Alma Katsu, recognized for her spooky historic novels, showcases her versatility in Red Widow, an espionage thriller.
A rising star within the CIA, Lyndsey Duncan finds herself in scorching water for relationship one other intelligence officer. She’s given the prospect to redeem herself by sniffing out a mole within the Russia division. Three high-level Russian belongings are both lacking or lifeless, and it seems the FSB (the up to date successor to the KGB, Russia’s secret police and intelligence company) is being fed info from contained in the CIA. For Lyndsey, it’s private. She was the previous handler for one of many belongings, and she will’t assist however really feel as if the company let him down.
Theresa Warner, one in every of Lyndsey’s colleagues on the CIA headquarters in Langley, Virginia, is known as the Red Widow behind her again. Theresa’s late husband, Richard, was rising up the ranks of “the company” earlier than he was killed in Russia throughout an operation that went catastrophically improper. Theresa’s allegiance to the Russia division after her husband’s tragic dying makes her a legendary determine within the CIA, however Lyndsey, referred to as the “human lie detector,” can’t assist however really feel one thing is off with the opposite agent.
Katsu spent 35 years as a senior intelligence analyst for each the CIA and the National Security Agency, and her insider perspective lends nuance and depth to the plot. Many spy thrillers rely on globe-trotting adventures, automobile chases or motion sequences, however Red Widow zeroes in on the inside workings of the CIA and the FSB. Lyndsey by no means leaves Langley, which may have made the story really feel airless and restricted, however Katsu’s intensive data of this world creates a deeply immersive expertise as an alternative.
As Lyndsey’s and Theresa’s tales turn into extra entwined, a stunning betrayal forces each of them to query their allegiance to an company that focuses on manipulation—even of its personal professionals. The proverbial name is coming from inside the home, and that jolt of paranoia ratchets up suspense because it provides each characters, and by extension the reader, completely nowhere to really feel grounded and nobody to belief.
Katsu’s real-life expertise and ability at sustaining taut, nail-biting rigidity make Red Widow a standout espionage thriller.
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