Genre: Mystery & Thriller
Length: 384 pages
Audiobook Length: 15 hours
First Published: 2024
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Rachael’s Review
I received a complimentary copy of this book from Penguin Random House. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
When an extremist Russian billionaire runs for president, he promises he will recover the Amber Room, a priceless piece of Russian art looted by the Nazis and lost during World War II. To stop his political ascent, CIA spymaster Frances Coffrey is tasked with finding the Amber Room first and finds the perfect man in Aubrey Argylle, a lonely man with a unsavory family history. Argylle must train and integrate into an already formed CIA team that is recovering from a disastrous mission. Can they find the Amber Room first? And is there a reason why so many things are going disastrously wrong?
Argylle is the most overhyped book of 2024, largely due to its marketing tactics. No, it was not written by Taylor Swift, which should have been obvious from the start based on its hideous cover. Instead, Argylle is ghostwritten by Terry Hayes and Tammy Cohen to kick off Matthew Vaughn’s new film, Argylle, which showcases the author Elly Conway finding out her spy novels are actually real.
Setting preconceived notions aside, Argylle is an okay thriller combing a spy plot with a treasure hunt. The book is not particularly memorable or original but it’s a quick action-packed read. Besides the marketing setting up flawed expectations, Argylle‘s biggest flaw is that the premise leaves you with nagging questions because the overarching plot makes no sense. Why exactly is the CIA even doing this mission? What do they hope to achieve by finding the Amber Room first? If they do find it first, what exactly is the plan?
To make things more meta, in the movie, writer Elly Conway discovers her spy novels are hitting a little too close to the truth and she and her cat find themselves in a covert world she thought she was just inventing. The movie was silly yet engaging with tons of twists, some of which were rather clever. After the halfway mark, the twists (and the movie) become more and more ridiculous and outlandish.
Publisher’s Description
One Russian magnate’s dream of restoring a nation to greatness has set in motion a chain of events which will take the world to the brink of chaos. Only Frances Coffey, the CIA’s most legendary spymaster, can prevent it. But to do so, she needs someone special. Enter Argylle, a troubled agent with a tarnished past who may just have the skills to take on one of the most powerful men in the world. If only he can save himself first…
Movie Trailer for Argylle (2024)
About Elly Conway
Conway was born and raised in upstate New York. She wrote her first novel about Agent Argylle while working as a waitress in a late-night diner.
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