Customer Reviews

A Spy Within

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(12)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

While the jacket blurb was interesting, I had no idea this would be such a smooth, fast read -- hard to put down! You really get to know Patrice, the main character. She talks a lot and you are with her constantly. The author makes a couple of interesting choices about what Patrice will (or will not) do, and by the end of the book you are more than ready to read another one -- not available yet, sad to say. You don't need to be a Los Alamos history buff to enjoy the plot, but you will learn something along the way despite yourself. Put it on your gift list!

Though the Cold War's over, there's still A SPY WITHIN in the atomic bomb's hometown of Los Alamos, New Mexico. An old man's tales of a Russian spy in the midst of the bomb's creators leads to murder and intrigue, as a newspaperwoman hunts for the truth behind the web of secrecy and lies. Get a cup of hot tea and curl up by the fire with this one. But be prepared to stay up reading long after the embers have died.

I'd only planned to read a few chapters, but this book was such a page-turner! I lay awake in bed thinking about the characters and what was going to happen next until I finally just had to get up and READ THE REST! That night! Well, I sure hope Lynnette Baughman's got another one on the way because I CAN'T WAIT to hear what happens next in Patrice Kelsey's (that's the main character's name) life as a reporter in "the Atomic City". This book is so full of details and facts about atomic espionage--yet it grabs you and pulls you in! And doesn't let you go until the next morning! I loved it and I recommend it to everyone who loves a good mystery.

How nice to find a suspense novel which manages to keep the readers attention without resorting to gratuitous use of sex and/or gore! Baughman doesn't need such cheap devises to keep her audiences riveted; rather she relies on solid research, clever plot twists, and realistic, likable characters to keep this story engaging. "A Spy Within" is one of the rare books I have read lately which kept me up at night reading but didn't give me nightmares. Good work Ms. Baughman!

As opposed to a lot of mystery/spy books, I found this one to have both an interesting story and a realistic heroine (Patrice). I've read a little about what Los Alamos was like back in the Manhattan Project days and it was nice to read a story set there today. Times have changed a lot but it's still an interesting place and a great setting for intrigue. While reading the novel, I couldn't help but make comparisons to today's very real search for what terror may lurk beneath the surface of our society.

This is an interesting story with real places and accurate setting. Everyone will enjoy it, but locals will have the most fun finding familiar people and places.

I really "got into" this book. Interesting story line and that is something you don't always find even with established authors. I especially appreciated how well the time line in the book followed what would be phyically possible for a real person, no super people who never eat, sleep, or have to spend real time driving from place to place. Hope the next one by Ms.Baughman will be following very soon, I can hardly wait! a reader in Grand Junction, CO

When I got to the last page of the book, I felt as if a close friend had moved away. For two months I had looked forward to checking in with Patrice Kelsey before I fell asleep, and now that I have finished the book, I find myself wondering where this wonderful heroine is and what she is doing. Is she immersed in another adventure? Will we be allowed to follow her exploits in a sequal anytime soon? I'm sure I'm not alone in hoping that Patrice will resurface in print in the near future.

Those of us who live in Santa Fe know that there are still many secrets in Los Alamos. This book reveals at least one of them. Lynnette Baughman also reveals the flavors of life as it is lived in New Mexico. It rings true.

Loved A SPY WITHIN. It made Los Alamos and its people come alive while keeping me on the edge of my chair. Can't wait for this author's next book.