Hints
First, I broke down the hint and identified each individual component.
Seasonal Fruit & Leaves
I suspect that these, like the cornucopia, represent the month of November and are not indicative of any book.
Earth/World, Airplane, Magnifying Glass, & CIA Credentials
I think the magnifying glass indicates that the book is likely a mystery. The CIA credentials lead me to believe it is a spy thriller in which the CIA agent travels (via airplane).
Tissues, Australian Flag, Beach Ball, & Letter/Envelope
The envelope could indicate that letters feature into the story or that the book is epistolary. The Australian flag and beach ball seem to indicate that the book’s setting is in Australia or includes an Australian beach vacation. The tissues likely mean the book is sad or deals with grief or emotional subject matter.
My Guesses
The Helsinki Affair
Anna Pitoniak
Spying is the family business. Amanda Cole is a brilliant young CIA officer following in the footsteps of her father, who was a spy during the Cold War. It takes grit to succeed in this male-dominated world—but one hot summer day, when a Russian defector walks into her post, Amanda is given the ultimate chance to prove herself.
The defector warns of the imminent assassination of a US senator. Though Amanda takes the warning seriously, her superiors don’t. Twenty-four hours later, the senator is dead. And the assassination is just the beginning.
Corporate blackmail, covert manipulation, corrupt oligarchs: the Kremlin has found a dangerous new way to wage war. Teaming up with Kath Frost, a fearless older woman and legendary spy, Amanda races from Rome to London, from St. Petersburg to Helsinki, unraveling the international conspiracy. But as she gets closer and closer to the truth, a central question haunts her: Why was her father’s name written down in the senator’s notes? What does Charlie Cole really know about the Kremlin plot?
The Helsinki Affair is a riveting, globe-trotting spy thriller—but this time, with a refreshing female-centric twist. Perfect for fans of John le Carré and Daniel Silva, this book introduces Pitoniak as a singular new talent in the world of spy fiction.
I originally thought the second book from the hint was Search History by Amy Taylor or maybe Courting Samira by Amal Awad. However, after learning about a book not on my radar, I think I was wrong. This book, The Last Love Note, seems to fit the clue perfectly.
The Last Love Note
Emma Grey
You may never stop loving the one you lost. But you can still find love again.
Kate is a bit of a mess. Two years after losing her young husband Cameron, she’s grieving, solo parenting, working like mad at her university fundraising job, always dropping the ball―and yet clinging to her sense of humor.
Lurching from one comedic crisis to the next, she also navigates an overbearing mom and a Tinder-obsessed best friend who’s determined to matchmake Kate with her hot new neighbor.
When an in-flight problem leaves Kate and her boss, Hugh, stranded for a weekend on the east coast of Australia, she finally has a chance, away from her son, to really process her grief and see what’s right in front of her. Can she let go of the love of her life and risk her heart a second time? When it becomes clear that Hugh is hiding a secret, Kate turns to the trail of scribbled notes she once used to hold her life together.
The first note captured her heart. Will the last note set it free?
The Last Love Note will make readers laugh, cry, and renew their faith in the resilience of the human heart―and in love itself.
