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Brianna Dagger #1
Maze of Spies
“The story ending is well done and this book and author should be a definite read for you.”
--Reviewer, 5 stars (Patriot Force)
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
As a parkour champion, CIA Agent Brianna Dagger has spent a lifetime honing her agility, and she taps her physical prowess and keen mind to overcome any obstacle to stop all enemies and save victims before it’s too late.
When high-ranking politicians across Europe fall victim to mysterious assassinations, it's up to CIA Agent Brianna Dagger and her unique parkour abilities to track down an elusive villain in a deadly game of cat-and-mouse spanning rooftops and capitals.
MAZE OF SPIES (A Brianna Dagger CIA Thriller—Book 1) is the debut novel in a new series by spy thriller author Vin Strong.
A captivating espionage thriller that will grip you from beginning to end, the Brianna Dagger series is replete with astonishing twists and heart-pounding tension. It will have you falling for a brand-new female protagonist and turning pages late into the night. Fans of Vince Flynn, Brad Taylor, and Tom Clancy are sure to fall in love with the next big name in spy thrillers.
Future books in the series are also available!
--Reviewer, 5 stars (Patriot Force)
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
As a parkour champion, CIA Agent Brianna Dagger has spent a lifetime honing her agility, and she taps her physical prowess and keen mind to overcome any obstacle to stop all enemies and save victims before it’s too late.
When high-ranking politicians across Europe fall victim to mysterious assassinations, it's up to CIA Agent Brianna Dagger and her unique parkour abilities to track down an elusive villain in a deadly game of cat-and-mouse spanning rooftops and capitals.
MAZE OF SPIES (A Brianna Dagger CIA Thriller—Book 1) is the debut novel in a new series by spy thriller author Vin Strong.
A captivating espionage thriller that will grip you from beginning to end, the Brianna Dagger series is replete with astonishing twists and heart-pounding tension. It will have you falling for a brand-new female protagonist and turning pages late into the night. Fans of Vince Flynn, Brad Taylor, and Tom Clancy are sure to fall in love with the next big name in spy thrillers.
Future books in the series are also available!
164 pages, Kindle Edition
Published February 23, 2024
498 people are currently reading
324 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 38 reviews
May 7, 2024
2*
I had higher expectations from this book, based on the cover text. Somehow the story didn't sound real to me, and the ending was a bit of a disappointment - like it was missing the last chapter.
Audiobook, English
I had higher expectations from this book, based on the cover text. Somehow the story didn't sound real to me, and the ending was a bit of a disappointment - like it was missing the last chapter.
Audiobook, English
Read
June 14, 2024There's no climax, no ending to the story!!
This is one of those series where the main character is in several books
BUT there's no end scenario. The plot is left hanging & it appears that you have to read book after book & the story just keeps going in circles. Maybe the conclusion comes in the final book but that's too long to wait. I'm glancing at the last page from now on to gauge if the book actually has an ending instead of wasting my time reading hundreds of pages that just drag on.
Very disappointed!
This is one of those series where the main character is in several books
BUT there's no end scenario. The plot is left hanging & it appears that you have to read book after book & the story just keeps going in circles. Maybe the conclusion comes in the final book but that's too long to wait. I'm glancing at the last page from now on to gauge if the book actually has an ending instead of wasting my time reading hundreds of pages that just drag on.
Very disappointed!
December 2, 2025
Tough to finish
Nothing interesting for me here...not the storyline or the characters.
The parkour was a strange distraction.
One and done with this series.
Nothing interesting for me here...not the storyline or the characters.
The parkour was a strange distraction.
One and done with this series.
June 8, 2024
Needs better editing but it is a great story
This is an enjoyable spy thriller with a really interesting female lead. The plot was fairly original and I loved all of the hoping from city to city to try to catch the mastermind. Several places in the book needed editing. A few character name slip-ups, a she that should have been a he, a missing character from a word….it adds up. So I hope the editing gets better. I will definitely be reading the 2nd book.
This is an enjoyable spy thriller with a really interesting female lead. The plot was fairly original and I loved all of the hoping from city to city to try to catch the mastermind. Several places in the book needed editing. A few character name slip-ups, a she that should have been a he, a missing character from a word….it adds up. So I hope the editing gets better. I will definitely be reading the 2nd book.
