Book Review: Agent Juliet Series by Author E.M. Smith

The Agent Juliet Series, a five part serial by author E.M. Smith (Amazon, Goodreads) is about an uncouth southern guy's-guy, Jamie Kendrick--kind of a fuck-up--and his traumatic induction into a black-ops unit. The series is witty, bloody, full of delightfully written adult language, and ultimately very emotionally satisfying. There are twists you won't expect and some you do--and one very big one that'll shock the hell out of you. I'll try not to give away spoilers. So, I read this series in the wake of my own serial for Romance Unlimited. Sodom's Sons was my first attempt at a serial and you'll notice that it's no longer published. Writing serials effectively and maintaining a good pace is hard work! I wasn't pleased with the outcome and despite the work I put into it I re-read it near the end of the run and just didn't want it out there as it is.

I found this series because I wanted to read a good example in a different genre than I write. I dug and dug for a series that had some good reviews and ratings and looked like it was done well. I read the first book of maybe seven or eight before I stumbled upon this one, and it blew the rest out of the water. This is the first full serial series that I've read the full run of and it has really set the bar for me.

The five episode/three act structure evident in this series is masterfully done. Every book is action packed, the pace makes reading them in one sitting a breeze, and E.M. Smith's writing style is engrossing and humorous even when it's full of blood and gunfire. Jamie Kendrick, who is drawn into a conspiracy surrounding his two nieces--the only survivors of the brutal murder of Jamie's Brother and Sister-in-law, who are his only family and for whose murders he was framed--is a well-meaning anti-hero who is no where near ready to be a soldier but doesn't have a choice. He's convincingly driven by his connection to his nieces, and goes through turns of being a fiercely loving uncle, a sad, broken man, and a soldier with more courage than skill. He was excellently written and Smith crafted a solid emotional connection to his main character. 

I'd like to be able to point out something you might not like about these books but honestly there was nothing I didn't like. It was succinct, no words were wasted, the editing was spot-on, all of the characters on the NOC-unit team, the nieces, their caretaker, even the main antagonist that we don't meet until the last book are all colorful, unique, and easy to imagine. If you get hung up on happy endings and have some specific idea in mind about what that means, the ending might throw you a bit--but I loved it and felt that it was exactly what it had to be for this story.

If you have Kindle Unlimited, please accept my recommendation to Borrow each book in the series rather than purchase the box-set. It'll cost you nothing but make E.M. Smith the most income and we authors do appreciate that. If you are not subscribed, there is a link below to the box set--go ahead and pick it up, you will not regret spending three bucks for this series.   Don't have KU? Buy the box set. KU Subscriber? Please consider borrowing each book to support the author.