A Novel (The Red Sparrow Trilogy) - The Kremlin's Candidate

I eagerly awaited the third book of the trilogy and it held me in place, turning page after page, looking up the unfamiliar words as I went and feeling the tension, passion and anguish as I went along. There is a subsequent story to be told and it is inconceivable that the author will forego telling it. I await the fourth book...and then...

The entire "Red Sparrow" trilogy including "The Kremlin's Candidate" was an awesome, spellbinding experience. Having been written by Jason Matthews who apparently experienced much of what he writes about it is very believable and difficult to put down.

Having just read the two previous books in this series all I could think was did he get someone else to write this for him, or did he have an editor who had not read the other books.
So many things about the characters have changed, so much in the previous actions is different. I am not sure if it is my job to be a plot spoiler, but it feels as if one is reading the script from one of those reality programs which spend most of the time telling what happened last, or what is happening next, rather than what is happening now. I liked the previous books, this one not so much. Footnote 80 cms is not a huge bust, it is around 32 inches. It need not feature so much in the story.

The Red Sparrow was an exilerating read, which i did almost witout stopping. the second book also kept my attention but the constant sexual descriptions were distracting. The Kremlin's Candidateis less interesting because of the bouncing around. Matthews also seems to belong to that group that believes everything was Obama's fault.

It is so interesting, this trilogy as our political world is so full of Russia. I found out so many things about spying and the devices and techniques used in that world today!! The characters and relationships are unique and well developed.

The first two books in this trilogy were outstanding. The third gives them impression of having been rushed to press or, possibly, outsourced to a less knowledgeable writer. All that said, the trilogy as a whole is a brilliant achievement, and all three books are well worth reading. The first is simply magnificent.

The Machiavellian intricacies of modern Russia and the profound changes in the Global political scene are nicely woven together into a ripper of a yarn you won’t want to put down! Loved it! However, it does amaze me the polarisation the last book of this series of books has had with the reading public. From many of the adverse reviews I have to wonder if we have been reading the same book! Is this another Russian conspiracy?! ;-)

Loved the intrigue and action, but had to skip over many technical paragraphs which bored me to no end.I worry for Mr Matthews safety. Making Putin the evil villain might prove to be injurious to his health.Can't wait to see The movie "Red Sparrow".

The tradecraft eclipsed LeCarre. Lifts the lid on the neo-Stalinist regime of today’s Russia. The backstory of Diva and her relationship with Nash, raises, recedes, but is always there. It lives on after a plot twist that was, to me, a blindside...

Hard to put down, I could have lived without the recipes - I found them annoying and irritating intrusions, but expect others probably liked them. I also wish I didn't constantly have to be looking up words I've never heard of - sometimes 2 or 3 on a single page. Still - those are minor points - the book is fantastic!

Matthews' plots in his three stories of counterintelligence and spying were fantastic reading. Unique in his writing style, and unmentioned in any previous review, was an inclusion of recipe of a food dish at the end of each chapter. I look for more books by this author.

As in the previous installments of the Red Sparrow and Nate, this later one doesn't disappoint a bit. The recipes at the end of each chapter are still an enticement and a gem. Congratulations for Mathews for continuing to write excellent thrillers. Really top of the line and... elegant.

Words cannot express the feelings I have at this moment. I have just finished book 3 and I just feel lost and have no clue how any book can come close to these three. All I can say is I hope Jason has some more books he is working on.

Read the previous books in this trilogy (Red Sparrow and Palace of ... can't remember the rest of the name) first. A little too much blood for me, and the end was hard to take, but I recommend all of Matthews' books.

Jason Mathews again provides astonishing insight into the world of spy-craft, both from the CIA perspective as well as the Russian perspective. Incredibly timely given what is going with Trump’s U.S. and Putin’s Russia.

Read the trilogy in rapid succession. A complete distraction from my work and very poignant in light of current American distrust of Russia. Mr. Matthews's descriptions were cinemagraphic and his command of the English language inspiring. Finally, his development of the plot across the three novels is riveting. I thoroughly enjoyed the way the small details set out in one book were pulled forward later to complete part of the storyline. The conclusion was heart-rending for me. What now for Dominika and Forsyth?

