Author: James B. Comey
Published: May 12, 2026, by The Mysterious Press
Format: Hardcover, 352 Pages
Genre: Thriller
Series: Nora Carleton #4
Blurb: Nora Carleton is hitting her stride as Deputy US Attorney for the Southern District of New York when a high-stakes counterintelligence case pulls her into a deadly game with global implications. A Russian-style hit on an executive at an American drone manufacturer sends a chilling message—but what exactly is it? Was the victim a Russian mole or just a convenient target?
Teaming up with her longtime friend, FBI Special Agent Benny Dugan, Nora launches a criminal investigation that takes them from New York to Las Vegas with the hopes of prosecuting the person responsible. But as they dig deeper into the tangled web of Russian intelligence and those who profit from its reach, Nora finds herself in the crosshairs of powerful forces determined to keep their secrets buried.
My Opinion: Somewhere between the acronyms, the spycraft, and the “I swear I’m not telling you anything classified” energy, James Comey seems to be flashing his past life like a badge he can’t quite tuck back into his pocket. The whole time I was reading, I kept getting the sense he wanted to ‘hint’ at something, just enough to make you wonder, without getting a reminder phone call from the feds. Maybe that’s just me, but this installment certainly felt different from the earlier books in the series.
Now, I adore Nora and her family. They’re the grounding force of the series. But Benny? Benny is why I keep returning. His dry humor, his loyalty, his no-nonsense approach to the world; he’s the one who carried this book for me. Every time he stepped onto the page, I perked up a little, hoping he’d inject some spark into the otherwise flat pacing.
And speaking of pacing with drones, Russians, espionage, poisonings, Comey really threw the whole espionage pantry at this one. On paper, it should have been a wild ride. In practice, though, the “thriller” part of this thriller never quite materialized. The story felt oddly linear, almost procedural, and the repetition kept dragging the momentum down. I kept waiting for a twist, a surprise, a sharp left turn. Instead, the plot just continued the same steady, predictable path. A few more offshoots or complications would’ve gone a long way toward keeping the duller stretches from feeling quite so dull.
In the end, it wasn’t a bad book, but it wasn’t the gripping, layered, tension-filled story I wanted from this series.
Teaming up with her longtime friend, FBI Special Agent Benny Dugan, Nora launches a criminal investigation that takes them from New York to Las Vegas with the hopes of prosecuting the person responsible. But as they dig deeper into the tangled web of Russian intelligence and those who profit from its reach, Nora finds herself in the crosshairs of powerful forces determined to keep their secrets buried.
My Opinion: Somewhere between the acronyms, the spycraft, and the “I swear I’m not telling you anything classified” energy, James Comey seems to be flashing his past life like a badge he can’t quite tuck back into his pocket. The whole time I was reading, I kept getting the sense he wanted to ‘hint’ at something, just enough to make you wonder, without getting a reminder phone call from the feds. Maybe that’s just me, but this installment certainly felt different from the earlier books in the series.
Now, I adore Nora and her family. They’re the grounding force of the series. But Benny? Benny is why I keep returning. His dry humor, his loyalty, his no-nonsense approach to the world; he’s the one who carried this book for me. Every time he stepped onto the page, I perked up a little, hoping he’d inject some spark into the otherwise flat pacing.
And speaking of pacing with drones, Russians, espionage, poisonings, Comey really threw the whole espionage pantry at this one. On paper, it should have been a wild ride. In practice, though, the “thriller” part of this thriller never quite materialized. The story felt oddly linear, almost procedural, and the repetition kept dragging the momentum down. I kept waiting for a twist, a surprise, a sharp left turn. Instead, the plot just continued the same steady, predictable path. A few more offshoots or complications would’ve gone a long way toward keeping the duller stretches from feeling quite so dull.
In the end, it wasn’t a bad book, but it wasn’t the gripping, layered, tension-filled story I wanted from this series.
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