The Rookie’s Guide to Espionage

Eva Destruction #1.5

by Dave Sinclair

A rookie spy. Europe on a knife edge. A distinct lack of coffee.

Eva Destruction is back in her first ever assignment. Straight out of the MI6 academy, Eva is on the trail of a supposedly dead fellow agent. It’s a nothing assignment given to a rookie, but when suicide bombers hit a NATO conference the mission is kicked into high gear. Eva chases a carnage of gunfire and explosions across Europe in search of the mysterious shadowy organization, ‘The Tempest’.

The Rookie’s Guide to Espionage is a high-octane thrill ride that will keep you guessing until the very last page.

Genres: Thriller, Espionage, Adventure, Crime

138 pages, Kindle Edition

First published February 7, 2018

About the author

Dave Sinclair is a USA Today bestselling author, screenwriter and a really excellent parallel parker. Author of the Scream Queen Detective Agency, Mason Nash, Atticus Wolfe, Charles Bishop, Eva Destruction novels and snarky Post-It notes.
The three series have different main characters, but do manage to slip into each other’s series now and then.
Dave spends a lot of time in his imaginary world and ignoring the washing.
He lives in Melbourne, Australia with his wife and two crazy daughters.
He’s also an award winning filmmaker. A title that sounds much more impressive than it really is. He won a best comedy screenplay and cinematography award for one of the short films he wrote and directed, though at the time he didn’t really know what cinematography was. A completed screenplay is currently doing the rounds.
Dave’s overflowing bookshelves include many works by Douglas Adams, P.G. Wodehouse, Dashiel Hammet, Raymond Chandler, Janet Evanovich, Ian Flemming, Zadie Smith and John le Carré.
To find out more, you can stalk him at all these semi-reputable places:

https://facebook.com/DaveSinclairAuthor/

https://www.bookbub.com/authors/dave-...

https://www.instagram.com/davesinclai...

https://books2read.com/DaveSinclair/

Reviews

[Argent Talonn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Title: The Rookie's Guide to Espionage (Eva Destruction #1.5)
Author: Dave Sinclair
Genre: Espionage, Secret Agent
Publication year: 2018

Review: The novella is a quick-paced action romp very much in the style of Ian Fleming's James Bond except that Eva is a woman. She has similar personality quirks like the witty quips that sound like Dad jokes that stretch the borders of pun humor. I admit that they took me so much by surprise that I often found myself giggling at the sudden interruption of a moment of serious tension.

Eva is a rookie spy out on her first cushy assignment for MI6, which involves chasing a lead about an agent supposedly dead spotted alive. Suicide bombers complicate her mission to such an extent that the status of her assignment is increased to such an extent that she now must pursue "The Tempest" agents throughout Europe with guns blazing and taut action sequences. James Bond move over, here comes Eva. (Ok, so dumb last name but cool concept ala Modesty Blaise minus the sexual violence.)

I could read more of Eva Destruction. The story is definitely fun.

[Louie the Mustache Matos · Rating 3 out of 5]

This novella was part of the Murder and Mayhem Boxed Set and fit very well into what my expectations for the 20-book boxed set were supposed to be. This was a short, silly, action espionage novella. It was a quick-paced read that felt very cinematic ala Fleming's James Bond. I enjoyed the witty, running repartee which seems distinctly a masculine trope, but it works along with other character quirks that Eva demonstrates. I laughed out loud with some of the things that were discussed, so I really found the quips funny, which served to break up some of the darker places that the narrative went. Overall, I like the main character as a continuing character. I could see myself reading more of Eva Destruction.

[Linda · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was fun, but I should have paid more attention to the fact that it was book 2 given I had not read book 1. Guess I'll be moving backward.

I like a good heroine and one that is a spy? Yep, sign me up. Now admittedly, some of her antics would have probably killed most people, but still, having a female kick ass with some snark and I might just be ok with it. The only thing is that in reading this I could see that I missed something because there was definitely reference to her initial introduction into the spy business, but no backstory to support it, the douche ex, but again, no history, so yes, I should have realized I needed to read the first book, well first. However, this was just so much fun I didn't want to stop and I definitely wanted to see Eva get her man, woman, eh bad guys. A female Bond, with no fancy car, hot guy sidekick, or nifty gadgets, but plenty of brains, guts, and sassiness.

