Guest post written by Katherine Reay, author of The Berlin Letters
Katherine Reay is a national bestselling and award-winning author of several novels. She has enjoyed a lifelong affair with books and history, and brings that love to her stories. Katherine has also written one full-length nonfiction work. She holds a BA and MS from Northwestern University, graduating Phi Beta Kappa, and has lived across the country with a few years in England and Ireland as well. A full-time author and mother of three children, Katherine and her husband currently live outside Chicago, IL.
Releasing on March 5th 2024, The Berlin Letters is an unforgettable tale of the Cold War and a CIA code breaker who risks everything to free her father from an East German prison.
For years, we’ve been captivated by fictional accounts of the spying life. Countless novels, set in WWII alone, have offered us insights into the harrowing, sacrificial, courageous, and sometimes deathly aspects of those 007 escapades.
Yet, sometimes, fact is more shocking than fiction. And here are five nonfiction accounts of the real spies, secret agents, and operatives, who have influenced some of our favorite novels. Their stories are well-worth digging into, far more compelling than much of the fiction they inspire, and, I promise, they won’t disappoint.
A Woman of No Importance: The Untold Story of the American Spy Who Helped Win WWII by Sonia Purnell
Purnell’s research and insights into the indomitable American spy Virginia Hall make for an extraordinary fast-paced read. Hall was the first woman deployed behind enemy lines in WWII France, as part of Britain’s new spy-initiate, the Special Operations Executive. A leader within the French Resistance, Hall’s work was instrumental to its success and her escape from France is the stuff of legend. A must read!
The Spy and the Traitor: The Greatest Espionage Story of the Cold War by Ben Macintyre
What makes one a “spy” and the other a “traitor”? Macintyre explores this question as he presents the work, lives, motivations, and compensation, for both KBG-turned-MI6 informant Oleg Gordievsky and CIA-turned-KGB asset Aldrich Ames. Impeccably researched and presented in a split-format, Macintyre’s narrative toggles between Gordievsky and Ames until an act of betrayal brings them together. Their stories will pique your interest from first page to last.
Agent Sonya: Moscow’s Most Daring Wartime Spy by Ben Macintyre
Another Macintyre selection because, well, I believe he is unparalleled in this space. This book focuses on a seemingly quiet woman named Ursula Burton, living in the English Cotswolds post WWII. Codenamed SONYA, Mrs. Burton was actually a high-ranking Soviet intelligence officer running assets across Europe from her small cottage. Macintyre gives fresh and intimate insights into this remarkable woman, while also examining the larger movements of nations and shifting ideology throughout the Cold War period.
The Billion Dollar Spy: A True Story of Cold War Espionage and Betrayal by David Hoffman
I could not put this book down. Hoffman’s research and deft writing make you feel like you’re standing right beside Soviet engineer-turned-CIA informant Adolf Tolkachev as he makes the perilous decision to betray his country and pass military documents along to the United States. While delivering a very personal story about Tolkachev, Hoffman also gives an incredibly thorough and researched portrayal of the Cold War across both sides of the Iron Curtain.
Life Undercover: Coming of Age in the CIA by Amaryllis Fox
The most personal of books listed here, Fox’s story is her own and her memoir is both deeply intimate and compelling. She generously gives readers access to her extraordinary life, starting with her childhood before quickly transitioning her work in the CIA — which she joined at the age of twenty-one. Alongside covering life within the Agency’s most clandestine unit, Fox also shares the dangers and joys of falling in love under such pressures, and how it all changed with the birth of her daughter. Here is another book you’ll thoroughly enjoy.