June 8, 2024
One quarter of a routine thriller
Maze of Spies is barely the first act in an undeveloped story. The author and publisher have adopted the W.E.B. Griffin marketing model without understanding how to make a complete episodic narrative. There is no reason to believe purchasing future installments will render the story complete.
Maze of Spies is barely the first act in an undeveloped story. The author and publisher have adopted the W.E.B. Griffin marketing model without understanding how to make a complete episodic narrative. There is no reason to believe purchasing future installments will render the story complete.
June 11, 2024
Good story but there's a bit too much emphasis on the parkour and romance. Hanging onto a drone to disable it days after being shot in the shoulder is a bit far fetched.
February 22, 2025
until next time...
the tag line tells you there is a series building here, which is good news, if you like strong women cast as lead protagonist. thing is, I do, so I've read lots of those tales, and they all make the same mistakes, just as I did back in the day when I was a woman with a man's (typically, historically) job as a preventive maintenance planner. either an author will make her overly aggressive because he believes a tough gal will appeal to her male co-workers or he makes her sexy, the old gambit that honey pots work better than vinegar. neither succeed. but Brianna dagger, an Irish lass transplanted over the big pond into, ultimately, the CIA's domain and control, and herself a parkour expert (look it up; I had to), is no one's mistake. she works. maybe Spidey's prototype, unless she (her creator) was a Stan Lee fan before becoming a writer, can easily perform some amazing feats of physical prowess and gets to. so her jaw dropping leaps, bounds, runs, grabs, midair twists, etc. will turn pages if the rest of the cast and crew don't titillate your senses first, but can and do, so I would vote a respectful peek if you don't already know her. bring your second-guessers along, because there are plenty of literary twists and turns not to.mention the quintessential who-done-it? you must attempt, of course. having said that, this author left her single, childless, and homeless unless you count countless hotel and motel rooms across the world as she and her team attempt to stop global manipulations by the bad guys. For your sake, no s.a.'s coming.
the tag line tells you there is a series building here, which is good news, if you like strong women cast as lead protagonist. thing is, I do, so I've read lots of those tales, and they all make the same mistakes, just as I did back in the day when I was a woman with a man's (typically, historically) job as a preventive maintenance planner. either an author will make her overly aggressive because he believes a tough gal will appeal to her male co-workers or he makes her sexy, the old gambit that honey pots work better than vinegar. neither succeed. but Brianna dagger, an Irish lass transplanted over the big pond into, ultimately, the CIA's domain and control, and herself a parkour expert (look it up; I had to), is no one's mistake. she works. maybe Spidey's prototype, unless she (her creator) was a Stan Lee fan before becoming a writer, can easily perform some amazing feats of physical prowess and gets to. so her jaw dropping leaps, bounds, runs, grabs, midair twists, etc. will turn pages if the rest of the cast and crew don't titillate your senses first, but can and do, so I would vote a respectful peek if you don't already know her. bring your second-guessers along, because there are plenty of literary twists and turns not to.mention the quintessential who-done-it? you must attempt, of course. having said that, this author left her single, childless, and homeless unless you count countless hotel and motel rooms across the world as she and her team attempt to stop global manipulations by the bad guys. For your sake, no s.a.'s coming.
December 4, 2024
Oh how I dislike books which leave you with no real ending. Presumably there's going to be a sequel, then another sequel and.... Brianna Dagger is a much sought after agent and so are the small team with whom she works, all over the world. They are looking for a man who calls himself The Oracle who seems to be an MI6 agent gone rogue. The only difference with this book and other spy books is that Brianna is a fan of parkour and is very good at it it seems. Parkour is that game youths play at jumping from rooftops to rooftops and climbing up buildings all done at breakneck speed and quite a few never make it. I am surprised it has cottoned on really.
Well she spends the entire book jumping from roof to roof, scaling up buildings and generally leaping around so much that I got bored. I began to wonder if I had wandered into the realm of a teenage book or fantasy novel. In the end I scrolled through to the ending only to find there was no ending. It isn't nice to feel cheated, I won't be following this series.
Well she spends the entire book jumping from roof to roof, scaling up buildings and generally leaping around so much that I got bored. I began to wonder if I had wandered into the realm of a teenage book or fantasy novel. In the end I scrolled through to the ending only to find there was no ending. It isn't nice to feel cheated, I won't be following this series.
