The Shadow Friends

The Martini Club #3

by Tess Gerritsen

From New York Times bestselling author Tess Gerritsen comes a harrowing and emotional thriller where ghosts of the Cold War return with a vengeance—and cannot be outrun.

When a renowned disease expert and Russian defector dies mysteriously during a global affairs conference in Purity, Maine, the tight-knit band of former spies in the Martini Club once again sees their quiet coastal retirement interrupted by international intrigue. And when a waitress at the conference hotel is found murdered, Ingrid Slocum sees chilling links to a disastrous mission that nearly killed her three decades ago.

Desperate to uncover the truth, Ingrid’s drawn back into the game by a magnetic ex-CIA colleague—and former lover—who was with her on the long-ago doomed mission. He convinces her to join him, and together they head to Amsterdam to track down her would-be killer.

Ingrid’s frantic husband Lloyd and Maggie Bird are close behind, but a clandestine network of assassins is intent on stopping them. Forced to question every allegiance, the Martini Club must rely on the skills they tried to leave behind. Because in this game of revenge and deception, the past never dies—it just hides in the shadows.

Genres: Mystery, Thriller, Fiction, Mystery Thriller, Suspense, Crime, Espionage

Kindle Edition

Expected publication November 17, 2026

About the author

Internationally bestselling author Tess Gerritsen took an unusual route to a writing career. A graduate of Stanford University, Tess went on to medical school at the University of California, San Francisco, where she was awarded her M.D.

While on maternity leave from her work as a physician, she began to write fiction. In 1987, her first novel was published. Call After Midnight, a romantic thriller, was followed by eight more romantic suspense novels. She also wrote a screenplay, "Adrift", which aired as a 1993 CBS Movie of the Week starring Kate Jackson.

Tess's first medical thriller, Harvest, was released in hardcover in 1996, and it marked her debut on the New York Times bestseller list. Her suspense novels since then have been: Life Support (1997), Bloodstream (1998), Gravity (1999), The Surgeon (2001), The Apprentice (2002), The Sinner (2003), Body Double (2004), Vanish (2005), The Mephisto Club (2006), and The Bone Garden (2007). Her books have been translated into 31 languages, and more than 15 million copies have been sold around the world.

As well as being a New York Times bestselling author, she has also been a #1 bestseller in both Germany and the UK. She has won both the Nero Wolfe Award (for Vanish) and the Rita Award (for The Surgeon.) Critics around the world have praised her novels as "Pulse-pounding fun" (Philadelphia Inquirer), "Scary and brilliant" (Toronto Globe and Mail), and "Polished, riveting prose" (Chicago Tribune). Publisher Weekly has dubbed her the "medical suspense queen".

Now retired from medicine, she writes full time. She lives in Maine.

Reviews

[Anita]

Okay. I preordered a book that isn't being published until August. Looks like it will be a River Read for sure. It was a great deal, $3.99 for the Kindle e-book. I love this series about retired spooks and Tess Gerritsen is a fantastic author.

[Stefanie Verhelst · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another gripping suspense thriller by Tess Gerritsen!

From the very start, the deaths and mystery dragged me in to the story, grabbed me by the throat and only let go after the final word was read. Even then I was still bracing myself! Wow a very interesting story with a suspense only Tess can orchestrate!!!

Thanks to NetGalley and Thomas and Mercer for this review copy. This opinion is my own.

[Deborah (debbishdotcom) · Rating 4 out of 5]

I must confess I let The Shadow Friends by Tess Gerritsen leapfrog over all of the books in my reading list on its arrival, despite it not being published until August 2026 because I love this Martini Club series so much. I think in my first review I talked about it being akin to the 'Thursday Murder Club on speed'. Thanks to the fact that all five members of this 'club' are ex-CIA, all with their own set of skills, which have only dulled a little in the decades since their retirement. I loved the first two books in this series. I probably didn't enjoy this quite as much, although the bar is possibly set unfairly high. This is similar to the first book in the series, when the past of one of the members comes back to haunt them and pull the group back into the life they left.

I loved that Gerritsen includes some commentary on the direction some of the security services (American alphabet agencies) are moving, cosying up to former enemies like Russia and agents forced to pledge their loyalties to power-hungry bureaucrats and politicians rather than the country and its citizens. Given what's happening in the USA at the moment, it's rather topical... if not ironic. Also interesting are the references (via speakers of the disrupted conference) to future dangers, such as bioweapons and biological warfare.

I've commented in previous posts that I'd love to see this translated onto the screen and given so many books are now being optioned for movies and streaming services I'll keep my fingers crossed.



