So excited to share some recent book mail of another anticipated read for me this year, a spy thriller called Red Widow by the acclamied author Alma Katsu. I purchased it, and it arrived last week, but things were a little nuts at our home so I didn’t get a chance to show it off or say happy belated book release to my friend Alma, who is an amazing writer and such a stellar person! As an author she’s put out three major books in three years, two during a pandemic (The Deep and Red Widow). This third book is all thriller – a contemporary spy thriller with a female lead – and I’m so excited to dive into it!!! I hope you will too. Congratulations, Alma!
Alma has worked in government intelligence with various agencies or consultancy for thirty years so she knows what’s she putting in her fiction! And it’s going to be made into a TV show on Fox! So if you like this genre, now is your chance to read the book first, which I recommend.
From the publisher:
An exhilarating spy thriller written by an intelligence veteran about two women CIA agents whose paths become intertwined around a threat to the Russia Division–one that’s coming from inside the agency.
Bookpage said:
“Katsu’s real-life experience and skill at maintaining taught, nail-biting tension make Red Widow a standout espionage thriller.”
Publisher’s website (Putnam/Penguin) for a list of purchase options:
or go to your local indie bookstore or Barnes and Noble which will have or can order! Several DC area bookstores offer signed copies.
And to head to Alma’s website, go HERE.
Red Widow, About –
Lyndsey Duncan worries her career with the CIA might be over. After lines are crossed with another intelligence agent during an assignment, she is sent home to Washington on administrative leave. So when a former colleague–now Chief of the Russia Division–recruits her for an internal investigation, she jumps at the chance to prove herself. Lyndsey was once a top handler in the Moscow Field Station, where she was known as the “human lie detector” and praised for recruiting some of the most senior Russian officials. But now, three Russian assets have been exposed–including one of her own–and the CIA is convinced there’s a mole in the department. With years of work in question and lives on the line, Lyndsey is thrown back into life at the agency, this time tracing the steps of those closest to her.
Meanwhile, fellow agent Theresa Warner can’t avoid the spotlight. She is the infamous “Red Widow,” the wife of a former director killed in the field under mysterious circumstances. With her husband’s legacy shadowing her every move, Theresa is a fixture of the Russia Division, and as she and Lyndsey strike up an unusual friendship, her knowledge proves invaluable. But as Lyndsey uncovers a surprising connection to Theresa that could answer all of her questions, she unearths a terrifying web of secrets within the department, if only she is willing to unravel it….
Alma Katsu, Biography –
Alma Katsu’s books have received starred reviews from Publishers Weekly, Booklist, and Library Journal, been featured in the NY Times and Washington Post, been nominated and won multiple prestigous awards, and appeared on numerous Best Books lists including NPR, the Observer, Barnes and Noble, Apple Books, Goodreads, and Amazon.
RED WIDOW is her first spy novel, the logical marriage of her love of storytelling with her 30+ year career in intelligence. As an intelligence officer, Ms. Katsu worked at several federal agencies as a senior analyst where she advised policymakers and military commanders on issues of national security. The last third of her government career was spent in emerging technologies and technology forecasting. She was also a senior technology policy analyst for the RAND Corporation and continues as an independent consultant and technology futurist, advising clients in government and private industry.
Ms. Katsu also writes novels that combine historical fiction with supernatural and horror elements. THE HUNGER (2018), a reimagining of the story of the Donner Party, was named one of NPR’s 100 favorite horror stories, was on numerous Best Books of the Year lists, and continues to be honored as a new classic in horror. Her first book, THE TAKER (2011), was named one of the top ten debut novels of 2011 by Booklist.
Ms. Katsu has relocated from the Washington, DC area to the mountains of West Virginia, where she lives with her musician husband Bruce and their two dogs, Nick and Ash.
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Thanks again for stopping by! I love the times I can help bring more audience to women in history or women making history! This was a scheduled post so by the time anyone is reading this, I’ll be on the road for a safe (distanced, masked) trip with my kiddos after a very long year of quaratine so my daughter can check out a few unversities she considering applying to! Take care and have a good spring break or Easter! I’ll be back with more posts in April.
Oh, for the HOOK of a BOOK! 