July 14, 2024
With the comments I made as I read, missing (it seems to happen a lot!), I may miss some of the reasons for my 2-star rating. However, the first is an apparent lack of a competent proof-reader who would have picked up the various errors in spelling etc. I also like my novels to be, at least, believable. All that I know about parkour is from watching it on TV, but this CIA operative is in a class all of her own - and often, beyond belief. Some of the interaction of characters also came across as a bit far-fetched.
I also object to what are referred to as a "series" turning out to be a "serial". I wish that authors, and publishers, would recognise the difference! This is the first episode of a serial. A series uses the same characters etc., but each story has a definite conclusion.
Disappointing.
I also object to what are referred to as a "series" turning out to be a "serial". I wish that authors, and publishers, would recognise the difference! This is the first episode of a serial. A series uses the same characters etc., but each story has a definite conclusion.
Disappointing.
May 13, 2025
This was a fairly interesting book as far as the theme went and it did hold you on to the end of your seat. It could be a pretty good movie on Netflix in fact. The characters are pretty cool but I just wasn’t real impressed with the dialogue. It seems like it could have been written by a college English major. The interaction between Brianna and Alex was fairly sophomoric and totally unnecessary to the story in my opinion. Nice quick read but nothing that made me want to read another episode in this series, sorry.
June 26, 2025
Mostly good. However, the story did feel weak at times. The heroine’s ability with parkour seemed beyond realistic. It just seemed too unlikely that she could climb up the side of every building she encountered. Yes, Spider-Man can climb buildings like this, but Brianna isn’t a science fiction character like Spider-Man. The words ‘glint’ and ‘reckless’ were much overused. Still, I enjoyed the book fairly well.
September 19, 2025
This reads like it's incomplete. The ending is weak, the character development is minimal, and there isn't much that makes me care about the pot. The skeleton of a good book is there. But it was published too early. I feel like the author needs to take what they have and build on it.
The book isn't bad but what it desperately needs is an editor. I can forgive 1 or 2 mistakes, but the typos were getting a little ridiculous. I took a star away because of how much it switched between Briana and Brianna, and Max was called Matt at least once.
The book isn't bad but what it desperately needs is an editor. I can forgive 1 or 2 mistakes, but the typos were getting a little ridiculous. I took a star away because of how much it switched between Briana and Brianna, and Max was called Matt at least once.
June 12, 2024
Interesting
I only gave this a 4 star Because It's not a stand-alone of which I I'm not a fan of. This was A very well written Book about 2 CIA agents & an Interpol agent going after a Mastermind that wanted to destabilize Europe. 1 of the CIA agents Is a Female superstar who does some amazing roof top antics. A very good read.
I only gave this a 4 star Because It's not a stand-alone of which I I'm not a fan of. This was A very well written Book about 2 CIA agents & an Interpol agent going after a Mastermind that wanted to destabilize Europe. 1 of the CIA agents Is a Female superstar who does some amazing roof top antics. A very good read.
October 15, 2024
Explosive
The characters in this first book are well developed. The plot keeps you turning page after page to see what is coming at the operatives next. The author does a very good job with the development of the story line and will have readers jumping for the next in the series.
The characters in this first book are well developed. The plot keeps you turning page after page to see what is coming at the operatives next. The author does a very good job with the development of the story line and will have readers jumping for the next in the series.
November 27, 2024
Maze of Spies has a captivating storyline but needs a great editor.
I have a tendency to complete everything I start reading. It was difficult for me to complete this novel. It wasn't science fiction, I believe. As a thriller, it wasn't believable. Crime novel, where does it fit? Vin Strong obviously has talent. Perhaps Book 2 will have the seasoning Book 1 lacked.
I have a tendency to complete everything I start reading. It was difficult for me to complete this novel. It wasn't science fiction, I believe. As a thriller, it wasn't believable. Crime novel, where does it fit? Vin Strong obviously has talent. Perhaps Book 2 will have the seasoning Book 1 lacked.
April 10, 2025
Great action & characters
First in a series. I’ll be looking for the next installment. I received an ARC copy of this book to review. I thoroughly enjoyed it. Lots of action, solid characters, a good plot and an ending leading into the next book. It’s also my first book by Vin Strong, and I’ll be looking for more of his work. Check it out!
First in a series. I’ll be looking for the next installment. I received an ARC copy of this book to review. I thoroughly enjoyed it. Lots of action, solid characters, a good plot and an ending leading into the next book. It’s also my first book by Vin Strong, and I’ll be looking for more of his work. Check it out!
