Review: I realy enjoyed this book! Get it while it is free.
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 04 27, 2014
I don't normally buy books about spies and expionage but this book is really different from the usual spy stories.Bea (Beatrice) is married to Ben (Benedick),  not their real names, and they have moved to Vermont to help Ben's adopted Uncle Edward take care of his B&B; on Lake Champlain. It is a beautiful setting for the B&B; and since Uncle Edward is a Shakespeare fan the inn is called the Bard's Bed and Breakfast. All the rooms are named for locations from Shakespeare's plays and Uncle Edward is constantly quoting the Bard. What really makes the inn special is that it serves as a private retreat for CIA spies who need a vacation. You see, Ben and Uncle Edward are retired from the CIA. But you would never be able to tell Ben is retired from all the times he gets called back into action.So being retired doesn't mean they are out of the action. The guests come with their own "baggage" and problems following on their heels. There are two books included in this set and the stories are set chronologically. The first book is "Let Slip the Dogs of War" and tells the story of how Bea and Ben become involved in the murder of a girl who was supposed to be secretly slipped out of Syria to get her father to help the CIA gather information on the workings of rebels and government spies in that country. Unfortunately, while changing the linen to prepare a room for a new arrival Bea sees a girl's arm sticking out from under the bed and it is attached to a naked dead body. Their attempts to get the body out of the house without being seen and in time to pick the new guest up at the airport are a hoot. It is just the beginning of many adventures they go through in trying to save the life of the younger daughter of the Syrian informant.The second book is "A Plague on Both Your Houses" about a CIA agent who is dying and comes to the inn for her last days and to die in peace. The problem is she is an evil woman who wants to hurt as many people as she can before she goes. Her specialy was developing vaccines for WOMD's and in order to make the vaccines she had to develop some nasty chemicals to cause death. Bea and Ben have to find out what her plan is before she starts killing people.There is great charater development, a lovable group of supporting characters, very few minor issues with editing (an extra word here and there) but not enough to detract from the story, the story moves really fast, there is tension but no terror, very few bad words, healthy expressions of love between a husband and wife, and just the right amount of suspense. I hope there are many more books to come in this series.