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Fortunes of a Spy #1
Deception in Cairo : A Nikki Sinclair Spy Thriller
WOULD YOU CHOOSE DUTY OVER LOVE?
An important peace treaty between Egypt and Israel is currently on the table. Meanwhile, enemies are conspiring with international powers to orchestrate a coup. Not the best time for Britain to lose a valuable source of intel.
Fortunately, Cairo’s expat society provides the perfect cover for Nikki Sinclair and her fake husband to discover the fate of MI6’s mole.
Then Nikki’s encounter with the older, infamous Countess Nadasdy ignites a passion and desperate need that leaves them both reeling. So, when a ghost from the past threatens their happiness, she resolves to act.
But one question lies still unanswered. Is her lover a KGB spy?
This is the first book in the ‘Fortunes of a Spy’ series.
An important peace treaty between Egypt and Israel is currently on the table. Meanwhile, enemies are conspiring with international powers to orchestrate a coup. Not the best time for Britain to lose a valuable source of intel.
Fortunately, Cairo’s expat society provides the perfect cover for Nikki Sinclair and her fake husband to discover the fate of MI6’s mole.
Then Nikki’s encounter with the older, infamous Countess Nadasdy ignites a passion and desperate need that leaves them both reeling. So, when a ghost from the past threatens their happiness, she resolves to act.
But one question lies still unanswered. Is her lover a KGB spy?
This is the first book in the ‘Fortunes of a Spy’ series.
226 pages, Kindle Edition
Published February 5, 2021
10 people want to read
About the author
Jaye Rothman
10 books37 followersWelcome to the Goodreads author site of Jaye Rothman; creator and author of the Nikki Sinclair spy thrillers.
Nikki’s adventures begin in 1973, and the eighteen books planned in the series follow her life as a British spy over the next ten years, ending in 1983.
Why spy thrillers, and why a female protagonist?
My interest in espionage stems from a childhood growing up in London during the Cold War. An avid reader of James Bond books during my teenage years, I would watch the movies over and over, gripped by the characters and the non-stop action.
I often wondered why someone didn’t write a female equivalent to 007. But no one ever did.
Then, in 1981, when I was flying from Johannesburg to Lisbon, we stopped to refuel in Kinshasa. After disembarking, officials informed us the plane needed urgent repairs, they’d scheduled a replacement to take us on our way, but the aircraft would not arrive until three days hence. Considered passengers in transit, we had to surrender our passports and were driven, under guard, to a hotel on the outskirts of the city. We were told the non-functioning phones and faxes were due to a power outage as the result of a storm.
I was eating dinner with my fellow passengers in the hotel dining room when the premise for a book came to me. What if someone in our party disappeared in the middle of the night? Would the consequences be far-reaching? Thus, an outline for my novel The Hell of Osirak was born.
The idea percolated in my mind and, gradually over time, a character took shape: MI6 officer, Nikki Sinclair. I’ve set my stories during the years of the Cold War when Communism cast a dark shadow over Europe, and I hope my writing captures that period in history.
In 2017, I spent a year visiting European cities. My intention to gain inspiration for more Nikki Sinclair adventures, research examples of everyday life under Communism and ensure accuracy of location descriptions for the time and place added impetus to the experience.
These days, I live in a small coastal town north of Auckland with my devoted rescue dog, Molly the Collie, and spend my time tapping away on a computer. So far, I’ve written eight books featuring Nikki Sinclair, most of them based on actual events, such as the bombing of Osirak by the Israelis. Publishing these novels during the first half of 2021 is the next step in my writing journey.
Nikki’s adventures begin in 1973, and the eighteen books planned in the series follow her life as a British spy over the next ten years, ending in 1983.
Why spy thrillers, and why a female protagonist?
My interest in espionage stems from a childhood growing up in London during the Cold War. An avid reader of James Bond books during my teenage years, I would watch the movies over and over, gripped by the characters and the non-stop action.
I often wondered why someone didn’t write a female equivalent to 007. But no one ever did.
Then, in 1981, when I was flying from Johannesburg to Lisbon, we stopped to refuel in Kinshasa. After disembarking, officials informed us the plane needed urgent repairs, they’d scheduled a replacement to take us on our way, but the aircraft would not arrive until three days hence. Considered passengers in transit, we had to surrender our passports and were driven, under guard, to a hotel on the outskirts of the city. We were told the non-functioning phones and faxes were due to a power outage as the result of a storm.
