Agent G is the story’s protagonist, a cybernetically enhanced jet-setting assassin for hire. I’m not sure if it was because of the cover or my opinion of James Bond, but I was half expecting him the be a womanizing douchebag.  The author did a great job flipping the script on this sort of expectation there are a few spots where Phipps thumbs his nose at spy tropes and cliches. G has a good back and forth with the female characters in the book and they definitely have agency and for the most part end up being as well-rounded or more so than the men in the story.

I really enjoyed the plot of this novel. Phipps did a really great job of setting the stakes early and then subverting expectations just enough to keep it fresh. The novel is very well paced and comes in at a trim 228 pages. It never gets bogged down in technical jargon, information dump, or heavy-handed backstory like a lot of spy novels do. It sets up the story and every scene deepens character relationships and moves the plot along. High marks for that. I think anyone looking for a quick spy thriller is in for a treat.

I really appreciated the humor and the voice of the narrative. It’s not trying too hard to be hilarious, but the author did a great job of giving characters their own individual senses of humor.  G is the one who narrates the book and he has a fair amount of snark without making the story goofy and undermining the deadly stakes.

All-in-all, Agent G: Infiltrator is an action packed, hi-tech thriller told with just the right amount of pop culture references and witty banter to distinguish it from a cookie cutter specimen of the genre. Cybernetic technology and world building also contribute to a unique setting which I enjoyed. The bad guys have a unique flair to them that added to the larger than life tone of the novel. Thumbs up! This was a good book, and a fun, fast read.