Alias Emma by Ava Glass
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Alias Emma is a wonderful, action-packed chase from one end of London to the other with two lives at risk. I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Emma Makepeace is tasked with safely escorting a physician whose life is at risk because of his mother's previous relationship with the Russian government before he was born. His mother has warned him all of his life, but being raised as a British citizen, he has trouble believing that after all of these years, the Russians would care about his parents being Russian dissidents, almost to his peril.

Emma is well aware of what the Russian agencies are capable of, even with only a short time as a British agent under her belt. She knows the danger and is ready to face it head-on. Despite only being an agent for a short time, she does have some surprises and a serious determination to get him to safety within twelve hours. More than just his life is at risk if the Russians reach him. Unfortunately, they have more than just experienced, ruthless agents on their side. They also have serious hacking power and have managed to take over London's extensive CCTV network to monitor Emma and her charge as they cross London on foot. Things get even more serious when Emma learns that she has no help from her agency.

Emma Makepeace is a very well-written character who understands her limitations but definitely has courage. I kept wondering how an agent with no weapons would match up against multiple Russian agents who have no shortage of weaponry. Alias Emma demonstrates how an author can turn a location into one of the characters of a book and make that location stand out as the reader recognizes locations or is even drawn into conducting research to get to know London better. Emma is a character that the reader wants to get to know better. The reader definitely will sit on the edge of their seats, pulling for her to make it to safety. By the end of Alias Emma, I was hoping that this book was the first in a new series, and it looks like I will get my wish. View all my reviews