The Swiss Agent

Amanda Cole #2

by Anna Pitoniak

A NEW YORK TIMES MOST ANTICIPATED BOOK

In the next novel from the author of The Helsinki Affair, 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.

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.

Genres: Fiction, Mystery, Mystery Thriller, Espionage, Thriller

368 pages, Hardcover

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

[Thomas · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 stars for book 2 in the Amanda Cole mystery series. I have read book 1, The Helsinki Affair but this can be read as a stand alone. There are references to the incidents that took place in the previous book, but the plot stands apart from the first book. There are two timelines in this book: present day and 1993.
The present day plot opens with a French colleague of Amanda asks her if she will look into the death of Nicholas Perrault, an employee of Yefim Volkov, a Russian oligarch, with ties to the Russian President Gruzdev(modeled after Putin). The police in Switzerland have ruled it an accident, but he suspects otherwise. His boss told him that he cannot investigate, because they don't have the resources for an accident investigation. Amanda investigates, and discovers that Martin Beaufoy, the Deputy Secretary-General of NATO was visiting Volkov on the last night that deceased Nicholas Perrault was seen alive at Volkov's Swiss home. Perrault and Beaufoy are both French nationals.
Amanda also discovers that Beaufoy did not report his meeting with Volkov. The reader is made aware early on that Volkov is offering a substantial amount amount of money to Beaufoy to kill Bosnia-Herzegovina's application to join NATO.
But Amanda needs help to figure this out, and her CIA boss has told her that, as station chief in Rome, this is out of her jurisdiction. She decides to do this without approval from the CIA, and calls on Kath Frost, a legendary CIA field officer. who has been known to go off on her own. Kath and Amanda became acquainted in the previous book, when Kath helped Amanda with a problem.
But Kath initially says no, that she can't go back to Switzerland. She changes her mind when she hears about Bosnia. This is where the 1993 timeline comes in. How the issues from 1993 and the present day get resolved makes for a tense, intricate spy thriller/mystery with a romantic sub plot. I liked the ending, which tied up all the threads.
If you like thrillers with strong female protagonists, you will enjoy this book.
Triggers: no graphic sex or violence, but some profanity.
Thank You Simon & Schuster for sending me this eARC through NetGalley. #SwissAgent

Pub Date Dec 1 2026

[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...

[Kelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Swiss Agent is the follow-up book in what is likely a planned series around CIA agents Amanda Cole and Kath Frost.

I read the initial book in the series, The Helsinki Affair, but it’s been awhile and I don’t remember much about it. Thankfully that isn’t overly necessary to follow along with the storyline of this book, there’s just some backstory to the primary characters that you’re missing out on.

Pitoniak is unique in that she writes more traditional spy novels with protagonists that are women. And not unlike spy novels with male protagonists, both Amanda and Kath have a tendency ignore the rules in pursuit of the greater good as they see it. The biggest difference is the misogyny they face because of their gender.

This is especially true in Kath’s case, as the agent who’s been around much longer, and in some regards it sets up her long game in this book when Amanda reaches out to her for help uncovering a plot by a Russian oligarch to keep Bosnia under their thumb and out of NATO.

Amanda gets put on ice officially by the CIA when she submits her findings, but unwilling to let it go, she loops Kath in on what she’s discovered, knowing Kath doesn’t care in the slightest what the bureaucracy thinks. Kath is initially reluctant to have any part in it, but the mention of Bosnia changes her mind. Not only is she on board, she goes so deep she leaves Amanda wondering whose side she’s really on.

Turns out Kath has some very personal reasons to get involved, not least of which is the only man she’s ever loved. And she’ll need his help for whatever her end game might be.

Not unlike The Helsinki Affair, The Swiss Agent is much more about setting up the long game and creating doubt about the motives of at least one of the major characters. It’s written well enough that I’m interested in seeing how it plays out, but it doesn’t qualify as a page-turning thriller that is difficult to put down. Read this more for the mystery element (and if you want to be more than a little turned off by how awful some people in the world are) and less for edge of your seat excitement.

