Spies in Plain Sight
Coming June 3, 2025
- “Dynamic… excites from the opening pages.” —Publishers Weekly
- A tense, twisty thriller with vibrant characters, a timely plot, and a satisfying conclusion ― Booklist
- 50% Off Kindle Edition – Preorder Special
Welcome to VIE. A spy organization of the people, by the people, and for the people. We are spies in plain sight. We make billionaires afraid.
A gripping, tense thriller with Junie Lagarde, the hearing-impaired heroine and Leo, her beloved German Shepherd service dog from the thriller The Beautiful Risk (Book 1 in the series).
Junie Lagarde is a woman on a mission. With the help of her young team of citizen journalists, she’s determined to hold billionaires accountable for the environmental atrocities they commit. Their current target: Kentucky billionaire “Daddy” Sullivan Carr, whose plans to open a bitcoin mine in Annecy, France, threaten to destroy the place Junie and her beloved hearing dog Leo now call home.
But locking horns with Daddy Carr plunges Junie into a waking nightmare. For the twisted billionaire has drawn the attention of a dark and lethal French secret society known as the Emerald Vipers – and for this he blames her.
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Spies in Plain Sight
“Hightower’s dynamic second novel featuring French journalist Junie Lagarde (after The Beautiful Risk) excites from the opening pages. Lagarde runs the investigative journalism website VIE, whose staff has been probing billionaire Sullivan Carr’s plan to open a bitcoin mine in the Alps, a venture that “had all the environmental impact of a coal-burning plant with none of the charm.” After VIE begins its investigation, Stéphane Morel—whose pregnant wife, Analise, is VIE’s top reporter—is handed an envelope addressed to Lagarde. It contains a poster for the movie Three Days of the Condor, which features a massacre at a research office, and contains the message “Condolences from Sullivan Carr.” When Stéphane and Lagarde rush back to VIE’s offices, they find much of the staff dead, and Analise held hostage. Lagarde vows to bring Carr to justice for the slaughter, a mission complicated by the involvements of both a shadowy secret society called the Emerald Vipers and of Lagarde’s nemesis, Madame Reynard, the head of a covert spy organization. Hightower keeps tensions high all the way to a denouement…” Read Spies in Plain Sight Review on Publishers Weekly
“A tense, twisty thriller with vibrant characters, a timely plot, and a satisfying conclusion.” ― Booklist
Full review out May 7th!
4/5 Stars
Junie is a hearing impaired journalist, who is taking on a story of a bitcoin rich man who is destroying the environment with his mining in France. Lots of thrilling and fast-paced story lines, and kept my attention throughout. Highly recommend. — Kaye T.
View Review on Net Galley
Spies in Plain Sight by Lynn Hightower is a thrilling ride that kept me turning pages…
I really enjoyed the fast-paced action and how the story blended mystery, suspense, and a bit of politics. The setting in Annecy, France, felt real, and I loved how the author brought the city and its people to life.
Junie, the main character, was brave and determined, and I felt for her as she fought to protect her team and uncover the truth. I also liked her relationship with Philippe, which added some warmth to the story. Not to mention the true hero of the story Leo, her German Shepherd.
…the twists and turns kept me guessing, and the ending beat was great! This book is perfect for readers who enjoy action-packed mysteries with strong female leads.
I would recommend it to anyone who enjoys fast-paced thrillers with a bit of heart.
View Review on Net Galley
A Narrow Escape
Escaping only narrowly with her life from an assassination attempt, Junie’s determination to unmask Daddy Carr as a villain only grows stronger.
But as her quest for justice leads her from the masked revels of Annecy’s Venetian carnival to the glittering excesses of the Kentucky Derby, it will take all her strength to find not just the justice she burns for – but to face the shocking truth.
That’s if she manages to stay alive . . .
Espionage Just Got Personal
At the Venetian Carnival in Annecy, France, the notorious Green Vipers sentence billionaire Sullivan Carr to death for ecocide.
But the source of their intel? Junie Lagarde’s open-source intelligence (OSINT) group, VIE. Now, caught between a dangerous billionaire and a lethal secret society, Junie must use all her wits to survive.
The Beautiful Risk
Before she hunted billionaires, Junie was just looking to uncover the truth behind her husband’s mysterious death.
“Gripping, suspenseful read” —Booklist
“Dark and swiftly moving, both a thriller and an examination of how deep a connection can be.” —Kirkus Reviews
The Beautiful Risk is a story of the collateral damage of grief, the adrenaline of revenge; it’s the story of corruption and greed, of ecoterrorism. Above all, it is a romantic thriller, a love story, a tale of courage and of mending a broken heart.
It’s the story of a woman who will stop at nothing to uncover the truth.
Because when you don’t care if you live or die . . . you are always the most dangerous person in the room.
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