I, Spy by L.M. Kemp
Publication Date: May 5th 2026 by Macmillan Audio
Pages: 272
Audio Book Length: 7hrs 54min
Narrators: Ell Potter
Source: Publisher
Rating: ★★★★
My
Thoughts:
Kendal has been in the spy game for as long as she can
remember thanks to her mother’s not‑so‑conventional parenting. But after a
mission goes sideways, she disappears into the wind. Now she’s a single mom to
a precocious four‑year‑old, Rosie, living a quiet life built entirely around
keeping her daughter safe. That peace shatters when dangerous men come looking
for her, forcing Kendal to reach out to her former boss, Rico at Bon Temps, for
help. He offers her and Rosie a safe house… with one catch: he wants her back
on the job. Just a small assignment, he claims. Low risk. Simply mentor a
rookie operative embedded in a tech company.
The moment I heard the setup, the old adage “if it’s too
good to be true…” started flashing in my mind. Rico’s offer felt suspicious
from the start. It quickly becomes apparent that her placement was more than
just for training when a prominent member of the tech company has ties to the
school Rosie’s attending. Kendal has to infiltrate the world of school politics,
befriending moms and digging for intel, all while trying to figure out who’s
watching whom.
I really liked and rooted for Kendal and was completely
hooked as her past is slowly revealed. What happened to make her go dark and
get out of the spy game? Was it tied to the assignment she’s currently on? Could
she trust Rico? Could she trust Joel, the cinnamon‑roll Canadian newbie she’s
supposed to be training? Fini, her tech‑savvy
best friend, was an absolute delight. I reserved judgement on pretty much every
other character.
The ending definitely hints at more to come, and I’m already
eager for the next installment.
I listened to the audiobook, and Ell Potter’s performance
was fantastic. She handles a wide range of ages, genders, and accents with
ease. Her British voices were distinct and believable, and Joel’s nerdy
Canadian accent fit him perfectly.
4 Stars
Ex-spy Kendal was one of the best, but now she’s wearing the toughest disguise of her career: Mom.
Kendal Carter is out in the cold and she wouldn’t have it any other way. It’s been four years since her daughter Rosie was born and Kendal has kept her miles away from The Game. But when their hiding place is discovered and danger comes too close, Ken is forced to turn to old contacts. Her longtime friend and ex-handler Rico doesn’t miss his chance to pull his best player back in. Whisking them to London, Rico offers them a luxury safe house in an area with good schools. How can she resist?
But there’s a catch, of course. Rico wants Kendal to come back to work for his espionage agency Bon Temps. He’s offering a cushy assignment with no apparent downside, running a rookie asset in one of London’s biggest, murkiest tech firms. It should be easy enough for someone with her experience, and luckily, mother is the perfect cover.
However, it doesn’t take long for Kendal to realize that Rico’s got an agenda of his own. The tech firm has hands in Rosie’s school, and the world of PTAs and playdates comes with its own web of allegiances and betrayals. Kendal soon finds herself in way too deep . . .
I, Spy is a propulsive debut thriller about the disguise that all parents wear, and the former lives that come back to haunt us.
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