Read my review here: https://www.debbish.com/books-literat...

[Jane Perron · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really have enjoyed the Martini club series so far and look forward to continuing to read their story.

[Kathy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love the characters and the story, although Lloyd really got in my nerves this time.

[Kay Rohrer · Rating 5 out of 5]

When Tess Gerritsen ends The Shadow Friends (release date: August 2026) with “perhaps,” is she promising us more sagas about the Martini Club? I sure hope so!

Retired US operatives living in a quiet town in Maine, Maggie, Ben, Declan, Lloyd and Ingrid have become friends. Not predictable friends, even to themselves, but intriguing friends.

The story starts out in Ingrid’s past because that fifth person she was sure was in the charging SUV never really was a figment of her imagination. Nor was Rodrigo…

Speakers at the annual Stone Coast Conference run by Ingrid are giving bold talks about Russian germ warfare when all of a sudden the quiet town becomes a murder scene. Russian speaker, Dr. Mikhail Maslow — a formerly protected ex-Russian spy — is found dead in his room.

Gerritsen deftly makes the reader wonder about a lot of people as suspects. The Martini Club is considering options as well when Rodrigo, an old partner of Ingrid’s shows up and she takes off to parts unknown. No warning and no explanation to her husband Lloyd.

Lloyd sets out to rescue his wife, accompanied by Maggie, who realizes as a former analyst, that Lloyd is no match for the world Ingrid is about to challenge.

A master of twists and turns, near-death wrong moves and constantly changing alliances, Gerritsen lets the reader and the Martini Club doubt their understanding of loyalty to each other and their responsibility as protectors of government secrets. This is another winner! I personally am already looking for book 4!!

Thanks to NetGalley for a review copy.

[Siegrist · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was thrilled to discover this new-to-me series by woman of (crime) letters Tess Gerritson. The Shadow Friends is the third in her Martini Club series about a friendship group of former CIA agents attempting to live a quiet life in a town called Purity. There’s nothing folksy or cosy about them - they are smart, passionate and complex - so refreshing to find a third act of life story that doesn’t diminish people over fifty. For all that the book is thoughtful about what this stage of life is like:


Once, she could think: Someday I'll pick up the guitar, or I'll learn to speak Arabic. Now she'd come to accept that those things might never happen, that there were not enough years left in her lifetime.


The story begins with two suspicious deaths, one of which alerts Ingrid as the unusual method of death is one that she has seen before from a case-gone-wrong that has haunted her. This combined with the return of an old flame sets the story in motion. The book is very interesting in a post Cold War landscape.

"The Agency has changed since we retired," said Ben. "There's been a recent realignment of priorities and the new leadership doesn't seem to think of Russia as the enemy. Now it's more about absolute loyalty to these new folks in charge.

The Shadow Friends is a pacy, gritty exciting read with excellent plotting, world building and characters.

Thank you Tess Gerritson, the publisher and NetGalley for sharing this review copy with me.

[Joanne Hurley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review "The Shadow Friends", by Tess Gerritsen. This book is the third in her enormously entertaining and action-packed 'The Martini Club' series.

When a renowned disease expert and Russian defector dies mysteriously during a global affairs conference in Purity, Maine, the tight-knit band of former spies in the Martini Club once again sees their quiet coastal retirement interrupted by international intrigue. And when a waitress at the conference hotel is found murdered, Ingrid Slocum sees chilling links to a disastrous mission that nearly killed her three decades ago.

And then, Ingrid is drawn once again into the world of international intrigue by an old friend/associate/love, as she suddenly leaves her husband and their circle of retired specialists, in order to finally solve the mystery of 'the fifth man', with nothing to go on but a stiletto and a picture. And to find out why supposedly 'safe' Russian defectors are suddenly in the crosshairs.

But is the danger much closer to home than Ingrid realizes?

Don't want to give away anything at all with respect to this one. I'll just say that I had no idea until the very end.

[Terri · Rating 5 out of 5]

Maggie, Declan, Lloyd, Ingrid, and Ben return in “The Shadow Friends,” the next installment of Tess Gerritsen’s Martini Club series, which follows five seniors who just happen to be former CIA operatives.

In this story, Ingrid’s past comes back to haunt her in the form of her ex-colleague and still-dangerously-charming former lover. He pulls her into a secret mission that she keeps even from Lloyd, her husband of 28 years. When Ingrid suddenly disappears, Lloyd teams up with Maggie and heads to Europe to track her down and uncover what she’s hiding. Meanwhile, back in Purity, Maine, the rest of the group investigates the murder of a visiting presenter at a convention and tries to untangle how that death connects to the murder of a hotel housekeeper. The story flies by at a frenetic pace as secrets are revealed and long-standing relationships are tested. Ms. Gerritsen clearly knows what her readers want and continues to deliver.

