Silent Sisters

Product Information

The Silent Sisters is the third book in the Charles Jenkins series by American author, Robert Dugoni. When the CIA becomes aware of a Kremlin program to expose the remaining two of the Seven Sisters, and the women go silent, they decide to send Charles Jenkins in to ascertain if the women need to be exfiltrated from Moscow, or have turned. This is not a great work of literary genius and it doesn’t meet any of my typical criteria for a 5 star rating, but it deserves 5 stars for the courage it took to write it. I don’t even know if I would recommend it- it’s dark, unsettling, and tragically frustrating. I was uncomfortable reading it, hating to imagine Joanne Lee as a child, angry at all the adults in her life who let her, her siblings, and her mother down for so long. Some of these adults were good people, people who loved them, yet they just didn’t intervene. Lee’s mother clearly needed serious mental health treatment, but no one stepped in and said, “Enough.” I hated to consider what I would’ve done - I would hope I would have intervened but could I have chosen the same inaction if I were the mother’s sister or the neighbor? It’s a tough question to ask and created a tension that was good for me, but terribly uncomfortable.

I’m not a fan of spy thrillers, with the exception of this series. I find Charles Jenkins an engaging spy, with a strong moral compass. In this, the third and final book in the series, Jenkins is tasked with bringing the final two of the Seven Sisters sleeper cell out of Russia. Bernadette soon has a new house and bloke, Karl, to go with it. Things are quite good for Joanne as Karl buys groceries once a week and helps keep things tidy. But the small glimpses of a better family life never ever last and Joanne knows this in her heart. Joanne is left to fend for herself from a very young age, her mum has multiple boyfriends. She had to learn how to cook herself a meal, wash and iron her clothes as well as care for her younger siblings, Cath & Chris. Bernadette would rather drink, in fact when she wasn’t at work, she was sat at home drinking. Full of twists and turns, this new mystery will have you staying up late to find out what happens next." Long a fan of Robert Dugoni and his work, I turned to the latest instalment of his espionage series. Reviving all that was tense during the Cold War, Dugoni has fashioned a wonderful series around sleeper agents and one American’s duty to protect those involved. Still smarting from his latest Russian prison break, Charles Jenkins is enjoying life with his family. That is, until he’s approached by his CIA handler to return to Russia on a mission. It will be harrowing and dangerous, but necessary to ensure American intel is not lost. As Jenkins makes his way there, people are still hunting for him and will stop at nothing to see him dead. Dugoni does well spinning this tale of depravity and ruthlessness, but it’s all for the greater good!As for characters, unfortunately I never connected with them enough to be invested in anyone. My favorite by far is Lisa and she’s probably the character the author develops the most. In the beginning I really sympathized for her and what she had to go through.

I guess I'd call this mystery-light! Lisa, a musical prodigy on the violin, age 16, is assumed dead..... having committed suicide many years ago.....after having committed murder, and before her court date. Most important was the task at hand. Locate the women and get them safely out of Russia. Both women are in their 60s. Would they even want to leave? The first of the two women, Zenaida Petrekova, a widow with grown children living in other parts of the world. This mission proved relatively easy, at least for a man with Jenkins’ experience and skills. The second sister, Maria Kulikova, would prove to be a much more difficult challenge. After finishing the second book, before I knew it was a trilogy, I thought there was no way there would be third book. I couldn't see a path forward. I thought Dugoni had written two outstanding spy thrillers and he couldn't top them. And then he went and topped the previous books with The Silent Sisters.

Once recruited, aspiring Sisters known as Proloquors begin gruelling training and a range lesser duties. Only once they have proven themselves worthy of the Sisterhood's high standards are they inducted fully. Upon becoming a full member they take the Vow of Tranquility, never speaking again. Thank you to the author, Thomas and Mercer, and Netgalley for providing me with a digital ARC. My review reflects my candid assessment and feelings. Quotations in this review are from an uncorrected proof (ISBN 13-9781542029919) and may differ from the final version. Publication date is February 22, 2022. Then one day she made a macabre discovery. You will have read about it in the ‘blurb’. That is when Joanne decides that she could not live a lie and continue to be loyal to her mother any more. She had always suffered from disturbing, violent and scary nightmares and just had to unburden herself for her own wellbeing. She told her caring and supportive neighbour what she had discovered and thereafter broke her silence. She was not able to keep her mother’s secrets any longer. It was tormenting her and what’s more she knew it was wrong. The police arrived and later Joanne found out that her mother had put all of the blame on her. She was accused of multiple murders. of the books I read are strictly romance but sometimes I need a mystery/thriller/suspense to spice things up a bit and The Silent Sister seemed like a good choice. Overall, I was left somewhat underwhelmed, but I had a blast unraveling this intricately-woven mystery! I hadn't read the blurb nor any of the authors other books so was surprised when a very famous name popped up as one of the family members, just shows you never know what goes on behind closed doors or someone's history.