I was eating dinner with my fellow passengers in the hotel dining room when the premise for a book came to me. What if someone in our party disappeared in the middle of the night? Would the consequences be far-reaching? Thus, an outline for my novel The Hell of Osirak was born.
The idea percolated in my mind and, gradually over time, a character took shape: MI6 officer, Nikki Sinclair. I’ve set my stories during the years of the Cold War when Communism cast a dark shadow over Europe, and I hope my writing captures that period in history.
In 2017, I spent a year visiting European cities. My intention to gain inspiration for more Nikki Sinclair adventures, research examples of everyday life under Communism and ensure accuracy of location descriptions for the time and place added impetus to the experience.
These days, I live in a small coastal town north of Auckland with my devoted rescue dog, Molly the Collie, and spend my time tapping away on a computer. So far, I’ve written eight books featuring Nikki Sinclair, most of them based on actual events, such as the bombing of Osirak by the Israelis. Publishing these novels during the first half of 2021 is the next step in my writing journey.
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
August 20, 2021
This is a spy thriller unlike any - in so many ways.
For starters, this is the first time ever that I read a novel that had explicit, intimate lesbian scenes. That is not to say that went out of my to avoid reading this particular type of relationship, I just never out of my way looking for one either. I must say, this aspect of the story is very, very well handled and I enjoyed reading the sex scenes as much as I enjoyed the rest of the story.
As far as spy thrillers go, this was unlike any I've read before. It was heavy on the relationship between characters, the emotional, psychological, even societal drivers behind actions. The plot was clear, though pretty basic and barebones, and has the quintessential twist towards the end.
Because of the way the story is told, the plot, inadvertently, plays second fiddle to the characters and I don't say this in a negative way. The characters are very realistic (bar Cavendish - but we'll get to that later) and it was fun reading about how their feelings and motivations drove their actions.
My only grouse, well, not so much a grouse, more of a 'something' that doesn't ring true for the time the story is set in is the sheer number of lesbian relationships it refers to. This is not a complaint, more of a doubt given the story takes place in the late 1970s - could there have been so many women openly embracing their sexuality at that time - I don't have the data to comment on this one way or the other. The way Nikki's partner reacts to her sexuality seems very time-representative, which only highlighted my doubt.
Now to my least favorite bits of the book - Nikki's MI6 partner, Cavendish. He was just plain unrealistic. If a person is deemed fit to work as a spy with the MI6, it is expected that they possess a certain level of professionalism. Cavendish not only lacked that, he was incredibly childish in a horrid way. Also, for an MI6, Cavendish is disposed off in a really callous manner. If it was put in there as shock value, it did it, but for me not in a good way.
This is the third book in a series and I was able to enjoy it perfectly well without having read the first two. This one does leave us in a bit of limbo as to what will happen with Nikki and the Countess - will they be able to meet us again as they've planned? The spy plot of the story was resolved, with all ends neatly tied up. So, all that remains is find out what happens with the two lovers. I suppose we'll have to wait for the next book in the series for that!
Would I recommend this book? Yes, to someone who is after, perhaps, Women's fiction or Romantic Suspense. No to people who like spy thrillers.
For starters, this is the first time ever that I read a novel that had explicit, intimate lesbian scenes. That is not to say that went out of my to avoid reading this particular type of relationship, I just never out of my way looking for one either. I must say, this aspect of the story is very, very well handled and I enjoyed reading the sex scenes as much as I enjoyed the rest of the story.
As far as spy thrillers go, this was unlike any I've read before. It was heavy on the relationship between characters, the emotional, psychological, even societal drivers behind actions. The plot was clear, though pretty basic and barebones, and has the quintessential twist towards the end.
Because of the way the story is told, the plot, inadvertently, plays second fiddle to the characters and I don't say this in a negative way. The characters are very realistic (bar Cavendish - but we'll get to that later) and it was fun reading about how their feelings and motivations drove their actions.
My only grouse, well, not so much a grouse, more of a 'something' that doesn't ring true for the time the story is set in is the sheer number of lesbian relationships it refers to. This is not a complaint, more of a doubt given the story takes place in the late 1970s - could there have been so many women openly embracing their sexuality at that time - I don't have the data to comment on this one way or the other. The way Nikki's partner reacts to her sexuality seems very time-representative, which only highlighted my doubt.
Now to my least favorite bits of the book - Nikki's MI6 partner, Cavendish. He was just plain unrealistic. If a person is deemed fit to work as a spy with the MI6, it is expected that they possess a certain level of professionalism. Cavendish not only lacked that, he was incredibly childish in a horrid way. Also, for an MI6, Cavendish is disposed off in a really callous manner. If it was put in there as shock value, it did it, but for me not in a good way.