Without going into too many details that could spoil it, I will try to stick to my criticism of the writing as opposed to the plot (although there were several things about this that bothered me). The book started off to a flashback of a scene that the readers were unaware of in the first book. Not only did this feel completely out of place, as this type of storytelling hadn’t been used previously, it re-wrote the auhtor’s own writing in the first book. I detest this type of writing because it feels like a lazy way for an author to change their own story. It was also unnecessary to do so in this case. This was apparently a common thread in this book; unnecessary storylines that lead nowhere. This book really needed a good editor to trim some of the “fat” that felt like it took the bulk of the book. So much so that the ending felt rushed despite the long drawn out build up. I still enjoyed the vocabulary, the patois the author uses, and the suspense. However, the suspense was weakened by the side storylines that distracted from the main goal.
Finally, I greatly disliked the path the author chose for Nate. So many things felt out of character in this book, and at times came across wish-washy. I wish I would have ended the series after the second book and skipped this one. Very disappointed with this book.

Every good details of espionage between super powers. great book with sad ending. looking forward to more books by Jason Matthews. Book highlights corruption and lack of sensitivity in our government.

Jason Matthews gives us a suspenseful, fast moving conclusion to the series he began with Red Sparrow. It's mole vs. mole as the race is on between a beleaguered CIA and a dysfunctional NVR to unmask respective spies.

You will need a dictionary handy to read this book. It will challenge you mentally and emotionally. It leaves me in awe of the dedicated few that will give all for their of country. Love this three book series.

for the Red Sparrow. We are taken further into the structure of the Russian Intelligence community as we watch
her rise to power. Fascinating intrigue. Thisi is a well structured, exciting book .

I originally only ordered the first book in Jason Matthew's trilogy, Red Sparrow, but was hooked 100 pages in and immediately bought the rest of the books. Very well written story by an obviously knowledgeable author. One of the best reads I have had in quite a few years. The only problem is I wanted more -- a fourth and even a fifth novel. I didn't want the story to end.

I anxiously awaited the final book of this trilogy only to discover that the author has changed his style of writing. I gave the first two books five stars each because they beautifully brought the reader along for the ride with clarity. The verbiage in this last book was rediculous! I'm an avid reader and have never had to research the meaning of a word more than once or twice in a book. When even kindle has no definition I know I'm in uncharted territory. I'm not sure if the author was trying to show off his command of language or just took some crazy language course and decided to give it a try. This book just didn't do what it should have so readers would be excited for the release of his next book. Note to author.....stop writing like a snob!!

The Red Sparrow trilogy was written by a retired CIA agent Jason Matthews. His background with the spy trade and story telling ability combined to make this the best reading I’ve done in ages. They are intense, historically accurate and believable with great characters. The trilogy a must read that will keep you on the edge of your chair.

to remind us about the history, capabilities, and ambitions of Russia. Read the trilogy. It’s a great reminder that the current US President’s admiration of strongmen, authoritarian leaders does not bode well for the experiment of America.

Once again brilliant writing that could have been taken from today's news. Very sorry that this is the final book of the trilogy. Looking forward to Matthews starting a new series. He is a terrific writer.

The entire trilogy is masterful and this final volume is epic. The tradecraft is amazing as usual. What I think sets this book apart from the others is the view into what might be the justification for many decisions in espionage. I have read many many books on the subject, and this is top of the line.

This series of books was very well written and was exciting to read. As a student of Russia/US history and interactions I found it both enlightening and scary- how we survived such intense political pressure on each other. A good read!!

I totally enjoyed the trilogy, "Red Sparrow Trilogy"! The Russian words and names were a little troublesome but not much. The author kept your attention in all books, story and characters were top notch and well placed in the story, and each book flowed with the previous book; moreover the suspense was riveting--many nights, 3:00 a.m. of reading. I can't wait for more books from Jason Matthews! Truly a "5-Star" trilogy.

This last of the Red Sparrow trilogy simultaneously felt over written and under written. There was way too much filler and several key moments could have been handled with greater finesse. I found the numerous Russian phrases to be a distraction. The obscure vocabulary suggested that the author frequently dipped into his Thesaurus while grinding the narrative flow to a halt. I enjoyed the first two novels and regret that this one was a disappointment.

This series was extremely well written with a large amount of interesting detail. Very believable except the ending was a little extreme. All 3 books were engaging and well connected to each other. Also, the first movie was very true to the book. Can't wait to see the second and third movies and to read more from Mr. Matthews.