From the desk of Jayda Justus:
A gripping tale of two brave women caught in the intrigue of Cold War spy games between the United States and Russia. Can they stay alive long enough to protect those they love while also taking down the brutal Communist regime?
BOOK DESCRIPTION
Ingrid Bauer loses everyone she loves in the horrific Nazi occupation of Austria during World War II. As the Iron Curtain crushes her spirit in post-war Vienna, she grabs for happiness in a hasty marriage to a Russian soldier, moving to Moscow and becoming the perfect hostess as her husband climbs the Communist politburo ladder. Emboldened to make a better world for her daughter, Ingrid begins spying for Britain, becoming MI6’s greatest asset embedded in Russia but also becoming the KGB’s biggest target.
As a young college student allowed to study in Washington, DC in 1980, Anya Kadinova recognizes the stark differences between her restrictive mother country and the freedoms in America. She falls in love with a fellow student who offers her a way to stay in the U.S., but duty to her parents and country takes her back into the steel trap of Communist Russia. As she realizes just how far the USSR will go to suppress its citizens’ thoughts and actions, she decides to fight back any way she can. Her job in a military research lab provides her a way to end the arms race between the United States and Russia sooner rather than later, but will it also mean the end of Anya and all those she loves?
As Ingrid and Anya’s stories intertwine, it’s a race against time to see if anyone can escape the Communist regime determined to suppress any form of rebellion by its oppressed citizens.
MY THOUGHTS
I always love Cold War historical fiction novels that involve women, but this one full of heartfelt emotions along with the fast pace of a thriller is one of my absolute favorites. I was captivated from the very beginning and couldn’t put the book down until I knew how it ended.
The Power of Unconditional Love
This heart-stopping spy tale is also one of love. The thrill of young love, the enduring love of soulmates, the complex love between parents and children. Both Ingrid and Anya know true, unconditional love in their lives, which gives them the courage to fight for what’s right.
Women Make the Best Spies
I was blown away by Reay’s masterful weaving of Ingrid and Anya’s storylines throughout the decades as the Iron Curtain slowly crushed their lives, but not their spirits. We often associate men with the Cold War, but this book makes it clear that there were countless numbers of strong women who were unnamed heroes behind the scenes.
Eighties Babies
If you grew up in the 1980s and remember Gorbachev and the fall of the Berlin Wall, you will want to read this book! Usually, Cold War books focus on earlier time periods, but with the sweeping nature of this book, all the Cold War from the end of WWII to its downfall in the late 1980s is described in wonderful detail.
Stunning. Gripping. Powerful
This novel had all of the intrigue that you want in a Cold War thriller mixed with the poignant relationships found in the best fiction. It’s the first of Reay’s books that I’ve read, and I can’t wait to read her other novels.
5 out of 5 Stars
WE RECOMMEND A SHADOW IN MOSCOW FOR THOSE WHO:
- Want tales of true love that stands the test of distance and circumstances
- Love stories about strong women who fight for what’s right no matter what
- Want to learn about women spies in the Cold War
- Fans of Our Woman in Moscow, by Beatriz Williams and The Invisible Woman, by Erika Robuck
BOOK INFORMATION
- A Shadow in Moscow: A Cold War Novel, by Katherine Reay
- Harper Muse (June 13, 2023)
- Trade paperback, eBook, & audiobook (384) pages
- ISBN: 978-1400243037
- Genre: Historical Fiction, Spy Thriller, Inspirational Fiction
AMAZON | PUBLISHER | ADD TO GOODREADS
We received a review copy of the book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. Cover image courtesy of Harper Muse © 2023; text Jayda Justus © 2023, austenprose.com, an Amazon affiliate.
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I’ve loved several of her past books. This one really looks incredible. Thanks, Jayda!
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Katherine is a favorite author of mine. I met her at a JASNA meeting many years ago and have been following her career since before her first book. Her romantic comedies with a literary influence are so charming. A Shadow in Moscow is a spy thriller with romance, so I am glad to see her branching out.
Thanks for the lovely review, Jayda. I think you have given readers just what they need to jump right in. Best, LA
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