James Patterson, the most popular storyteller of our time, teams up with Susan DiLallo to produce a stand-alone novel about a deep-cover FBI operative who is known as “The Invisible Woman.”

During her time working with the FBI, Elinor Gilbert garnered that nickname because of her ability to go unnoticed and literally disappear in any social situation, making her an extremely valuable agent. Her reason for leaving the FBI had to do with her superior, Alan Metcalf, who took a confidential informant she had worked with and outed him. He blamed her for the indiscretion and never apologized for this brazen act of deceit.

"THE INVISIBLE WOMAN comes with the intensity and frequent cliffhangers that we have come to expect from a James Patterson novel. And, of course, his trademark short chapters keep the action moving at a brisk pace with high levels of suspense."

A decade later, Metcalf reaches out to Elinor for her help in a major case. The FBI is monitoring a Westchester, NY art gallery owner named Ben Harrison, who is suspected of working with the dangerous Mexican drug cartel Las Serpientes. They need Elinor to go into the Harrison home to work as a nanny for their daughter, Lily. By agreeing, the FBI will ensure that the current nanny quits suddenly, creating an opening for Elinor to step in.

To get her ready for this dangerous assignment of monitoring and obtaining specific information from Ben without his knowledge, the FBI sends Elinor to Ingrid, a Russian lady who comes up with her disguise as a dumpy, older woman named Caroline. She immediately hits it off with Ben’s wife, Amber, but she also must be aware of the two teenagers from a previous marriage who live there. Metcalf is intense and unyielding in his daily demands for updates to the point where Elinor immediately regrets taking on the assignment, even with the promise of reinstatement with the Bureau in good standing upon its successful completion.

Hailey, the Harrisons’ teen daughter, is a good target to befriend as she hates her father and stepmother. It is Hailey whose screams one day send everyone running when she discovers a dead snake on their doorstep --- an obvious message from Las Serpientes that confirms any suspicions about Ben’s involvement with them. Further confirmation of his character comes from the excerpts of a conversation between an FBI agent and his ex-wife, who has nothing but unkind things to say about him.

A frightening moment occurs when a mother in the neighborhood recognizes Elinor through the disguise and calls her by her real name. She tries to play it off, but the damage is done as others overhear their exchange. Metcalf then demands that Elinor somehow gain access to Ben’s office at his art gallery, which will not be easy. She waits for a party to be held there to make this attempt and at the same time uncovers the names of other employees who seem to be suspicious.

Elinor’s digging eventually exposes her to the wrong people, and she is involved in a car chase where the pursuing vehicle crashes into her from behind in hopes of taking her out of the picture. She survives but realizes that she may no longer be “invisible” and cannot trust Metcalf to extract her from the assignment until he has the information he needs.

THE INVISIBLE WOMAN comes with the intensity and frequent cliffhangers that we have come to expect from a James Patterson novel. And, of course, his trademark short chapters keep the action moving at a brisk pace with high levels of suspense.