The hit Prime Video series “The Night Agent,” which kicks off its third season this month, is based on Matthew Quirk’s 2019 novel of the same name. The show’s popularity has brought some much-deserved attention to Quirk’s writing, which includes the Night Agent series and other books featuring high-octane thrills and espionage.

Quirk’s latest stand-alone work, THE METHOD, introduces us to an actress and stuntwoman who gets unwittingly drawn into a highly secretive international group of killers operating within the US who are in the crosshairs of the FBI and national security. The book’s title comes from the term “method acting,” whereby actors fully absorb themselves in the characters they are playing. This is the case with Anna Vaughn, who has been disappointed with the direction that her acting career has taken and has no idea that the role she will be forced into in real life will be the most challenging she has ever faced --- and the deadliest.

"The action is nonstop, and the suspense ramps up to nearly unbearable levels until the stunning and satisfying climax."

Anna’s most recent flop, which found her character being killed off the pilot episode of a TV show, compels her to seek out her thespian friend, Natalie Harris, to commiserate. They settle in for their usual evening of snacks and films at Natalie’s Long Island City apartment where Anna shares her frustration.

However, Natalie needs to cut their get-together short as she is off to meet a mystery man with whom she recently started spending time. When Natalie doesn’t show up to work the next day, and two full days go by without her answering Anna’s calls or texts, Anna grows concerned and reaches out to the police, along with tracing Natalie’s last-known whereabouts.

The focus then shifts to Sontag, a psychopath who flies from Lyon, France, to New York City. He has an inevitable confrontation with Natalie, which does not end in her favor. She is captured and placed in a hidden location by the killer who works for the organization with which she unconsciously found herself involved due to her acting profession.

Following a physical altercation, Anna is contacted by Kevin Matthews, who works with the FBI and has been following the powerful clique of oligarchs who abducted her friend. Once she is convinced of the situation at hand, Anna becomes a deep-cover agent working through Matthews to use her acting and stunt skills to infiltrate this group and hopefully save Natalie in the process. This will be method acting unlike anything she has ever done before --- and it could cost her everything.

Anna soon finds that she can’t trust anyone, and nothing is what it appears to be. Ultimately, she enters into a new world of deadly intrigue and murder. She may be the next victim on a lengthy list from an international group that is somehow being protected by her own government for a larger ulterior motive.

All of Quirk’s espionage writing talents are on display in THE METHOD, and I just loved how he incorporated the acting profession in a dangerous world where everyone is playing a role. The action is nonstop, and the suspense ramps up to nearly unbearable levels until the stunning and satisfying climax.