August 8, 2025
A bit uninspiring mixed with some off the wall and disbelief. The Parkour was just too much. Honestly, she considered doing it to the airport. It just made me roll my eyes. The writing all around didn’t really help matters. Just a bit disjointed or choppy. I’m
Not inclined to read the next installment.
Not inclined to read the next installment.
June 20, 2024
Really far fetched from the point of view of other governments allowing so much authority on their turf.
I hate novels that are incomplete in their story, forcing me to read the next novel in order to find out what happened!!!
I hate novels that are incomplete in their story, forcing me to read the next novel in order to find out what happened!!!
August 8, 2024
It was a great premise. I like a strong, kick-ass female lead. However, the constant waffling between, oh, I should be professional, and, oh, is he ignoring me, was just too much. I will be happy to not read the word "Amore" for quite some time.
October 10, 2024
Riveting read for Parkour fans!
Thrilling spy novel featuring an extremely talented female spy who is quite adept at Parkour! interesting plot featuring multilevel assassination attempts and political intrigue.
Thrilling spy novel featuring an extremely talented female spy who is quite adept at Parkour! interesting plot featuring multilevel assassination attempts and political intrigue.
October 24, 2024
Unbelievably implausible premise with a lead female character written by a male author.
Everything about this book was wrong from page one.
A plodding story and unrelatable characters that ends with a continuation to the next book?
Everything about this book was wrong from page one.
A plodding story and unrelatable characters that ends with a continuation to the next book?
June 21, 2025
Mildly entertaining CIA fantasy. Brianna Dagger is a CIA operative tasked with discovering who it is who is killing various officials in Europe. Not really believable, but the writing is not as bad as it is in many of the free ebooks.
July 18, 2025
Muito bom!.
Apos o assassinato do prefeito de Paris, agente da CIA investiga a ocorrencia e depara com um sniper nomeado de Oracle! E comeca uma corrida para evitar outros assassinatos!
Leitura envolvente, gostei bastante!
Apos o assassinato do prefeito de Paris, agente da CIA investiga a ocorrencia e depara com um sniper nomeado de Oracle! E comeca uma corrida para evitar outros assassinatos!
Leitura envolvente, gostei bastante!
August 8, 2025
intriguing
Very few books hold my attention enough to make me want to buy the next in the series. If I can’t get this at the
Library I will,buy it. Suspenseful. The author make you see Brianna vaulting over walls and scaling roofs.
Very few books hold my attention enough to make me want to buy the next in the series. If I can’t get this at the
Library I will,buy it. Suspenseful. The author make you see Brianna vaulting over walls and scaling roofs.
August 14, 2025
ok, but …
The main plot line was interesting. The love struck protagonist was a bit too much. Her antics against the antagonist would have a bit over the top, but still okay. But add in her on again, off again infatuation with her maybe boyfriend was too much.
The main plot line was interesting. The love struck protagonist was a bit too much. Her antics against the antagonist would have a bit over the top, but still okay. But add in her on again, off again infatuation with her maybe boyfriend was too much.
October 5, 2025
parkour heroine
Current affairs adventure. Gritty parkour loving female CIA heroine with CIA partner, annoying boss & irritating boyfriend. Enjoyable read. Cliffhanger ending, so really 3.5
Current affairs adventure. Gritty parkour loving female CIA heroine with CIA partner, annoying boss & irritating boyfriend. Enjoyable read. Cliffhanger ending, so really 3.5
October 14, 2025
Not a page turner
There are a few lead characters who the authors try to make you like but are unlikeable
This is one. I had not iota of empathy for her. Consequently I found this boring and tedious.
There are a few lead characters who the authors try to make you like but are unlikeable
This is one. I had not iota of empathy for her. Consequently I found this boring and tedious.
October 19, 2025
The 52 Book Club's 2025 Challenge - October Challenge #2 - Pick Your Scare Level- Mild Thriller
I am a weenie on scare level. Book was fairly interesting. I am pretty sure I know who the bad guy is. May read the others if they come up free.
I am a weenie on scare level. Book was fairly interesting. I am pretty sure I know who the bad guy is. May read the others if they come up free.
June 20, 2024
I have never thought of parkour as an asset in this way.
July 9, 2024
I didn’t like the reader of this one in the audiobook
Displaying 1 - 30 of 38 reviews