The Syndicate Spy

March 20, 2023
Butler hits the ground running with her thriller debut, an electrifying near-future series-starter that pits intelligence operative Juliet Arroway, her Saudi princess partner in espionage, and a Syndicate of intelligence agencies against the terrorists of a post-oil world. In Juliet’s case, the latest threat in the ongoing energy war has a personal edge: her father, a Syndicate agent, was a casualty of the war against al-Alfatih, a terrorist organization targeting alternative energy sites. A wave of attacks bring fresh tragedy to Juliet—and cast suspicion on her trusted partner, Mariam, the daughter of the king of Saudi Arabia, whose family might be involved in al-Alfatih despite the Kingdom’s recent investment in renewable energies.
In Juliet, Butler has crafted a compelling, independent-minded protagonist who’s adept at tradecraft and ready for bold action, as the genre demands, but also possessed of unusual depth. She agonizes over having to keep her job and the danger she faces from the man she loves, and she’s quick to push back against the nasty xenophobia of seasoned intelligence salts, asking one, after dressing him down for his anti-Muslim invective, “Why is it that women are ball-busters and men are just doing their jobs?” Mariam, too, is a standout creation, a woman eager to see “an end to the cycle of death” but whose loyalties get questioned.
The richness that Butler brings to character also distinguishes The Syndicate Spy’s portrayal of a new global order—and the new threats that come with it. The geopolitics are convincingly complex, with antagonists who feel refreshingly human, but Butler still conjures a grabber of a thriller plot centered on a formula for “synthetic oil” that many interested parties will kill for. Pulsing throughout is the persistent question of who Juliet can trust. Action is exciting and never punishing, though occasionally wordy; the dash of romance feels natural, a welcome respite from the tension. Readers who favor smart, twisty spy thrillers with a sense of hope and humanity will love this.
Takeaway: This smart near-future espionage thriller introduces a heroine readers will love.
Great for fans of: Rosalie Knecht, Dana Haynes.
Production grades
Cover: A
Design and typography: A
Illustrations: N/A
Editing: A-
Marketing copy: A

Starred review from May 15, 2023
This debut novel pits an Army Ranger-turned-spy against a terrorist organization bent on destroying alternative energy sites. Set in a near future when the planet's oil reserves are essentially gone--and former oil-rich nations are desperate to regain their power on the world stage--the story revolves around Juliet Arroway. She's an operative for the Syndicate, a partnership of intelligence agencies whose mission is to hunt down and eradicate energy terrorists. Arroway's main goal is to stop the mysterious Abu Hassan, the head of a terrorist group that has been responsible for the deaths of countless people over the years--including her father. With the help of her longtime partner and friend Mariam al-Saud (who happens to be the estranged daughter of the king of Saudi Arabia) and cocky FBI agent Graham Harding, Arroway slowly uncovers the complicated motivations behind the attacks. Early on, Harding tells her: "If I were you, I would go into this investigation with an open mind." She eventually finds that the conspiracy goes much deeper than a group of misguided jihadis seeking to establish an Islamic caliphate. Butler obviously understands what thriller fans want in a story. The action is nonstop, the pacing is relentless, and the bombshell plot twists are numerous--but it's the brilliantly developed characters that power this narrative. In this series opener, Arroway is a badass in every sense of the word, but she also has an impressive emotional depth and a vulnerability underneath her tough exterior that make her relatable. Her tumultuous relationship with Harding, for example, is more intimate than any romance and more arousing than any work of erotic fiction. But perhaps the understated hook in all of this is the author's vivid writing style, which makes characters and scenes come alive on the page. As Arroway and Harding are evacuated from a horrific battle scene, Butler writes: "Fragments of light grew into thick saffron beams as they glided above the smoke-filled cities below." A storytelling tour de force--this espionage thriller delivers the goods in a big way.

COPYRIGHT(2023) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.