A complimentary copy of this book was provided by the publisher. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

[Janine · Rating 4.5 out of 5]

An exciting new CIA thriller featuring Amanda Cole from The Helsinki Affair by Anna Potiniak. That first book was so good so I was thrilled to be granted access to her latest one (my thanks to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster). While out protagonist was first introduced in an earlier book, this is definitely a stand alone read (though you might enjoy reading The Helsinki Affair because it’s an enjoyable read).

Amanda Cole is now station chief in Rome. It’s been quiet until a chef’s body washes up at Capri. Finding out he worked for a Russian oligarch with ties to the Kremlin and who recently had a dinner with a NATO’s deputy secretary general. Alarm bells ring for Amanda and she reaches out to former CIA mentor, Kath Frost. They start to look into the death and uncover a “web of corruption from Moscow to Geneva to Washington” and a possible deal that could tip the balance of the world. In the meantime Kath has vanished, throwing Amanda off balance. Backfill gives inside as to this and the stakes grow higher.

There is, of course, more to the story but it’s too good to give away. Suffice it to say, the book is fast-paced. It’s a define cloak-and-dagger plot too. The story alternates between the two women’s POV. The writing’s crisp and solid. The characters - good guys and well as bad ones - are mostly relatable and realistic. The only criticism for me was that at times I would get annoyed with some of the characters emotional intelligence- but thst didn’t diminish a good story.

Readers who have enjoyed The Helsinki Affair are in for a treat with this book as are others who enjoy a thriller with two bad-ass agents fighting to keep us safe.

[Elizabeth · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for providing me with an advanced copy of this text in exchange for a review!

This book follows Amanda Cole, a CIA station chief, who gets a tip about a suspicious death. She starts to dig into the circumstances surrounding the murder, but gets tangled in the many political and geopolitical threads and needs to reach out to a colleague, Kath Frost, for help. Kath, however, has her own secrets and objectives, including a past operation she doesn't want anyone to know. But how does Kath's past (and secrets) affect their current investigation?

This book is also the second in a series, following The Helsinki Affair, which I did not realize until sitting down to write this review. I felt that I maybe missed some background of Amanda and Kath's relationship at the beginning of the book, but it did not impact the story at all, and I definitely don't think you need to have read the first one to get this one.

On the whole, I did enjoy this book, and really sped through the last 20% or so. I enjoyed Amanda and Kath's relationship, and it felt more like a realistic spy story that evolved over months rather than days. My biggest complaint is that I don't think it needed to be quite so long - the middle in particular dragged for me, and I ended up putting it down for a few months before picking it back up again. It flips back and forth between Kath's story from the 1990s and the present, and it took a long time to set up both stories. I also greatly preferred the present story to the past story, and was mildly annoyed when we were stuck in the past for long periods of time. That being said, once things did come together, I finished it really quickly and enjoyed the follow through.

I think this book would be great for anyone who likes espionage books, especially ones that take longer to develop. I wouldn't say this is a mystery or a thriller so much as a spy book, though there are certainly points where you don't know what's going to happen. Happy reading!

[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.

[William de_Rham · Rating 3 out of 5]

“The Swiss Agent” is a complex, character-driven tale of international espionage set mostly in Western Europe. While the cover art seems to promise lots of action and derring-do, the story itself is cerebral and depends much more on its players’ desires, motivations, and relationships than on exploits meant to keep audiences on the edge of their seats.

Russia is attempting to keep Bosnia out of NATO by bribing Turkey (to vote against Bosnia’s admission) with a massive payment of laundered funds managed by an oligarch crony of the Russian president’s and a Swiss banker. Amanda Cole, chief of CIA’s Rome station, discovers the attempt and enlists the aid of her fellow spy and former mentor, Kath Frost, to thwart it. It just so happens that Kath was once involved with the Swiss banker, and their relationship did not end well.

