The Swiss Agent: A Novel

by Anna Pitoniak

CIA officials Amanda Cole and Kath Frost must work together to untangle a global bribery scheme involving murder, wealthy oligarchs, and high-level Swiss bankers—unless Kath’s mysterious past tears them apart first—in the next novel from the author of The Helsinki Affair. Amanda Cole’s posting as the CIA station chief in Rome is normally too quiet for her liking. But when a chef’s body washes ashore on Capri, and Amanda learns he worked for a Russian oligarch with deep Kremlin ties, her alarm bells start ringing. Even more suspicious is the fact that the oligarch had hosted a private dinner with NATO’s deputy secretary general the night the chef died. To get answers, Amanda calls on her former partner Kath Frost, a semi-retired CIA legend who is as brilliant as she is unpredictable. As they dig deeper, they discover a web of corruption that stretches from Moscow to Geneva to Washington, eventually uncovering a Kremlin-backed scheme to bribe NATO officials and tip the global balance of power. But when a suave Swiss banker named Julian Schmidt emerges at the center of the scheme, it becomes clear that Kath shares an intimate history with him and that she may know more than she’s letting on. It turns out that Kath’s past is full of shadows, and the choices she made decades ago, in the gray borderlands of the Soviet collapse, are resurfacing now with devastating consequences. Amanda must uncover the truth about Kath—and whether she can really be trusted at all—before it’s too late.

Kindle Edition

Expected publication December 1, 2026

About the author

Anna Pitoniak is the author of The Futures, Necessary People, Our American Friend, and the forthcoming The Helsinki Affair (November 2023). She graduated from Yale, where she majored in English and was an editor at the Yale Daily News. She worked for many years in book publishing, most recently as a Senior Editor at Random House. Anna grew up in Whistler, British Columbia, and now lives in New York City and East Hampton, NY.

Reviews

[Suzanne Delle · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book felt like a spy thriller from the 1980s or 90s. It felt very Jean le Carré or Tom Clancy with agents trying to thwart Russian interference in world affairs, only now those agents are women and those Russians are oligarchs.

“The Swiss Agent” is the second book in this series following Amanda Cole, CIA station chief, and Kath Frost, her mentor. However, if you missed “The Helsinki Affair” by Anna Pitoniak, it won’t really matter. This is the first novel I’ve read by Pitoniak and anything I needed to know about what happened in the first book was explained. While the sexism and misogyny of an all boys outfit like the CIA is clear throughout the plot, it is never overt as Amanda and Kath are just trying to get their job done, even if the job is an off the books op that could derail both their careers.

Like most novels in this genre, the Swiss agent jumps back-and-forth in time and involves covers, double crosses, and questionable good and bad guys. The writing was tight and so was the plot. From a murder that isn’t quite what it seems to blackmailing international organizations, the Swiss agent is a fun globe hopping mystery. I enjoyed the generational differences between Amanda and Kath and appreciated a love story not in the flesh of youth, but later in life with all the baggage that comes with trying to start again.

If you enjoy spy thrillers where the Russians are the bad guys and the women don’t take no for an answer (not even from the head of the CIA), this is the novel for you.

Thanks to Simon & Schuster and Net Galley for this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

[Stefan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Full review to come. Unsure how to rate this. I liked a fair bit of it, but not as good as some of the author’s other work. Maybe struggled to pick a genre (or, written in a way that suggested this was the case).

Full review here: https://civilianreader.com/2026/04/22...

[Nichole · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for the opportunity to read The Swiss Agent by Anna Pitoniak in exchange for my honest review.

The Swiss Agent is the second installment in the series featuring CIA station chief Amanda Cole and her mentor, Kath Frost. While returning readers will likely appreciate the continued character dynamics, I don't think it's necessary to have read The Helsinki Affair first. The author does a good job of providing enough context to follow the story without feeling lost.

The premise immediately hooked me: a suspicious death on Capri, Russian oligarchs, political corruption, and a conspiracy reaching into NATO. On paper, this sounded exactly like the kind of spy novel I'd enjoy.

Unfortunately, the execution didn't quite live up to the premise for me.

This is very much a slow-burning, literary espionage novel rather than an action-driven spy thriller. That's not inherently a bad thing, but I found the pacing dragged. There was a significant amount of backstory and political detail, while the present-day investigation often felt to lose momentum. By the final third, I was ready for the story to wrap up.

I also felt the central conspiracy became buried beneath the many side plots and historical threads. The ending tied everything together, but the twists weren't especially surprising, and I wished the stakes had felt higher after such a long buildup.

Amanda is a likable lead, but I found myself wanting to know her better as a person. Much of the novel focused on the relationships between the larger cast and the political landscape, leaving Amanda herself feeling a little underdeveloped.

