When retired former spy Felicity Jardine’s mission to drown herself is interrupted by a baby drifting down river, her training kicks in at once. She saves the baby, and conceals herself from the shady-looking man who is searching for it.

Then an elderly neighbour to whom she bears a resemblance is found dead, and Felicity knows she’s been rumbled. She has to dust off the highly trained and resourceful secret service officer she used to be, ensure the safety of the baby, and re-enter the fray.

She can count on the help of two former MI6 colleagues to identify the murderer and find out exactly what’s going on. But Felicity soon realises that her work in 1970s Germany and her present are entangled – and she must face some hard truths before she can confront the demons of her past.

IN NUTSHELL
‘A Sting In Her Tale‘ was an entertaining read, with competent (actually quite dangerous) old people (and their younger, equally dangeeous selves) as the protagonists; , dual timeline spy plot set in contemporary England and 1970s Bonn, a little violence, a lot of deception and betrayal and a prickly central character who, despite being suicidal at the start of the book, develops as a person throughout the book. It’s the first book in a series, and I’m already looking forward to the next one, ‘A Nest of Wasps’ which will be published in July.

‘A Sting In Her Tale’ was a well-crafted story that immediately got me inside Felicity’s rather prickly head and into a situation packed with threat. I liked seeing Felicity as she is now, in her seventies, and as she was fifty years earlier, working as a British spy in Bonn.

The cuts between the two timelines worked well, both for moving the plot forward and building Felicity’s character (even her adopted name is ironic, as happiness doesn’t seem to be something she aspires to). 

I particularly liked that the action required Felicity not just to reconsider her future (having previously decided that she didn’t have one) but also to reconsider her past (which had more betrayals in it than she’d been aware of). 

The espionage plot was twisty, amoral, and credible (accepting that Felicity is remarkably spry for her age). I particularly liked that the links between the two timelines were feasible and enhanced both the risks and the payback for Felicity. 

The only thing that didn’t work for me was the sex scene. It was central to the plot, and it wasn’t badly done, but it went on for so long that it became tedious.

I recommend the audiobook version of ‘A Sting In Her Tale’. Ruth Redman’s narration added significantly to my enjoyment of the book. Click on the YouTube link below to hear a sample.

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