The Rogue Agent

The Agent #2

by Daniel Judson

Former covert ops agent Tom Sexton is living quietly in rural Vermont. Running a diner with his girlfriend, Stella, he thinks that the worst he’s seen, done, and suffered is finally behind him. But when a long-hidden specter from his troubled past emerges, Tom is shaken out of his safe, furtive life. With no choice but to lock and load, Tom falls back into a world where valor and violence collide…and his isn’t the only life in danger.

Summoned into the ranks of top-secret intelligence, Tom is tasked with protecting a teenage girl targeted by agents of an infamous mercenary. It’s a high-risk mission that will pit all his combat and espionage skills against ruthless paramilitary hit squads. Leading them is a legendary and mysterious killer for hire who’s making Tom doubt everything, and everyone, he has come to believe in. Even himself.

Surrounded by enemies he can’t see and allies he can no longer trust, Tom will have to face alone the fatal fury of a madman—if only to save the woman he left behind.

Genres: Thriller, Action, Fiction, Mystery Thriller, Audiobook

354 pages, Kindle Edition

Published July 18, 2017

About the author

DANIEL JUDSON, a Shamus Award winner and a four-time finalist, is the author of five previous novels, most recently The Violet Hour. He attended Southampton College, and his time in the Hamptons (particularly the parts that don’t make the society pages) was the inspiration for the setting and characters in Voyeur. He now lives in Connecticut.

Reviews

[Dave · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Rogue Agent is an action-packed spy thriller taking place in the exotic lands of the northeast. At its best, this novel is chock full of gun battles, breached safe houses, grenades, and hand to hand combat. It is filled with undercover operatives, trained assasins, and layers of secrets. A decent read.

[Nancy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tom Sexton is living very 'low-key' with his girl friend, Stella. They have a cafe and though they are prepared for anything that could happen but hoping that life will be quiet. Then he is called to help with one thing. Keep a teen girl safe. Sounds easy but then the bad guys come for the girl and the battle begins. There are so many things going on that Tom & Stella done't know about and nobody has told them. One is the cook they hired and became friends with is not who she seems. Some heated battles and lots of fire power later Tom is finally finding out about the past. Once the action starts it doesn't let up.

[Abibliofob · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoy this series especially that it's a little different from many others. If someone should find them interesting I strongly recommend that you start with the first otherwise it can be a little confusing.

[Page Turner · Rating 5 out of 5]

The second book in The Agent Series and a stand-alone as well. A page turner that had twists and turns all the way to the end. Just when I thought I had figured out how it would end, a jarring twist proved me wrong! Looking forward to reading other books by Daniel Judson.

[Trish R. · Rating 4 out of 5]

So, this author is very knowledgeable about guns, ALL KINDS of guns, or he was sitting with a list right next to him as he wrote this book. What a lot of male authors tend to forget is not all women read romances all the time. So, don’t give us a description of weapons on every page but do tell us what someone looks like, other than the scars on their all over their bodies. The only one that was really described was Krista and that was only because she had blue hair and a face full of piercings.

I did enjoy this book more than I did The Temporary Agent but I don’t know think I’ll read the third book, due out February 2019. By that time I will have read 150+ books and won’t even remember who the players are.

Anyway, two of the main bad guy got everything they deserved but the real bad guy got away again. This wasn’t a cliffhanger but you were left without answers.

Both Cahill and Tom were in this, fighting together and separately. AND it was the four women: Stella, Krista, Valena and Grunn who took care of the one bad guy. That’s what he got for calling Stella a stupid American woman. It was excitement throughout the book. BUT waaay too much information on the weapons.

There was nothing sexual and the F-bomb was used 19 times.

As to the narration: Please see my review of book One, The Temporary Agent to see how I feel about Pete Simonelli (aka Sebastian York) who really needs to get better. If you're going to have several women in a book then get someone who can TRY to do a woman's voice.

I will admit that it was really, really nice reading this kind of book and it was NOT written in the first person. Nice to know what others were thinking or doing and not just the MC's.

[Pam H · Rating 5 out of 5]

I got this book from NetGalley a few days ago and after reading the first 8 chapters I was so drawn into the story, I stopped, went to Amazon and bought the first book, The Temporary Agent so I could learn Tom and Cahill's backstory. This series ( I am certainly hoping Judson doesn't leave us hanging too long) is everything I love in an action/thriller book - a damaged hero, a little romance, a lot of patriot, a fellow crusader and a lot of bad ass. In this case the men have nothing over the women.

Tom and Stella pick up where they left off in the last book, in a small town just trying to live a peaceful life together. When duty calls Tom goes running but this time Stella is not staying behind. I also love that Stella is a forty something looker who trains her body daily to prepare for the "what if" should it ever come.

Once again the pace, dialogue, characters are all well done - a thoroughly enjoyable read.

[Jules · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great sequel to the temporary agent.