The novel is well-written but slow-moving. It depends much on what happened in the past, which is revealed slowly as the story proceeds along two timelines, the present and the 1990s with segues all the way back to the 1970s. Author Anna Pitoniak writes knowledgeably and convincingly about whatever subject matter she chooses to explore—be it arms sales, money laundering, international relations, espionage tradecraft, Switzerland, etc.). However, her employment of two timelines sometimes renders the novel confusing. And while her characters have depth, they are not all that likable. At times, their motivations are difficult to understand.

“The Swiss Agent” is scheduled to be published on December 1, 2026

My thanks to NetGalley, author Anna Pitoniak, and publisher Simon & Schuster for providing me with a complimentary electronic ARC. All of the foregoing is my honest, independent opinion.

[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

[Shereadbookblog · Rating 4 out of 5]

When Amanda Cole, the CIA station chief in Rome, learns of a suspicious death in Capri and suspects a betrayal by a NATO official, she enlists the help of Kath Frost, a seasoned but unconventional CIA operative.
The investigation takes Kath back to Switzerland, where she harbors a questionable past that she initially refuses to divulge to Amanda. The story weaves together elements of Russian oligarchs, Kremlin deceit, secret Swiss bank accounts, and the looming fear that Kath has gone rogue.

This is the second installment in this series, the first being The Helsinki Affair which I read and enjoyed. This story would work as a standalone, however.

Told in three timelines, the early 70s, early 90s, and today, don’t expect an action packed thriller, but rather this is a character driven, slow reveal. As the narrative shifts among the timelines, it provides insights into the background and motivations of the main characters. Along the way, there are twists and turns.

This has a decent plot and not a lot of violence; what little occurs is not overly graphic. Although spy fiction is not my go genre, I continue to enjoy this female-centric spy series.


Thanks to @NetGalley and @Simonbooks for the DRC.

[Elizabeth · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received an advanced copy of this book through NetGalley and the publisher and am offering my opinion on the material provided. I previously read the first book in the series, without knowing it was going to be a series. While the book was not extraordinarily long, it definitely dragged at times. There were too many time frames to this story and too many pieces. Even at the end, I didn't feel like the author tied it all together. The ending felt a bit anticlimactic to me.

I liked Amanda Cole as the main character, but in The Swiss Agent, she was secondary to Kath Frost and her past. The stories in 1993 and 2026 certainly had some parallels, but it was frustrating to get there. I questioned Kath's end game and loyalties up until the end. The plight of the Bosnians in 1993 was even more fraught than to the average reader, my former supervisor, whom I adore, escaped war-torn Bosnia as a child.

The action that happened didn't feel as momentous when it finally happened, no big explosive ending. There was certainly tension throughout, but I was somewhat disappointed with the pacing and plot. I liked the side plot with Charlie Cole.
3/5☆ available 12/1/26

[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.

[Natalie · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Swiss Agent
By Anna Pitoniak

This is a spy thriller. It contains the good guys (the CIA); the bad guys (the Russians), and the heroes and screw-ups working for both sides. As is usual in this type of book, a sharp-eyed agent just happen to come across a vital piece of intelligence which starts the search for what is really going on!

But the most unusual element of this book is that the two best "good guys" are actually women – and one of them is a rogue agent who just might be working for the other side! Or she may, in fact, be doing what she is doing for love!

This is a fast-paced story with its share of winners and losers – and some powerful but intransigent people who just seem to get in the way. I enjoyed following the interaction between Amanda Cole and Kath Frost, and felt that these heroines could hold their own against all the James Bond types we normally meet in this genre!

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for this ARC.

[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.