Thank you to NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for the advance copy in exchange for my honest review. This is a fun, fast read and a worthy addition to the Martini Club series.

[Christina Magulick · Rating 5 out of 5]

How would you respond when your past unexpectedly comes calling to your present? In The Shadow Friends, the highly complicated (and covert) CIA past lives of several retired friends (self-named, "The Martini Club") come calling to their current small-town of Purity, Maine, with old enemies, contract killers and consultants throughout. Even further still, what would you do (and how do you respond) when your friends start going missing?

Two of my favorites in the series and the husband/wife paid, Lloyd and Ingrid, had a lot of the focus for the book. Per usual, Ms. Gerritsen wove in humor, wit, and spy jargon in a very enjoyable and easy-to-read way. The dialogue was constantly evolving and kept my interest.

While I enjoyed the earlier two books in the series (The Spy Coast and The Summer Guests), I liked this book the most. Overall, a nice thriller and a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5 read (rounded up). Looking forward to re-reading when this releases in August 2026! Thanks again to NetGalley and Ms. Gerritsen for the ARC copy of this book, in exchange for an honest review.

[Louise Allan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for my copy of this book.

When a scientist is killed and then a house keeper turns up dead, the martini club start their own investigation. All signs point to a case from Ingrid’s past life. She can’t share any disappears. Is she the mole?

This was another great martini club novel. It starts with an episode from Ingrid’s past. This was revealing! A fast paced book that was both exciting, but so tense I could feel my jaw tighten! All I wanted to do was get to the bottom of this case. As always there were twists and turns until the end. I was wrong about the mole, I had no clue. I really enjoyed the challenge of reading and puzzling things out along with the characters. I enjoy that the. ‘heroes’ are older, with experience. The slow build if background knowledge makes what we know-spies- feel more real.

Great book, 100% recommend.

[Mike Stafford · Rating 5 out of 5]

You will devour The Shadow Friends by the terrific Tess Gerritsen. It's another amazing addition to her series starring The Martini Club. In fact, this one has cemented these books as my second favorite series based in Maine (behind only Gerry Boyle's 'Jack McMorrow' series). This book features a cataclysmic collision of the past and present for one of the Martini Club members. It also has the return of Cold War death and destruction as the stakes reach far beyond Purity, Maine. Are the members of the Martini Club still viable on the world stage as retirees? That is one of the questions they must confront. Gerritsen, as her legion of fans know, has such a smooth writing style and The Shadow Friends displays her gift for pitch perfect pacing.

[Nicola Mackenzie-Smaller · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was really excited to have this drop unexpectedly into my NetGalley shelf. I love the Martini Club. They are like a much more cool and dangerous Thursday Murder Club.
This time round, the gang is attending a convention in a hotel in their small town of Purity. One of the guest speakers is found almost dead in his hotel room. Maggie gives him mouth to mouth and winds up in isolation while they look at what might have killed him as he’s fresh from an Ebola hotspot. The truth turns out to be much stranger, as a member of the hotel staff is found murdered too, and it seems like something from Ingrid’s past is coming for her.
This series goes from strength to strength as the retired spies prove once again that age is no barrier to solving crimes.
Really enjoyable.

[Rachel Abarca · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Shadow Friends by Tess Gerritsen is a murder mystery and the third book in The Martini Club Series. Maggie, Ingrid, Lloyd, Ben, and Declan find themselves again involved in clandestine affairs in their small and idyllic town of Purity, Maine when a Russian defector/renowned infectious disease specialist dies from a mysterious illness. Along with the help of Jo, chief of police, and a former partner of Ingrid from “the agency”, they get up to all of their old antics while solving crimes and saving the day. Like the first two books in this series, I really enjoyed this book! I love how the author tells the story from multiple POVs and has you on the edge of your seat trying to figure out who did it and what their motive was!

Thank you NetGalley, Thomas & Mercer, and the author for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

[Stacey Robinson · Rating 4 out of 5]

“The Shadow Friends” is another winner from Tess Gerritsen, and a strong third entry in the Martini Club series. With a tightly woven spy-thriller storyline, this one delivers exactly what the series does best—sharp pacing, smart twists, and a cast of great characters you can’t help but root for.

The story flows smoothly, never bogs down, and keeps the tension humming while still being genuinely fun to read. Gerritsen balances intrigue and humor well, making this an enjoyable and satisfying continuation of a series that just keeps getting better. Fans of the Martini Club won’t be disappointed.