Book was fast paced and a fun read. The plot turns were obvious but the writing and details keep you engaged.

[Prasanna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow!!! what an action packed thriller. A truly edge of the seat thriller with high dosage of action. An enjoyable read.

[Steve · Rating 2 out of 5]

A BIG disappointment! Too many characters, endless descriptions of military ammo. A potential 4star to a final 2star ---minus!

[Nick Daniels · Rating 2 out of 5]

Just okay

So the lead character didn't show up in this book until about 90 pages in. My main reason for this this installment was the main character. After that there was still a lot of filler back story that didn't seem to help with the story, only drag it on. I was really excited to read this after the awesome story that was The Temporary Agent. There was some great action in this book, and a story line that had unfulfilled potential.

[Stacy Blomquist · Rating 2 out of 5]

This novel needs an editor badly. In the attempt to create verisimilitude, the author launches into meticulous details concerning weapons that inevitably feel stilted and break the flow of the story. An example: "Couldn't find those light-weight, high-speed frangibles you like, so I've included these new polymer rounds that I find interesting. They're fluted, which helps build up kinetic energy as they spin through the air, and even though they're nonexpanding, the increased speed helps create a massive initial wound cavity upon impact." Finally, the conclusion of the novel is a let-down because the final confrontation between the antagonist and the protagonist is extremely weak.

[Theresa Wade · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the first book I have read by Daniel Judson. I didn't read the first book in the serious. The book started right out of the gate with action. My impression is the first several chapters was a review of what happened in the first book. The last couple is the setup for the next book. There were a few places in the middle where it didn't keep me interested in the story. The story isn't anything new that I haven't read.

[Donna Gray · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love these books. I really enjoy all the strong females.

[Katie B · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars

As a former covert ops agent, Tom Sexton lived a life of danger and now he wants nothing more than to keep his girlfriend Stella safe. Under assumed names they run a diner in a small Vermont town. Tom receives word that his help is needed one more time by the people he used to work for and with reluctance he accepts the assignment of keeping a teenage girl safe from the people who killed her mother. But what seems like an easy mission leads to danger and soon Tom isn't sure who he can trust.

This is the second book in the series but can be read as a standalone novel. It is a little difficult at the beginning of the book to keep track of all the characters if you are unfamiliar with the series but that doesn't last for more than a few chapters.

This book is pretty much non-stop action from beginning to the end. The character of Tom was easy to root for given his background and the fact he wanted nothing more than to keep Stella safe. I enjoyed the mystery of wondering who was spilling secrets and putting the team in danger. And I liked how the book ended because it looks like it will lead to an interesting third book in the series. I would recommend this book to anyone who likes action packed thrillers!

I received a free digital copy of this book from a giveaway and was under no obligation to post a review. All views expressed are my honest opinions.

[John Purvis · Rating 5 out of 5]

"The Rogue Agent" eBook was published in 2017 and was written by Daniel Judson (http://danieljudsonbooks.com/). Mr. Judson has published a dozen novels. This is the second book in his "The Agent" series. 

I received an ARC of this novel through https://www.netgalley.com in return for a fair and honest review. I categorize this novel as ‘R’ because it contains scenes of Violence. The story is set in the contemporary US. The primary character is former covert ops agent Tom Sexton.

Sexton thinks he has been hiding and invisible to his former boss. He finds that is far from the truth. He is drawn back into his past when he is approached by his former boss to help protect a young girl.

This quickly leads Sexton and his girlfriend into one dangerous situation after another. He also learns much about his family that had been kept hidden from him up to now.

I really enjoyed the 7 hours I spent reading this 354 page fiction thriller. I liked the characters that were developed for the novel as well as the plot. The cover art is OK. I give this novel a 4.5 (rounded up to a 5) out of 5.

Further book reviews I have written can be accessed at https://johnpurvis.wordpress.com/blog/.

[Sandy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Intense

Thanks to the prologue I was able to jump right into the action contained in this second book without feeling lost. I do believe I’d like to read the first one just to fill in some gray areas.

As the level of detail the author included of the various weapons and ammunition was so precise, I’d say the intended audience is more gun-loving than I. Still, I was able to thoroughly enjoy the story.

Clandestine operators are naturally suspicious of everyone they encounter; they shouldn’t have to second guess the loyalty of their teammates. To be told there is a mole within their midst is unthinkable. These men have saved each other’s lives on numerous occasions. What reason is there to turn on family? Who is the rogue agent?

I did figure out who it was... minutes before Tom did... towards the end of the book. This story had me hooked from the very beginning. After I go back and read book 1, I will definitely be on the lookout for book 3.

[Daniel Kelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

When I started reading this second book in The Agent series, I had a hard time remembering who the characters were, but after a couple of chapters it all fell into place. Throughout the book there were references to remind me of the previous history between the characters.

Once the book got going, things blasted ahead at full speed, with plenty of action along with twists and turns, not sure which way the story will go next.

