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Picture this. You open your eyes in the dark. Your head pounds, your hands and feet are tied, and you can’t remember your own name.
That is exactly how Anne Marie Power opens GGB Agency Investigations, Book One of her spy series. Within a few lines, readers are lying in a cold cave beside Oriana, and they stay there until she finds a way out.
An Opening That Earns Your Attention
Most of us have abandoned a book by chapter two. Power gives you no chance to wander off. Chapter 1, “The Cave of Shadows,” drops Oriana into pain, darkness, and a blank memory. She doesn’t scream or freeze. She slows her breathing, tests her bindings, and notices that her feet are tied more loosely than her hands.
Anyone who has had to stay calm during a bad day will recognize that instinct. Oriana decides fear won’t help her, so she sets it aside. That choice drives the page-turning pace.
A Heroine Who Thinks Her Way Out
Oriana has lost her memory, but her habits survive. She reads the cold, the damp, and the heavy air and concludes she is underground. She follows the sound of trickling water, hoping it leads somewhere. She maps the space with her hands, eyes, and feet. When she reaches for a magnifying glass that isn’t on her belt, she wonders why she would carry one. Was she a doctor, a librarian, a palaeontologist?
That small moment shows the book’s strength. You learn who Oriana is by watching what she does, not by reading a character summary.
She also touches a carved inscription and works out the words by feel, spotting a tiny accent mark that tells her the language is Irish. If you’ve ever hunted for a light switch in a dark hotel room, you know how much trust goes into working by touch. Oriana does it with a pounding head.
Two Stories, One Race Against Time
Power doesn’t keep you in the cave the whole time. Back at agency headquarters, Oriana’s Great-Grandma Bridie, known as GGB, runs what the book calls the greatest detective agency the world has ever known. She can’t reach her great-granddaughter, and she feels in her bones that something is wrong.
So she calls an urgent satellite meeting. Her global network answers with “One for all and all for one.” Then the youngest intern, Feyrah, speaks up. She volunteers to review Oriana’s cases and track every lead, even as she scolds herself for being so bold.
Feyrah may be the most lovable character in the first chapter. Her Irish-flavored voice brings warmth and humor, and her stubborn digging through data proves that quiet people can crack the case. The reader gets to ask the best question in any mystery: who is closer to the answer, the woman in the cave or the team searching for her?
Why This Book Solves a Common Reader Problem
Plenty of readers love spy fiction but tire of cold, gloomy stories. GGB Agency Investigations offers another route. It delivers danger and suspense, yet it keeps a human heart at the center. Oriana trusts her intuition about the people she can’t remember. That trust, and the bond between her and Feyrah, gives the tension something to push against.
The book is also easy to follow. Its 24 chapters carry titles such as “Thorns and Roses,” “Charlie’s Web,” and “The Tango in Paris,” which hint at a long game without giving it away. The plain, clear storytelling suits readers who want a fast, satisfying ride without a puzzle chart on the side.
The dedication adds one more reason to care. Power dedicates the book to all women, whether mythical, magical, fictional, or real, and the first chapter shows what that looks like in action.
Quick Check: Is This Your Next Read?
Answer these three questions honestly.
- Do you enjoy heroines who solve problems with observation instead of gadgets?
- Do you like mysteries told from two sides at once?
- Do you want a spy story with humor, heart, and a strong sense of family?
Two or more “yes” answers? Add this book to your list. You’ll likely enjoy it.
Who Will Enjoy It Most
Readers who love puzzle-solving heroines will find plenty to chew on. So will fans of spy fiction who want warmth alongside the suspense, and anyone who appreciates a story where women lead the action and the rescue.
You also don’t need a spy-fiction background. Power sets the scene clearly, introduces her cast with care, and lets the story do the rest.
The Verdict
GGB Agency Investigations is a confident start to a series. It opens with a gripping scene, gives readers a smart, resilient lead, and surrounds her with a team worth cheering for. The best part is that the questions it raises, such as who took Oriana, why, and who she really is, stay with you long after chapter one.
So here is a question for you: if you woke up in the dark with no memory, what’s the first thing you would do? Oriana’s answer might surprise you. Pick up the book and find out.
