Agent X

A Novel

By: Noah Boyd

Narrated by: John Pruden

Length: 11 hrs and 23 mins

Publisher's summary

Ex-FBI agent Steve Vail navigates a maze of hidden codes and brain-teasing puzzles to stay hot on the trail of a band of Russian spies in this breathtaking follow-up to his New York Times best-selling debut The Bricklayer.

FBI-agent-turned-bricklayer Steve Vail once helped the FBI solve a brilliant extortion plot. It was supposed to be a one-and-done deal. But when he's in Washington, D.C., to see Kate Bannon—an FBI assistant director—on what he thinks will be a romantic New Year's Eve date, suddenly things get complicated. The FBI has another unsolvable problem, and it has Vail's name written all over it.

A man known as Calculus, an officer at the Russian embassy, has approached the FBI claiming that he has a list of Americans who are selling confidential information to the Russian SVR. In exchange for the list, he is asking for a quarter of a million dollars for each traitor the FBI apprehends. But then Calculus informs the FBI that he has been swiftly recalled to Moscow, and the Bureau suspects the worst: the Russians have discovered what Calculus is up to, probably have access to his list, and will be hunting the traitors to kill them unless the FBI can find them first.

The FBI realizes that it has to keep the operation quiet. Once again, Vail is the perfect man, along with Kate Bannon, who would be anyone's first pick for help on an impossibly dangerous case. But finding the traitors isn't going to be easy. In fact, it's going to be downright deadly. And if the Bricklayer survives, he will have to come up with a few tricks of his own.

Agent X is a heart-pounding thrill ride with an authenticity only a writer who's an FBI veteran can provide, and Steve Vail—a man Patricia Cornwell calls a "new American hero"—is one of the smartest, toughest, and most compelling new characters to come along in many years.

Also listen to The Bricklayer.

©2011 Noah Boyd (P)2011 HarperCollins Publishers

Long story but good

Could have been made into two books. Long stories with main emphasis on male and female repartee. Clever lines.

Good story, but

I enjoyed the story line, but after a while I felt like the bodies were piling up just to fill pages, they didn't really add to the storyline. Also, the constant petty bickering between the male and female leads finally wore me down to the point I was pulling for the relationship to fail!

Just long winded and boring

I loved the first book. This just did not take off. I will be returning this

Just As Challenging As Bricklayer!

Boyd does it again! What a perfect follow up to Bricklayer. I love when I can't figure everything out before the book is done. The other real pleasure here was the narrator, John Pruden. I read Bricklayer but listened to Agent X. I will definitely be looking for more from him.... And more from Noah Boud!

Great Story

Enjoyed this novel. Author did great job developing the characters and the plot. It was nice to listen to a story without all the cussing and explicit sex scenes. Really liked the touches of humor scattered throughout the story. Just when you had the ending figured out there was a twist and turn leading you to another conclusion.

I Wish There Were More

Would you listen to Agent X again? Why?

No, I have plenty of other books to listen to, but I did enjoy this one.

Any additional comments?

I really wish the author had lived long enough to write more books in this series. I think it would have made for an excellent series.

Story had potential, but I could not finish it.

The constant bantering between the two main characters grew tiresome and distracted from what could have been a great story. I could not bring myself to endure the last 60% of the book. I would not recommend this book.