Overall, this wasn't a bad book—it just wasn't the right fit for me. Readers who enjoy slower, character-driven espionage with a strong emphasis on international politics may appreciate it more than I did. I was hoping for a little more urgency, suspense, and momentum throughout.

[Mal · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thanks to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for the advanced reader copy.

When CIA Rome Station Chief, Amanda Cole, is given a tip about the suspicious death of a private chef in Capri, she's sent down a rabbit hole of Russian oligarchs, Swiss bankers, and a backroom deal with NATO. But in order to solve the puzzle, she'll have to team up with Kath Frost--an unpredictable CIA agent who has more secrets than anyone can count--and keep the job off the books. Traveling between Rome, Geneva, and Washington D.C., Amanda must work with, and sometimes against, Kath to solve the mystery before Kath's secrets catch up to them both.

I know a book is good when Iim racing through it and then find lots of things to do occupy my time when I get near the end--I want the moment of being in the world the author created for just a little longer. THE SWISS AGENT is one of those books. Pitoniak does an excellent job of making very complex international issues feel just simplified enough for the average reader to follow, but not so dumbed down that there isn't a sense of urgency and reality. While Amanda is our entry into the story, the book mostly revolves around Kath, who is charismatic, suspicious, and infuriating in equal measure. From moment to moment I couldn't tell what her real motivations were, which kept me turning pages. This book comes out in December and is an excellent gift for someone to curl up on the couch and get sucked into the complicated, but still very human, world of international spies.

The Swiss Agent is out December 1, 2026

[Jess · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Swiss Agent is an excellent novel. The feel, and pacing, even as it jumps back and forth in time, feels much more realistic than so many spy novels. This isn't some Jason Bourne super-assassin, constantly-cheating-death type of novel. Rather, its tension and suspense come from the very believable plot, pitting CIA agents against some very bad Russian adversaries while they wrestle with their own bureaucracy, political concerns and self-serving American handlers.

With the realistic considerations one imagines must be part of an actual agent's life, as represented by lines like, "Occasionally one had to render unto Langley that which was Langley's" and the efforts at trying to figure out how the puzzle pieces of a high-ranking NATO leader fit together with a Russian oligarch, as well as a murder and what they could prove to make those pieces fit, and the Swiss banker boyfriend and the degree to which one of our characters can live with using him for her own ends, we're along for a suspenseful ride.

While there's the feeling that some things are going to be left unfinished--e.g., where Amanda thinks, "...maybe that's just how it went. Maybe some chapters lacked that final punctuation mark."--the author actually ties things up nicely at the end. It's easy to see how there may be more left for our heroes to do, but we also realize that life, especially with stakes like these, isn't generally too neat and tidy.

Thank you to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for allowing me to read and review this ARC of The Swiss Agent.

[Olivia Lanier · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thanks to Netgalley for this ARC!

I would give this one 3.5 ⭐️. It was my first book by this author, so I wasn’t able to appreciate whatever connections may exist from The Helsinki Affair. However, I did appreciate that I could just jump into this story as a standalone and not feel like I was missing out on much.

I haven’t read many spy/espionage books but I really enjoyed it! It was nice to take a break from my usual genres and get immersed into the global politics sphere. I did like the use of multiple timelines and seeing how they all intertwined throughout the story. One confusing point for me though, were the rough ages of Amanda and Kath. Based on the information we had, I got the impression that Kath would be solidly into retirement age. Maybe a minor detail, but I kept thinking about it!

I do wish we had gotten to see a bit more of Amanda’s personality. I think the story focused more on the interpersonal relationships between the characters and the significant scope of the politics involved, but I wanted to get to know this badass woman more!

I think thriller fans might also appreciate this book! Though I never felt a huge sense of nervousness about what may ultimately happen in the end, I think thriller readers would appreciate the twists and turns that the story took before the final resolution. I’m definitely interested in reading more of the authors’ work in the future!

[Dave Taylor · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Swiss Agent follows Amanda Cole, a CIA officer pulled into a dangerous investigation after the personal chef of a Russian oligarch is murdered in Geneva. What begins as a suspicious death quickly opens into a larger story involving money, influence, espionage, and the uneasy neutrality of the Swiss banking system. I found the setting compelling, and Anna Pitoniak does a good job using Geneva as more than just scenery; The city becomes part of the machinery of the plot.

I was less convinced by the premise itself, which asked me to accept a few turns that felt more engineered than inevitable. That said, the book has momentum, and I kept reading because the atmosphere and stakes were strong enough to carry me along. My bigger struggle came as the timeline continually bounced back and forth. There were moments when I had to stop and figure out who was connected to whom, and which era of events I was currently following.

