Fidelity

August 8, 2016
A successful operation against a drug dealer in Baltimore gets ambitious FBI agent Kay Malloy, the heroine of retired FBI agent Fedarcyk’s compelling debut, promoted to the bureau’s counterintelligence unit in New York City, where, much to her disappointment, her duties are mostly deskbound. Kay believes that an assignment to investigate the disappearance of several Russian double agents will prove her skills to her colleagues and her legendary supervisor, Susan Jeffries, one of the few women to hold such a high position. The Russians target Kay for blackmail, as they have other agents, but the only skeleton in her closet is an unfailing devotion to her older brother, Christopher, a screwup who sometimes uses drugs. Meanwhile, Kay must navigate a swamp of betrayal within the agency. Fedarcyk, the sole woman to have headed the FBI’s New York office as assistant director in charge, complements her perceptive study of the driven Kay with vivid details about international politics and the bureau’s inner workings.

Narrator Lauren Fortgang portrays the professional and personal sides of FBI agent Kate Malloy in this debut novel by a twenty-five-year veteran of the agency. Fortgang portrays her as a woman who is well aware of being female in a male-dominated field but doesn't feel any need to overcompensate. Her self-assurance comes with a sense of humor, particularly in dealing with her colleagues. Fortgang's depictions of other characters are also true to their personalities--from tough-guy suspect to intimate family member. She infuses the dialogue between Kay and her brother with familiarity and tenderness as well as an overlay of disappointment. Fortgang's narration moves at a steady pace, with scenes of suspense and drama intermingled with daily life. J.E.M. � AudioFile 2016, Portland, Maine