The Spy and the Snake by M. J. Robotham review – A thrilling and entertaining espionage novel
Not your typical spy – but you’ll love her all the same.
The Spy and the Snake by M. J. Robotham: Key details
- Publish date: 9 July 2026
- Genre: Spy/thriller
- Publisher: Aria
- Available formats: Hardback, audio and ebook
- Series/standalone: #2 of the Mrs Spy series
- Length: 368 pages
Blurb: Maggie Flynn has finally earned her place at of MI5-but with promotion comes paperwork. No more disguises, no more danger, just meetings, memos, and the quiet realisation that life feels a little too safe. With her daughter away at university and her spirited mother pursuing her own adventures, Maggie’s days in London are starting to feel decidedly ordinary. So when the chance arises to return to the field, she doesn’t hesitate.
The assignment: fly to Budapest and pose as the wife of a notorious British defector in order to smuggle him back to the UK. It should be a straightforward operation. But Maggie Flynn has never done straightforward-and what’s waiting in Budapest is anything but routine.
As Cold War tensions simmer and shadows linger on every corner, Maggie finds herself navigating a city steeped in secrets-and drawn to a mysterious stranger who may endanger the mission. or steal her heart.
The Spy and the Snake by M. J. Robotham: The review
I know almost nothing about the Cold War era, but thanks to M. J. Robotham’s excellent The Spy and The Snake, I feel like I’ve had the most entertaining history lesson of my life. It’s fiction, obviously, but thanks to an impressive amount of detail, it feels accurate; almost as if you’re living it yourself.
This is the second book in a series following MI5 agent Maggie Flynn, but I jumped into this one first. It works very well as a standalone, but now I’ve spent time with Maggie I’m desperate to know more and will be going back to Mrs Spy, the first in the series, ASAP.
Middle-aged Maggie isn’t your usual undercover spy, but that’s what makes The Spy and The Snake work so wonderfully. From the outside, she seems like your average single mother, looking out for her nearly-grown daughter after losing her husband. But in reality, she’s working for the MI5, goes by many names, and rarely reveals her true identity.
An off-the-books mission sends Maggie to Budapest, where she’s tasked with tracking down a defector and bringing him back to the UK. Easier said than done when the city is crawling with KGB. The Spy and The Snake wastes no time in getting going, and it isn’t long until Maggie is hot on the tail of her mission, running from the KGB and other agents who have her in their sights.
It’s tense and exciting, but it’s also somehow grounded thanks to Maggie’s wonderful character. James Bond this isn’t; it’s warmer, more approachable, with a touch of humour and plenty of heart. While Maggie’s mission remains at the forefront, there’s a bit of time for matters of the heart, too, and getting to know Maggie as a person as well as an agent is an absolute joy.
This is my first book by Robotham, but I won’t hesitate to read more from her. It may not be my usual choice, but I’ve thoroughly enjoyed this, and won’t hesitate to recommend it to anyone looking for something exciting, but with soul.
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