The Spy’s Wife by Shawn Davis
Reviewed by Lori Twichell
Genre: Mystery, adventure, thriller
Publisher: Amazon Digitel Services

Publication Date: Sept 2011
Rated: R (See below for more info)

Kimberly Stannick understands being a support system. As a CIA wife, she knows what it means to be a single mom, handle all of the household responsibilities and kiss her husband goodbye for weeks at a time instead
of hours. She knows how the government works and so she knows what it means when she gets an unusual phone call from her husband’s office. It means her world, as she knows it, has ended.

When Kim’s husband Jon, is killed in an overseas incident it
falls to her to find a job and keep her family together. Thankfully, the CIA
takes care of its own and soon she’s gotten a job offer for a desk job at the
same location that her husband used to work. Though she promises the kids that her
job will not be the same as their Dad’s, it isn’t long before Kim finds herself
in the middle of international intrigue, dangerous missions and a terrorist
that wants nothing more in life except for Kim and her two children to be dead.

Written by a military spouse, The Spy’s Wife is an unprecedented look at what life is like behind the scenes for those who serve. With insight, expertise and experience that only someone who has lived it will understand, Shawn Davis keeps the reader gasping with a tight plot, fast moving storylines and believable characters. I sympathized with Kim Stannick as she fought her way through dangerous situations and wondered how she, a housewife
from the US, could possibly be traipsing through foreign countries dealing with
top level security information. How did she end up on a terrorist’s most wanted
list and most importantly, who could she really trust? My heart was in my
throat as I read and I honestly had a hard time putting the book down once I
got started.

When I was gifted this book by a friend of mine (the author!) I wasn’t sure
what to expect. I’ll be honest – she and I have been friends and we bonded over
our lives as military spouses a long time ago. She wasn’t an author then. This is
her first venture and I didn’t know if I would enjoy it. (I get asked to read a
lot of stuff and not all of it is enjoyable – trust me. Sometimes it’s a slog.)
With The Spy’s Wife  I was utterly, completely and overwhelmingly
blown away while I was reading this book. I couldn’t believe it was a first
outing and I couldn’t wait to see what would happen next.

Quick note about the rating: This isn’t a Christian book and there are some scenes that
would definitely be rated R. It’s tough for me to say that because in the
entirety of the book there are really only two – maybe three things – that could
really earn it that R rating – and they’re more mentions of things than pages of scenes that are offensive. There’s one or two outbursts of language and a
couple of scenes describing what happens to spies/bad guys in foreign
countries. They are tough to read, but they by no means dominate this book at
all.  Instead of overpowering language, violence and gore, Shawn Davis fills this book with action, adventure, mystery and intrigue with incredibly intricate plot twists, realistic storylines and powerfully written emotion.

In all honesty, from the bottom of my heart, I cannot wait
to see what Shawn Davis brings to the table next. If you like thrillers,
mysteries, military drama or adventure, you’ll love this book.

• Review copy provided by the author
• Rated R for a very few scenes of violence and a
  smattering of language.