I, Spy - by L M Kemp (Hardcover)

Book Synopsis

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.

Review Quotes

"I, Spy is an incisive feminist thriller and heaps of fun. L. M. Kemp blends tradecraft and intimate reckonings in an enthralling tale of motherhood, the business of secrets, and the biggest mystery of all, the self, 'with beauty, with magic.' A stellar speedrun of a novel and a fresh take on the alluring dangers of espionage."--Margot Douaihy, bestselling author of Scorched Grace

"Kendal Carter's life is about to get hella complicated. A former spy, she's been hiding out ever since her cover was blown and her lover was killed. But now her former colleagues have tracked her down and have asked her to complete one more mission--it's never one, is it? She doesn't feel like she has a choice, but how exactly is she going to do this with a four-year-old in tow? A fun look inside the shadow world of private spies and counter-measures, I spy a hit!"--Catherine Mack, USA Today bestselling author of Every Time I Go on Vacation, Someone Dies

About the Author

L. M. KEMP lives and works in upstate London (Essex). She writes for a vast variety of creative, cultural, corporate and clandestine clients: most recently co-authoring personalized books for Wonderbly; reviewing pilot episodes, cheap perfumes and random Instagram accounts for Ralph Magazine; and editing lengthy and devastating reports for Greenpeace. For the last two years her work has been dominated by the research and development of I, Spy and a deep dive into the murky world of modern spycraft.