A Shadow in Moscow cover art

A Shadow in Moscow

A Cold War Novel

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A Shadow in Moscow

By: Katherine Reay
Narrated by: Saskia Maarleveld, Lisa Flanagan
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About this listen

In the thick of the Cold War, a betrayal at the highest level risks the lives of two courageous female spies: MI6’s best Soviet agent and the CIA’s newest Moscow recruit.

Vienna, 1954

After losing everyone she loves in the final days of World War II, Ingrid Bauer agrees to a hasty marriage with a gentle Soviet embassy worker and follows him home to Moscow. But nothing within the Soviet Union’s totalitarian regime is what it seems, including her new husband, whom Ingrid suspects works for the KGB. Inspired by her daughter’s birth, Ingrid risks everything and reaches out in hope to the one country she understands and trusts—Britain, the country of her mother’s birth. She begins passing intelligence to MI6, navigating a world of secrets and lies, light and shadow.

Moscow, 1980

A student in the Foreign Studies Initiative, Anya Kadinova finishes her degree at Georgetown University and boards a flight home to Moscow, leaving behind the man she loves and a country she’s grown to respect. Though raised by dedicated and loyal Soviet parents, Anya soon questions an increasingly oppressive and paranoid regime at the height of the Cold War. Then the KGB murders her best friend and Anya chooses her side. Working in a military research lab, she relays Soviet plans and schematics to the CIA in an effort to end the 1980s arms race.

The past catches up to the present when an unprecedented act of treachery threatens all agents operating within Eastern Europe, and both Ingrid and Anya find themselves in a race for their lives against time and the KGB.

“Eloquently portrays the incredible contributions of women in history, the extraordinary depths of love, and, perhaps most important, the true cost of freedom.” —Kristy Woodson Harvey, New York Times bestselling author of The Wedding Veil

  • An exciting story of two brave female spies in Cold War Moscow
  • Also by Katherine Reay: The London House
20th Century Espionage Historical Historical Fiction Spies & Politics Thriller & Suspense Women's Fiction Romance Russia Fiction Soviet Union Cold War Marriage Exciting

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Critic reviews

'Katherine Reay’s latest has it all--intrigue, twists and turns, acts of bravery and sacrificial love, and an unforgettable Cold War setting with clever, daring women at the helm. An expertly delivered page-turner by a true master of the craft!'
'Rich with fascinating historical detail and unforgettable characters, A SHADOW IN MOSCOW deftly explores two female spies who will risk everything to change the world. Katherine Reay eloquently portrays the incredible contributions of women in history, the extraordinary depths of love, and, perhaps most important, the true cost of freedom in her latest stunning page-turner. A story that will leave readers examining what they hold most dear and positively brimming with hope, this is an important, timely tour de force--and a must-read for anyone who has ever wondered if just one person can make a difference.'
'This riveting story of two female spies operating in Moscow during different eras has everything you could ever want in a novel--suspense, intrigue, compelling characters, exotic settings, deep insight, and gasp-inducing plot twists. A word of advice: clear your calendar before opening A SHADOW IN MOSCOW. Once you start, you won't be able to stop until you regretfully reach the last page of Katherine Reay's masterfully written novel.'
In her nail-biting latest . . . Reay builds an immersive world behind the Iron Curtain, full of competing loyalties and a constant, chilling sense of paranoia. Readers will be enthralled.
This book is a consummately rendered and captivating espionage account of the Cold War, told from the perspective of two sympathetic and admirable women . . . Filled with surprise twists and turns, and ultimately uplifting and inspiring, I found this superlative novel an enduring gem. Five stars!
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