Thank You NetGalley and the publisher for this eARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

[Greville Waterman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tess Gerritsen has hit it out of the park as this, her third Martini Club spy thriller continues the high standard of her first two books in this engrossing series.

This time much of the action is set in Europe as the past of one of the club members comes back to haunt her but her friends and fellow club members rally to her support and with the help of their old friend the local police chief everything comes right in the end.

The dialogue is sharp and witty and the writing is crisp. There is also much social commentary on the political situation in the US and the changing role and direction of the CIA - one that the author is not keen on.

The book is a rollicking good story and a delight from start to finish

[Howard Davis · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Shadow Friends is an interesting tale of retired CIA operatives living peacefully in a small town in Maine who unwittingly become involved in murders and intrigue which culminates in a few of them traveling to the Netherlands and Spain in an attempt to solve the murders and avenge something that happened in the past. The characters are clearly defined and refer to themselves as the “Martini Club” and have been instrumental in assisting the harried female chief of police in prior novels. There is a lot of action ( including Russian involvement) and it requires the reader to constantly turn pages to get to a somewhat surprising conclusion .

[KDRBCK · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Shadow Friends by Tess Gerritsen published by Thomas & Mercer is a stand alone in the Martini Club Series.
The previous books are Spy Coast and The Summer Guests.
While Maggie, Declan, Ben, Ingrid and Lloyd were pretty quiet in The Summer Guests, this third book is theirs. Right from the start all five friends and partners are involved in a complicated, complex case.
The Shadow Friends was like reading three books at the same time, and I loved it.
I loved the interaction with local law, loved the storylines and the writing is excellent - like always.
I highly recommend the book and the series that deserves all the stars.

[GK Daffu · Rating 4 out of 5]

A High-Action, Satisfying Thriller with Series Payoff

The Shadow Friends leans much more into action and suspense than the previous two books—and honestly, that worked for me. As part of "The Martini Club" series, following a group of sharp, underestimated CIA retirees, this one brings real momentum and higher stakes with different POVs. Having read the other two books, it felt like a natural escalation, with plenty happening on the page and a satisfying sense of payoff. A fast, engaging read from Tess Gerritsen. Thanks to the author and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

[Katie · Rating 4 out of 5]

4⭐️ I was a dope and didn’t realize that this book was in a series and I haven’t read the previous two books. I was still fully able to read it as a standalone and understand everything but it would have probably been better to read them in order to have some more background information on the main characters. I enjoy the premise of older retired operatives getting pulled back into action and I liked that that it focused around a group of friends with their own silly name, the “Martini Club”. I not a big fan of spy and espionage stories so I wish it was more of a thriller or focused more on the murder mystery but overall it was a quick fun read and kept me entertained.

[Cindieslibrary · Rating 4 out of 5]

While the martini club is retired, they do miss the action from work. So, they keep sticking their nose in the polices’ business but this time the tables are turned. Ingrid’s old colleague Rodrigo comes to town because the names of Russian defectors are being leaked with those names one they protected years ago and are on the hunt for a fifth assassin that slipped through their net many years prior.

Want to read my full review on this book? You can find it here
https://cindieslibrary.com/the-shadow...

[Sans Washington · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolute loved Tess Gerritsen's third entry in her Martini Club series! The description of the book does not do it justice. Suffice to say: the reader gets to re-engage with all of the beloved characters, travel to Europe with them, and observe the loveable chief-of-police flounder over doing the "right thing". In this story, however, there is a much greater emphasis on Ingrid's character and her backstory. I hope that each of the subsequent books finds a way to do the same - tell the backstory of each of our beloved spies. Regardless, I cannot wait until volume 4 is released!

[Andrea · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gerritsen takes the series in a new direction, giving us some back story on at least one of the Martini Club. And what a past it is! Do our friends really know each other? Or are there secrets that should never be revealed? The life choices we make, the partners we choose and who we trust are all open to question. And then there's simply the question of growing older. Can we just walk away from who we used to be or will we forever seek the thrill of when we were at the top of our game? A great story with characters we are still getting to know. Don't underestimate them.

[Dawn Byers · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was given this book by NetGalley for an honest review-
Once again Tess writes a thriller! There is a conference going on, a defector dies, a waitress is murdered- bringing back memories for Ingrid. She jumps at the chance to solve another mystery but her husband worries about her and follows— but someone is on the alert to stop them. Grab this thrilling read!

[Kathy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really good series. Looking forward to more in this series.

Good story. Enjoy the characters.

[Yvonne Ramée]

Pre - ordered. I’ve loved the first two books in this series and look forward to more.