The Agency

By: James Phelan

Narrated by: Adrian Mulraney

Length: 9 hrs and 51 mins

Publisher's summary

An action thriller where the line between the good guys and the bad can be hard to see.

It's 2005, and Jed Walker has just joined the CIA. As a 10-year veteran of Air Force Special Operations, Walker is used to being at the pointy end of things. But normally the front line is much further from home.

Sent to New Orleans on the trail of Russians wanting to claim back what was stolen from them in Afghanistan, it doesn't take long for Walker to realise that in the murky world of espionage, the rules of war do not apply.

Teaming up with a feisty M16 operative, to do what is right for the nation Walker must take steps that will betray The Agency. As Hurricane Katrina hits, to forever change a city, it's clear to Walker that that this is a high-stakes game where the winner takes all, and he must succeed.

From Langley to Louisiana, Washington to Moscow, The Agency moves like a tempest through a treacherous landscape of double crosses, false identities, and enemies old and new.

Jed Walker is going to be pushed to the limit - of what he can do, what he can take, and what he knows is right.

©2018 James Phelan (P)2018 Hachette Australia Audio

Critic reviews

"A terse, tense brand of hard-boiled action suspense...addictive." ( The Age)

Lazy writing, guy who hates conservative Americans

Author just keeps rehashing the same tired theme of corrupt Americans who are responsible for all the modern world's problems. And despite writing about American characters based in America, he and his editors are too lazy to use American terms (our cars have trunks, not "boots"). And to top it off, in this weak story he uses the name of an actual SDI missile defense system but then goes on to ignorantly describe it as a kinetic energy ground target weapon fired from space (Vaughn Hepner had such a system in his near-future attack on America series and he got it right because he did actual RESEARCH). Returning this tripe to Audible for a refund.

It's called The Agency, not The Agent for a reason

Jed Walker is well-trained, experienced in fighting, and smart. But he is a green agent on his first, simple operation for The Agency. It all goes wrong from the start and everyone is after him, and he can't tell whom to trust. The fight scenes are good. The problem is that he would have been dead from the get-go if not for Steff, and then Luke (where did he even come from?), and then his old family friend/mentor. It's not very self-sustaining if you have to depend on so many people to save your bacon. Perhaps the next volumes will be better, but Jed had better become more independent.

Gotta Luv Jed Walker

This was a good conclusion (or beginning I hope) for the Jed Walker adventures. Really liked the story. Suspenseful and adventurous as the intrigue of the CIA and MI5 work together in stopping a terrorist threat. Like how the author ties in real events and timelines. A great listen and I highly recommend if you’re into this genre.

My new favorite hero - another Jack Reacher

I discovered Jed Walker this past summer and read all the books already out. I really enjoyed catching up on how it all began for Jed, his graduation from the campus and his being thrown immediately into action, unsure of who his real boss was, or who he could trust, even among those he'd trained with. A fantastic roller coaster story. And now I'm on to Dark Heart. If you like Jack Reacher you'll love Jed Walker.

Could have used a narrator

There were Sparks of goodness in and out of the story but my biggest complaint is the narration. the narrator obviously knows nothing of firearms in the way he described the caliber of each firearm. in this genre of story the narrator needs to make sure that he or she listens to similar books in the genre so they know how to describe the Firearms. Huge turnoff for me and I'm sure for many other listeners who like this type of book

Love Mulraney, but need an American reading

Adrian Mulraney is great, but his American accent is strange at best. Would like to hear him do an Aussie book/character! Need an American "tough guy" voice for Jed!

Nice prequel to set up The Spy - next up in my queue. I'm not writing to give a long review. More to encourage those who are getting into the Jed Walker series to start here so you can know why Jed is who he is. Good action, and necessary confusion along the way keeps your attention. Looking forward to seeing Jed's development.

starts slow then steadily keeps building

into a great ride across unique terrain with a professional telling you all about it

Tired and Predictable

My first book in this series and maybe that’s why I didn’t think much of the story and characters
The World has been saved once again, even with a hurricane in the mix

What a book

There was just nothing new or original or special about this book. I just did not like it