Spy Dust: Two Masters of Disguise Reveal the Tools and Operations that Helped Win the Cold War Book Summary and Study Guide

Spy star retired CIA agent Antonio Mendez and his wife Jonna (also a retired CIA agent) provide an intriguing look at a key mission during the last years of the Cold War. The couple explains in alternating chapters how their separate missions starting in the mid-1980s converge into saving the lives of American moles inside the KGB. If nothing was done, the plants would have eventually fallen victim to the danger caused by the actions of Soviet moles (American traitors) inside the CIA.

What makes this spy chiller even more exciting besides the true espionage thriller angle is that it reads like the spy duo falls in love with one another as their two projects commingle. Their feelings add depth to a true adventure that already feels more exciting than most espionage novels. The spots where the writing team conjecture and fill the gap of someone else's efforts seem weaker than the insider thrill when the writers talk directly about themselves. This book is a winner for the genre audience and will do a lot more to sell clandestine operations than donning the cone of secrecy demanded under the guise of homeland security by the Attorney General.

Harriet Klausner

The review of this Book prepared by Harriet Klausner