Setting: Cairo, Egypt
Time Period: Modern Day

This is Noel Hynd’s final book in “The Russians” trilogy and all I can say is, “Wow!” There were so many emotions and working parts going on in this story, it was truly phenomenal. Agent Alexandra DaLuca was sent to Cairo to find a CIA agent the government thought was dead. This throws her into a deadly game of cat and mouse with the not so savory types in Egypt and, as you can imagine, a lot of intense adventure.

Like the second book, I loved how “Countdown In Cairo” brought in some of my favorite past characters from the series and incorporated them into the plot. After reading this book, I felt like the author literally had to plot all three books at the same time because they connected and tied in together so well. Soooooo many questions were answered. So many twists and turns! My favorite was towards the end when Alex is summoned to see the Russian drug lord…such an unexpected twist! Never saw that one coming!

I also loved how the series ended. It wasn’t your common “happily ever after” type. It was good, but not predictable. There was no grand romance where Alex got another fiance and life returned to the American dream, special agent style. But, I applaud the author for taking those last few chapters and making them something different and unique, something that will stand out from the rest in my mind. Absolutely loved it!

Conclusion: Picking up the last book in a series can be a little frightening. You hope it will be as good as previous counterparts and wish for a satisfying conclusion. Well, the author nailed it with this one! “Countdown In Cairo” was a brilliant end to a high energy, intense series that took you to Europe, South America and the Middle East on a mission to fight terrorism, retrieve priceless artifacts and unravel mysteries only a Federal agent can. There’ll be chapters that will make you want to shout, “What?!” and others that will answer every question…eventually. This was truly a great ending to the series!