Even with those reservations, however, I enjoyed The Swiss Agent. It’s a smart, international thriller with a strong sense of place and enough intrigue to keep the pages moving. It didn’t entirely hold together, but it was still a worthwhile read, especially for readers who like espionage fiction built around evil Russian oligarchs, power, secrecy, and the blurred lines between public diplomacy and private money.

[Joan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Review of eGalley

Amanda Cole’s mother, Helen, is visiting her in Rome. They’ve headed for a French church service [“I don’t speak a word of Italian, but I’ve still got a little French.]. While at the church, Amanda learns about the body of Nicholas Perrault found in Capri . . . and whose death might not have been an accident.

What did happen to Perrault? Amanda is determined to find out who he worked for . . . and why he ended up dead.

=========

The second book in the author’s Amanda Cole series, this book contains sufficient backstory and relevant information to work as a standalone. Well-defined and interesting characters keep the reader involved in the action in this fast-paced spy thriller.

Told in multiple timelines and through multiple viewpoints, the story slowly reveals long-held secrets as the convoluted international issues keep readers guessing. Compelling and intriguing, the unfolding narrative keeps the readers absorbed in the story as deception and mystery combine to keep them guessing.

Readers who enjoy spy tales will find much to appreciate here.

Recommended.

I received a free copy of this eBook from Simon & Schuster and NetGalley and am voluntarily leaving this review.
#TheSwissAgent #NetGalley

[Alisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Anna Pitoniak has written another spy thriller in The Swiss Agent. CIA station chief in Rome, Italy, Amanda Cole is sure the chef who washed up on the shore of a river in Geneva, Switzerland was murdered. She is so sure that that she doesn’t think too hard about going against her boss’s wishes to leave it alone. He thinks the man was careless and fell in and drowned. Amanda cannot leave it alone. Just because he had a reputation in the past of hard partying did not mean he was without worth. And it did not mean his death was not worth further investigation.

As the story unfolds, there are Russian oligarchs, Swiss bankers, CIA agents and bodyguards involved. Amanda makes a good case for murder, but keeps it under wraps with the help of a few old friends. She also uncovers other bad behavior which keeps the readers guessing and hoping no one else gets murdered, since she is convinced the chef was murdered.

I can’t wait for another Amanda Cole mystery-suspense novel, this one kept me on the edge of my chair.

Thank you to Netgalley for the prepublication copy to read and review.

[Katie Lavoie · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun spy novel, with lots of shifting timelines and perspectives that slowly intertwine and build an overall story. I liked that the two main women were both a lot prickly and a little morally gray, making you question at times if you could trust them, while still cheering them on and wanting them to do the right thing.

I thought this was a stand alone, and luckily was able to read and understand it all easily without having read the first book in the series.

Overalll, I did find the book a bit slow. I think the marketing is correct (this is not a spy thriller, it is literary fiction) but even with that expectation, there was no sense of urgency or real force moving the story forward.

Thank you to Anna Pitoniak, Simon & Schuster, and NetGalley for providing me with an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

[Morgan Pierce · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is everything you are looking for in a spy thriller -- jumps in timelines between an old under cover case and the current situation, coverups, double crosses, and morally questionable characters.

The two FMCs are both CIA agents. One is the current station chief, Amanda Cole and the other is her mentor, Kath Frost. This case takes them back to a case that was intertwined in one of Kath's previous under cover cases and a love interest she had.

When Kath goes off radar into deep cover, Amanda is left to figure out what is going on by herself and ultimately if she trusts Kath.

If you like women who are head strong and don't take no for an answer, then his is the book for you!

[Corey Colley · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received this ARC from Netgalley for me to review.

I will start with saying this book took me some time to get into it, but once I did I found it really good and engaging. I think the reason it took some time was there was a lot of characters and interactions going on to figure out as a reader, but the more you read the more unraveled and pulled me in. The two main woman characters Kath and Amanda I really enjoyed they both were great agents, but had their different ways of doing stuff. I like the dynamics of an older agent with a younger one. I also liked that the story would go back to past events to help us understand Kath especially! It was a great read!

[Blaine DeSantis · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fine follow up to the authors first espionage novel, The Helsinki Affair. Once again we follow the adventures of CIA Rome Section Chief, Amanda Cole, along with freelance agent Kath Frost. Lots of wonderful use of actual settings in Rome and Capri, as the death of a famous French chef sends our heroines into the fray, This book focuses more on Kath, and thanks to that the settings move from 1972-73 to 1992-93 and then today. I really enjoy these books and their authenticity really makes the plots very believable. If you enjoy the Espionage and Spy genre, then this is for you!

[Nat · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thanks to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for the advanced reader copy.