[Karen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Slapstick, silly, 1.5 (novella) in the series which is now up to book 3, I'm reviewing this out of order, although by a minor miracle I've been reading them in order.

Lot's could be said about the fact that this is a fun series, featuring Australian Barista, MI6 Agent Eva Destruction as she keeps the world safe from the bad guys, and tries desperately to find a decent coffee.

Instead of those lot's of things, let's go with - if you like high energy, wacky humour, silly action, kick-arse hero's then the Eva Destruction series should be on your radar:

Book 1: The Barista's Guide to Espionage
Book 1.5: The Rookie's Guide to Espionage
Book 2: The Amnesiac's Guide to Espionage
Book 3: The Dead Spy's Guide to Espionage

https://www.austcrimefiction.org/revi...

[Mary Mimouna · Rating 1 out of 5]

I really wanted to like this book, but I just couldn’t. I quit reading about a third of the way through. It seems to be a female lead character written by a man (not a problem in itself), but I found the character‘a thinking and actions not believable (speaking as a woman). It’s written, in my opinion, with the idea of how a man of age 30 or less imagines how a woman would thin, feel, and act, but he gets it all wrong. Therefore I just couldn’t relate to the main character. However, as it is a series and seems to sell well, there must be plenty of people who do like the main character; maybe those readers are men. (Sorry to the author for my negative review.)

[Pete · Rating 4 out of 5]

Any book that has a heroine called Eva Destruction just has to be funny, and this is, there is a great mixture of slapstick, subtle and definitely blatant humour, but it is very cleverly incorporated into a genuinely exciting spy story, with lots of twists and turns. Eva herself is a great character, a loud. mouthy, tattoed young Australian, very resourceful and with an independent streak a mile wide.
I received a free copy of the book from the author, but this honest review is based on my own opinions.

[Sam · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an immensely amusing story that follows Eva Destruction on her first mission as a spy. Given that she can't follow orders and isn't the most subtle of characters, this makes for action and sarcasm on epic levels as she blazes a trail across Europe to find those behind a series of suicide bombings in Paris, bombings that almost killed her. Something she takes more than a little personally. You don't need to have read the first in this series to be able to follow the story (or I managed okay at least) and I must say I absolutely loved Eva, she is definitely my kind of person.

[Danielle Carpenter · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is actually the first book I've read in this series. I love Eva. She is over the top. She is not James Bond, but she is a lot more fun. This book is action packed from the first page and I saw the bad guy way before Eva did, but then I've read way more spy novels and mysteries than Eva been a spy.

[Adena Lee · Rating 4 out of 5]

How did Eve manage to trick MI6 into hiring her as a spy? Her truly amazing ability to attract chaos and mayhem and her personal inclination to retaliate with more chaos and mayhem does not make her particularly discreet or unnoticeable. Whoever thought that Eve could fade into the woodwork? Still, one must admire our sorta heroine's ability to take care of herself - she really needs it!

[Don McKay · Rating 2 out of 5]

Mediocre. Not as well developed as other books. Plot was lame and I almost tossed it twice!

Last book for me b





Last book in w
the series for me. Lost it's cache without doubt.
Sorry guys!

[Steve Thomas · Rating 5 out of 5]

Eva is a force of nature

Don't piss off Eva Destruction. She is smart, cagey and extraordinarily reckless. In this novella she is on her own to find a supposedly dead MI6 agent. Everything goes wrong and yet she prevails.

[Andy · Rating 2 out of 5]

A short read in a couple of hours. It seemed obvious to me who the bad guy was in this plot and everything was happening way too quickly.

[Janet L. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting read.

[Ciayrra The Scorpion Flower · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was an exciting read! Eva isn’t much for following rules, but she’ll get the job done. I also like her clever and sassy personality.

[Patricia Mccammon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really like it. A spy story with humor and lots of excitement

[Debbie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Better

Excellent story! This novella was more interesting than the first. I look forward to the next in the series. Thanks!

[Nancy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pretty ridiculous but I was in the mood for spy fantasy.

[Barry Edstene · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sinclair hit a home run with this book. Eva may be a rookie, but she complets her mission with style. A most enjoyable read.

[Angie Boyter · Rating 2 out of 5]

Pretty dumb but at least it was short. Otherwise I probably would not have funished it.