honest Answers to the Questions Every Husband Wants to Ask, and Every Wife Needs to Know [Signal Press]; and Last Night I Dreamt of Cosmopolitans: A Modern Girl's Dream Dictionary [St. Martin's Press]

Before becoming a full-time novelist, Josie also worked in advertising (JWT, DDB/Needham, BBM&B) and radio (WPLO-AM, Atlanta; WZGC-FM, Atlanta).

As a journalist, Josie has interviewed Maya Angelou, Brenda Blethyn, Julian Bond, Kenneth Branagh, Jackie Collins, Costa-Gavras, Craig Ferguson, John Gray, Derek Jacobi, Debbie Reynolds, and John Woo. Her celebrity interviews and relationships trends articles have been featured in Los Angeles Times Syndicate International, Redbook, and Complete Woman, as well as AOL, Yahoo, AskMen.com, Divorce360.com, and SingleMindedWomen.com, where she serves as the Relationships Channel editor.

Josie's interviews for her podcast, Author Provocateur, and for the International Thriller Writers magazine THE BIG THRILL include such notable authors as David Baldacci, Samantha M. Bailey, C.J. Box, Allison Brennan, Lee Child, Deborah Coonts, Robert Dugoni, Barry Eisler, JT Ellison, Liz Fenton and Lisa Steinke, Tess Gerritsen, Andrew Gross, Kristan Higgins, Jon Land, John Lescroart, John Lutz, James Rollins, Hank Phillippi Ryan, Brad Thor, and Debra Webb.

Although born and raised (a Southern expression) in and around Atlanta, Georgia, Josie is proudly one-hundred percent Puerto Rican: her father was born in Ponce, and her mother was from Humacao. Does this make Josie a Georgiarican? She thinks so, and proudly claims that title.

She now lives in San Francisco with her husband and two children.

Reviews

[Lynda Custer · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Housewife Assassin’s Gambit is 23rd book in the series by Josie Brown.This book is another win! I have been following the series since I read The Housewife Assassin’s Handbook (book 1). As her children have grown, Donna’s duties and involvement while working for ACME Industries a black-ops intelligence organization have also grown. Conflicts and situations continue to involve Donna’s family, her husband and the long time support team.
Josie Brown’s creativity is refreshing. The plot lines are original, suspenseful, exciting and intriguing. I was extremely concerned about Donna and Jack’s relationship. The emotional challenges that creates jealousy were extremely genuine.
I am enamored of Josie Brown as an author and look forward to the next book in the series.

[Sara · Rating 5 out of 5]

for the 23rd time I fell absolutely in love with the Craig’s and ACME team

I always anxiously anticipate the next addition to this series and Gambit did not fail to have me at the edge of my seat until the very end.

I absolutely adored catching up with the Craig’s and the ACME team and riding along through this adventure. Though I feel like I know the characters so well they continue to develop and charm yet also surprise me. Though their mission is always thwarting some plan of the enemy each new mission is different from the last leaving you guessing even 23 books in!

I flew through the pages and once again am left anxiously awaiting more.

[Ree · Rating 5 out of 5]

No Good Deed Goes Unpunished…

I don’t know how Josie Brown continues to come up with the amazing stories she does! Book 23 in the enchanting Housewife Assassin series is a perfect addition! I found myself falling for Donna and Jack and the kids and everyone else all over again. I only put it down under duress! Fantastic!

[beth · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow!

I loved the twists and turns of this story! Donna and Jack's marriage looked almost beyond repair. Can they get their happiness back?

[Diana Kudsk · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really caught me by surprise with this one ! A rare and wonderful occurrence! Great book !

[Amy Howell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Donna always prevails

I've read all of Josie's books and they never disappoint. I like hearing about all the faraway places they go and she has such good descriptions, just awesome

[Lynda Custer · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Housewife Assassin’s Gambit is 23rd book in the series by Josie Brown. This is another win!! I have been following the series since I read The Housewife Assassin’s Handbook (book 1). As her children have grown, Donna’s duties and involvement while working for ACME Industries a black-ops intelligence organization have also grown. Conflicts and situations continue to involve Donna’s family, her husband and the long time support team.
Josie Brown’s creativity is refreshing. The plot lines are original, suspenseful, exciting and intriguing. I was extremely concerned about Donna and Jack’s relationship. The emotional challenges that creates jealousy were extremely genuine.
I am enamored of Josie Brown as an author and look forward to the next book in the series.

[Fred · Rating 5 out of 5]

The latest in Josie Brown's Housewife Assassin series starts with a bang and continues right to the end to thrill and entertain. The action is peppered with sexy scenes and intrigue that never fails to captivate the reader. Needless to say, I'm a big Josie Brown fan and can't wait for the next one. Bonus? I learned a lot about chess that I never knew.

[Linda Allour · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another good book

I always learn something from these books. Pretty insightful into the game of chess. Didn't know alot of the terms she used. It always amazes me how cruel people can be

[Patricia Mccammon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love this series lots of action and fascinating characters

[Kathy Hosey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another amazing book #23

Josie your out did yourself on this one! What a page turner with so many different twists and turns. Can’t wait for book 24💥💥🥰

[Connie Morgan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was outside my normal reading preferences, so I was surprised how much I liked it. I found the chapter structure interesting. Each chapter began with a chess lesson that applied to what was happening to the Protagonist in that chapter. Donna Craig is a wife, mother, and an intelligence operative for the United States. She uses her body and brain to stay alive and save top secrets. The main enemy is the Russians and the growing distance between her and her team leader (her husband). While they jet set around the World intercepting sensitive data, they are also trying to watch their children compete in an international junior chess tournament. No spoiler alert here but there is a twist at the end.

[Donna Van · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great Read!

Josie Brown always comes up with so many twists and turns in her storylines, and this book is no exception. Faced paced and with delightful characters, this book also teaches us something about the game of chess - both literally and figuratively as it relates to the espionage world.

[Daryl Williams · Rating 5 out of 5]

A villain who calls himself the black king has the names of of operatives of all the major nations and is auctioning them off one country at a time. He has named Donna the white queen. The various auctions are held at the same locations as international chess tournaments. To complicate the situation the Craig's children are entered in the competition. Can Jack and Donna stop the potential slaughter of agents, can they keep their children safe? Will the black king succeed in capturing Donna or will the white queen put him in check mate. Another exciting book by Josie Brown.

[Emma Gail Hamlet · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very good book

I love this book it was exciting and full of action and suspense. I would love Mary to be involved with the missions, she would be a good addition to the storylines.