Overall, another fantastic adventure. However, I knocked one star off because there is a point in the story where a plot twist becomes really obvious from the barest hints, and yet the super smart main characters doesn't even consider this possibility. It's understandable to some extent, but after a few opportunities for him to guess, I was getting a bit annoyed that he didn't at least consider it.

I can't wait for the next book to see what happens next.

[Daniel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Wanted to love this but was frustrated so much of the time. "Tom" the main character is supposed to be this super elite, highly trained, etc etc...but in almost every situation that arose, those around him took care of business - and in fact saving him on at least one occasion. And then at some point, when everyone should be exhausted, he is the one who sleeps for 3-days, even though he did not participate in the action...

I realize this is book 2 of 3, apparently, and so perhaps Tom's character is still being developed, but good grief, it seems like all talk no action for him. And there is too much of a love affair with all things guns/fire arms...good grief...Not planning to read #3 in the series...need more action from my "hero".

[Michelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

The book starts off slow, but once the reader is in the second chapter they can't put it down. Great story, I didn't want the story to end. Tom's sister and mom were killed while his dad was away on a conference (so he was told) Tom learns years later that they were killed while the Benefactor attempted to kill his dad (an ex-military man who would go out on missions undercover).. Tom and his girlfriend have been hidding in plain sight for two years, and have tried to keep a low profile. The Benefactor (someone who has put a contract on Tom and his girlfriend) is the same man who had his dad killed twenty years ago, No one knows who the Benefact is, or why he wants to kill Tom. i don't want to give th plot away.

[Michelle Castaneda · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Rogue Agent by Daniel Judson is the story of Tom Sexton. Tom has been living a quiet life in Vermont, running a small restaurant with his girlfriend Stella. Tom is haunted by living close to his childhood home and by his past. Tom’s past returns and he begins protecting a young girl. But nothing is as easy as it seems. This book was full of action and told from various perspectives. I found it difficult to read this book on its own, since I had not yet read the first book. I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for my honest review.

[Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great Series!

I am enjoying this series very much. The Rogue Agent continues the story of Tom and Stella as they try to establish a life away from violence. However, a peaceful life is not easy for them to attain. (For some reason, I picture Mary Winchester from Supernatural as Stella....) Lots of action, another good story line. I look forward to reading Book 3. In fact, I'm starting it right now!

[Maureen · Rating 2 out of 5]

Continuation of the series. More pointers for survival and living off the grid. The number of burner phones used is insane. How did they keep track of which phone number they currently had??

Some timeline issues didn’t make sense - bugging or tracking people. Some holes to the story

Rating:
1 = didn’t like it
2 = it was ok
3 = liked it, might recommend
4 = really liked it, would recommend
5 = loved it, everyone should read this

[K. Counihan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quick fast paced read, cover to cover

Quick fast paced read. I read cover to cover.
Still , like the 1st book Temporary Agent, could use some editing. The players are mostly the same, the setting is moved to Vermont. Where Tom and Stella are hiding out from the bad guys from the previous book. If you liked the Bourne type books, you might like this one.

[Walt Mccluskey · Rating 4 out of 5]

The rogue agent

Confusing at first to say the least, the tale evolved into a swiftly moving hunt for the next lead to a traitor and the head of all the evil. In the end we see the direction for the next phase of the series but again have to go through bedraggled philosophy as to why it's the right thing to do. Why?

[Mark Zalagens · Rating 4 out of 5]

Just like the temporary agent, this was tough to put down. I had to reacquaint myself with the characters due to the gap between books. Good mystery......up to a point, then it was too obvious. Still see grammar and spelling issues, but..... Nice ending and it will be a good change for the next book. I hope that doesn't take too long.

[Roger Caramanica · Rating 5 out of 5]

The second book in The Agent series. The story continues with solid character development and story building. Judson has managed to thread a story line together that somehow makes the concepts fresh and engaging. Not an entirely "new" plot, it has been done before, but that is what makes this author great. He has made this series unique, feel fresh and highly readable. Highly recommend.

[Sang · Rating 3 out of 5]

***NetGalley ARC***
It's a very easy read, easily a 3.5 A complex plot, some fairly hard-core espionage/action content, and reasonably interesting characters makes it a very fast-paced, thrill-a-minute book.

[Lynn · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was truly an awesome read – spies, agents, government, romance, kidnapping, gun play, murder, adventure and mystery all rolled up into one fast reading, quick and well written plot! So much action it was almost unbelievable --- would make a GREAT movie! A million lives in one!

[Debbie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this book! Non stop action - couldn't put it down. Won this copy through the Goodreads give-a-ways, THANK YOU SO MUCH! Would make a GREAT movie if not one already. Looking forward to other books by Daniel Judson.

[Eric Crown · Rating 3 out of 5]

Borimg

My personal notes, so I don't buy this series Again. First Half the book was a catch up on the last book. And second half set he stage for book 3. A little action in the center

Too many characters for my taste.