This is the third book in a series and I was able to enjoy it perfectly well without having read the first two. This one does leave us in a bit of limbo as to what will happen with Nikki and the Countess - will they be able to meet us again as they've planned? The spy plot of the story was resolved, with all ends neatly tied up. So, all that remains is find out what happens with the two lovers. I suppose we'll have to wait for the next book in the series for that!
Would I recommend this book? Yes, to someone who is after, perhaps, Women's fiction or Romantic Suspense. No to people who like spy thrillers.
September 16, 2021
The emotional and sexual aspects of the book were well thought out and decently written. As good as any heterosexual novel. Which is fair warning.
But, a spy novel? Not so very much. The description of the book called our main character a female James Bond. Not even. The willingness to kill a bad guy with little hesitation doesn't make you a spy, just a desperate person. If the author would like us to believe Nikki is a spy, then let's get better detail in the backstory. When you can write the spy parts as well as the love scenes, then you have a female James Bond. What she wrote well, she wrote extremely well. The rest, "meh".
I received an advance review copy and leave this review voluntarily.
But, a spy novel? Not so very much. The description of the book called our main character a female James Bond. Not even. The willingness to kill a bad guy with little hesitation doesn't make you a spy, just a desperate person. If the author would like us to believe Nikki is a spy, then let's get better detail in the backstory. When you can write the spy parts as well as the love scenes, then you have a female James Bond. What she wrote well, she wrote extremely well. The rest, "meh".
I received an advance review copy and leave this review voluntarily.
September 8, 2021
*This book was provided by Voracious Readers in return for an honest review.
The style reminded me of the Modesty Blaise book by Peter O'Donnell, though not quite reaching that depth of writing.
The key character Nikki (Natasha) is complex, flawed and sexual - somewhat implausible as a spy-MI6 agent/lesbian lover tryst in Egypt but a quick read. It ended abruptly, some 10 pages ahead of the end, which carries the first few pages of the successor novel.
This was my first reading of a book with some lesbian sex scenes - I thought they were sensitively written, without being overly graphic.
I enjoyed the book as a lightweight novel, which took little time to read.
The style reminded me of the Modesty Blaise book by Peter O'Donnell, though not quite reaching that depth of writing.
The key character Nikki (Natasha) is complex, flawed and sexual - somewhat implausible as a spy-MI6 agent/lesbian lover tryst in Egypt but a quick read. It ended abruptly, some 10 pages ahead of the end, which carries the first few pages of the successor novel.
This was my first reading of a book with some lesbian sex scenes - I thought they were sensitively written, without being overly graphic.
I enjoyed the book as a lightweight novel, which took little time to read.
October 5, 2021
I was given a free copy of this book by voracious readers. I definitely thought it was going to heavier on the spy part than it was but my only real complaint is that the countess and Nikki just kept having the same conversation over and over again. I love you, I am returning to my husband; I can’t live out you. But I must return to my husband. Literally at least 4 times they had an exact replica of a conversation just pages prior. Interesting concept but poor execution, in my opinion.
May 26, 2021
I received this ebook through the Vorachious readers only website, in exchange for a review. I thoroughly enjoyed it. The Cairo setting attracted me having previously visted. I found the story fast paced and interesting. The romance between the 2 women was described sensitively. The political descriptions were illuminating and led me to accept the actions of the heroine.
August 26, 2021
I love a good thriller and this book did not disappoint. I really liked the main character, Nikki, and her no nonsense approach in getting the job done. Set in Egypt, a complicated cast of characters keeps this book interesting. Even better, there is another book in this series which continues the story. I’m looking forward to reading the next book, Murder by Umbrella. I received this free copy for an honest review. Thank you to the author and Voracious Readers Only.
September 14, 2021
A free book from Voracious Readers thank you
A strong central female character in this spy thriller set in Egypt during the Saddat leadership.
An entertaining read
A strong central female character in this spy thriller set in Egypt during the Saddat leadership.
An entertaining read
June 6, 2021
This was so engaging to come from a totally different perspective. I hadnt realised until now how nice is was to read a completely different take on the spy novel
Read it in one session it was so engaging and cannot wait for the next one.
I was given an advance copy by the author and voracious readers but the review is entirely my own.
Read it in one session it was so engaging and cannot wait for the next one.
I was given an advance copy by the author and voracious readers but the review is entirely my own.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews