I haven't read the SPECTRA files novels, to which Smoke and Dagger was a prequel, but I liked the cover so I wanted to give this book a try even though I had no clue what to expect.

It set immediately after WW2 and as such there is a lot of talk about communists and other un-American activities. The main character is the first woman allowed into some kind of Freemason organization and send to investigate a character from another organization, because he likes redheads. There is a lot of talk of the occult and an endless supply of arcane occult artifacts, be it daggers, mirrors or otherwise. Thrown into the mix also is a secret organization investigation the paranormal which is so secret, even its own members don't know what the acronym stands for.

While it was in fact an easy and not unpleasant read, I found the pacing a bit odd at times and I missed something that could give it that little bit extra. I only found out in the acknowledgements that this story is set some generations before the main series, but for now I'm undecided whether to continue with the main series.

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for providing me with a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!