This was a fun read. It was like a revived 1990's spy thriller with badass women instead of the typically bond type. It was still an easy read and fun to follow, even with the time and POV jumps.

Now, this is part of a series, but you don't need to have read the previous book to follow along (I didn't, but I will go back and read it). However, if it's a dealbreaker for you, I strongly encourage you to go pick up the first one just so you can enjoy this book.

[Samantha · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book kept me engrossed and turning the pages quickly until the end. I enjoyed the first book in the series, although it had been so long ago, but you don’t have to have read the first one recently or at all to enjoy The Swiss Agent. I love a spy thriller, especially when the main characters are too strong females. This book follows Amanda and her mentor/partner Kath through the past and the present to understand what happened in Geneva years ago, and what Kath’s motive is now. Amanda knows that whatever happened in past in Geneva with her former love, Jullian,ties to the present and will lead her to answers to an international mystery. Along with a wonderful story and page-turning mysteries throughout the book, the setting in Geneva and across Europe was a treat. I hope the author continues with this series. I’m already waiting impatiently for an announcement of the next book!

[Jen Lovelace · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was an interesting spy thriller. However, it was maybe 100 pages too long and a very slow burn. Don’t expect fast pace here—but somehow the intrigue and mystery was enough to make me want to carry on. By the end, I was definitely ready for it to be over (ha!) and nothing was earth shattering in the end’s twists and turns. Overall, a decent read, but a few less words and a bit higher stakes could take it to the next level.

Thanks for the ARC, NetGalley!

[Jeremiah Vaille · Rating 4 out of 5]

An entertaining story of mystery, deception, love, and heartbreak follows two CIA heroines as they work even undercover of the CIA to investigate a NATO deputy. Amanda and Kath break the rules and take the reader through a twisting story that reveals Kath’s past through flashbacks and Amanda’s understanding of her friend. This narrative is a good action and mystery read sure to keep the reader entertained.

[Nan Williams · Rating 3 out of 5]

This plot had a lot of promise, but was much too bogged down in confusing sequelae. The central premise, which was quite intriguing, was lost in all the confusion of various side issues.

I read the first Amanda Cole novel and thought this one would set me up with clarity of her character, but it was just the opposite - I was more in the dark than ever.

This was an early reader's copy I received from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

[Leslie Mills · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received an advance copy from the publisher.

The Swiss Agent is a standalone but there are references to The Helsinki Affair as well as shared main characters. I thought this one was even better! The plot moves quickly and while the timeline jumps around quite a bit, it is well done and not confusing.

This was a great read on a summer weekend and I look forward to what this author does next!

[Keles Wyntor · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received an advanced reader copy from NetGalley. I love a good Spy novel. I’m not usually the biggest fan of third person writing, but I understand why Pitoniak chose to write this story that way. There are so many characters involved and moving pieces that require us as the reader to understand multiple POVs. I really enjoyed Amanda and Kaths characters and enjoyed watching them figure everything out. A fun read!!

[Danielle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another great installment in the Amanda Cole series, but I hope it's not the last! I flew through this and couldn't put it down. I liked the flashbacks to the 90s and it was cool reading how everything unfolded along with that. Amanda is awesome, but I'm not as big of a fan of Kath as I was after the previous book. I'm a big fan of Anna Pitoniak's books.

[Roo the kangaroo · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 ⭐️

Join Kath Frost and Amanda Cole as they go undercover. Kath and Amanda have distinct voices which made the book really easy to follow.

I truly enjoyed how the book is written in a way that keep you second guessing till you figure it out. If you're looking for a spy novel with elements of romance and deception- this book is for you.

[Margie Fenton · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Swiss Agent fits a niche I look for: spy story, Europe and DC settings, a few interesting characters. The main characters are women working for the CIA Rome station, and we follow them through a tangle of international intrigue. I enjoyed the story and kept reading to see what happened next. I felt the ending was rushed and a bit confusing, although I wouldn't have wanted a longer book. This book goes back and forth with multiple timelines, popular but not my preference. I read the author's previous book with the Amanda Cole character 2 years ago, but I don't remember much from that book, and this book easily stands alone.

[Madi G · Rating 3 out of 5]

interesting spy thriller involving the CIA, various international offices and geopolitical incidents.

it felt slightly too long and the ending left more to be desired.

thank you netgalley for the arc!

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a fun thriller about international espionage. It dealt with serious issues but it felt like it was more character driven than anything which I enjoyed.
I was provided an advanced copy of this book which has not affected my review.

[Julie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Started put really good and very interesting.
But it became a huge back and forth; now and then.
Much too much back story and not enough present day suspense.
Characters were well defined but I found Kath just a bit too much.