[Pam · Rating 3 out of 5]

CIA agents - check
International plot involving NATO - check
European settings including Geneva, Zermatt, Capri, Moscow and Rome - check

It feels like The Swiss Agent would have all the ingredients for a fast-paced Russian spy novel but somehow it fell slightly short for me. I enjoyed the plot and Kath was a well developed, if somehow slightly unlikable character, but the sub-plots and jumping back and forth to different timelines left me slightly confused. I did not read Pitoniak's first book The Helsinki Affair and while there were small references to it, The Swiss Agent was truly a stand-alone work. Overall, I was happy to have read The Swiss Agent and now I kind of want some fondue. 3 stars for this black diamond!


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

[Autumn Danner · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to EF of Simon & Schuster for the eARC of this devious plot of global structuring. The Swiss Agent is a little different because the key brains are women, but you don't miss out on any of the danger, intrigue or country hopping. The author did a great job of building the current landscape from past missions, while introducing nuggets of the past bit by bit. I was able to follow along even without knowing the delicate balances of global power and the ways in which NATO help shape this balance. Even though fictional, the story portrays the manner in which parties affect global decisions for personal gain - though watching the news these days also make this clear. I found the story to be very fast-paced and exciting, and I enjoyed the way the twists had me questioning loyalties to the end!

[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!

[Kimberly Gormley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Amanda Cole is the CIA station chief in Rome. She’s a strong female lead character, and enjoyable to follow as she navigates a suspicious murder off the island of Capri that involves a Russian oligarch. She needs to pull in Kath Frost, an older CIA spy, to unravel the motive for the killing. I don’t believe one needs to first read The Helsinki Affair, which is the first in the series and The Swiss Agent is the second.

Amanda and Kath have an interesting dynamic, and the author does a superb job of fleshing out these characters and their backstories. I appreciated the use of the political events in the 1990s and their impact on this story. I instantly enjoyed the writing style, and devoured the book in a few days.

Thank you to Simon & Schuster, and to NetGalley, for the ARC.

[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!

[SusanH · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was my first read about Amanda Cole and Kath Frost, very different CIA officials. It’s an off the books operation that could ruin their careers. The book is written in two timelines, with Amanda trying to investigate Kath’s long time involvement with a Swiss banker with ties to a Russian oligarch. The agents’ pasts are explored at length and while helpful for understanding each character’s motivation, it also tended to slow down some of the pacing. There is much international intrigue and twists and turns. With thanks to Netgalley and Simon and Schuster for this ARC. My opinions are my own.

[Debbie · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Swiss Agent by Ann Pittman is the second in the series of Amanda Cole CIA agent. Amanda is the main character and runs the unsanctioned operation. This book gives more information about her mentor and partner Kath. This seems to be a love-hate relationship with collaboration and secrecy going on. Both are very strong women.

The book started slow with a murder in Capri then picked up when the operation was in full swing then plateaued. There were a lot of deals going on which maybe took away from the main plot.

It did hold my interest and was suspenseful. Thank you to NetGalley and Simon and Schuster for this ARC.

[Bonnie Goldberg · Rating 4.5 out of 5]

Anna Pitoniak has become a go to author for me - from her earlier work to her newer work in the thriller genre, her novels are consistently well-written and readable. The Swiss Agent is book 2 in the Amanda Cole series, and while I read the Helsinki Affair, this can be read as a stand alone. In The Swiss Agent, Amanda Cole and her co-agent Kate Frost's attempts to figure out how the body of a French chef washed ashore in Italy take them to some dark places and surfaces several personal entanglements. Pitoniak ratchets up the suspense, espionage and thrills considerably in this entry, weaving into and out of several time frames, settings and relationships. Highly recommend for lovers of smart women-led thrillers. Thank you to Simon & Schuster and NetGalley for the DRC.

[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!

[Mehva · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesing but sometimes confusing story primarily about two CIA and the cases they are working on, present time and how the past impacts what is happening now. Told in mainly two voices, two timelines we get deep into these cases. There are also some segments about her father, also in the CIA but deep undercover and what he is working on. Relationships between the two women and one of the women and her romantic partner and betrayal and trust are big topics. While it dragged at times, overall I enjoyed it