CUTOUT: A third person used to conceal the contact between two people. A pawn. They were partners — lovers in a business where betrayal is a heartbeat away. CIA analyst Caroline Carmichael lost her husband Eric when his plane was blown out of the sky by an elite group of terrorists known as 30 April. Now her dead husband has surfaced among those responsible for an explosion that rocks Berlin — and the brutal kidnapping of the U.S. Vice President. Uncertain of Eric’s motives and loyalties, the Agency plays its last, best card: Eric’s wife — the Cutout. Is Eric a rogue agent gone bad? Or has he thrown himself under deep cover to terminate a ruthless psychopath? Caroline is drawn into a dizzying maze where one wrong turn will mean certain death ... and in which the Cutout will be the first to fall.
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"A fantastic story about a woman who works for the CIA. I always wondered about them, I know the author and she was a CIA analyst. She writes beautifully and the story flies off the pages."
— Annie (5 out of 5 stars)
" I like a good spy novel. This one was good, not great. "
— Susie, 11/6/2013" A little long in the tooth but a great story and wonderful characters. "
— Megan, 8/6/2013" Brave ending but otherwise a by the numbers thriller. "
— Robert, 5/21/2013" probably not worth the time it takes to read it "
— Alana, 11/19/2012" A femaile CIA analyst learns that her case officer husband did not die but instead became a deep undercover agent with a terrorist group that kidnapped the Vice President. "
— Tara, 8/4/2012" I have been reading to many books like this lately "
— Amanda, 7/27/2012" I read this book because I read at the NPR website that this author had been a CIA analyst. Conclusion: Not very good. "
— Mark, 7/13/2011" A complicated plot that involves a kidnapping of the VP of the US. The author brings too many minor characters into the story and this makes it hard to keep everyone straight. Not all that entertaining "
— Elsie, 6/27/2011" Another good thriller set mainly in Berlin, Budapest and Sarajevo. "
— False, 2/26/2011" I read this book because I read at the NPR website that this author had been a CIA analyst. Conclusion: Not very good. "
— Mark, 9/4/2010" A complicated plot that involves a kidnapping of the VP of the US. The author brings too many minor characters into the story and this makes it hard to keep everyone straight. Not all that entertaining "
— Elsie, 7/20/2010" I like a good spy novel. This one was good, not great. "
— Susie, 2/1/2010" A femaile CIA analyst learns that her case officer husband did not die but instead became a deep undercover agent with a terrorist group that kidnapped the Vice President. "
— Tara, 1/22/2010" probably not worth the time it takes to read it "
— Alana, 9/2/2009" I have been reading to many books like this lately "
— Amanda, 5/27/2009" Brave ending but otherwise a by the numbers thriller. "
— Robert, 9/20/2008Francine Mathews is the author of more than twenty novels of mystery, history, and suspense. Her historical thriller The Alibi Club was named one of the fifteen best novels of 2006 by Publishers Weekly. A graduate of Princeton and Stanford, she spent four years as an intelligence analyst at the CIA.
Trini Alvarado is an American actress best known for her feature film roles in Little Women, The Frighteners, and Paulie, for which she was nominated for an ALMA Award. Her television credits include series such as Finge, Law & Order: SUV, and The Jury as well as TV movies including Bitter Winter and The Last Dance. As a youth, she appeared as Melinda in the Broadway performance of Runaways. She has narrated several audiobooks, earning this praise from AudioFile magazine for her reading of Trickster’s Queen: “Happily, this book gets the narrator it needs in Trini Alvarado, who provides an extensive range of expression for both males and females, human or immortal, friend or foe. Her clear speech and judicious pace guide listeners through multiple intrigues to a satisfying end. A gem.”