Nominated for the International Thriller Writers’ award for Best Novel
A New York Times Editors’ Choice
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An exhilarating spy thriller about two women CIA agents who become intertwined around a threat to the Russia Division–one that’s coming from inside the agency.
Lyndsey Duncan worries her career with the CIA might be over. After lines are crossed with another intelligence agent during her most recent 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 once more. Lyndsey was once a top handler in the Moscow Field Station, known as the “human lie detector” and praised for recruiting some of the most senior Russian officials. But now, three Russian assets have been discovered–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, only 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 exposes a terrifying web of secrets within the department, if only she is willing to unravel it…
Praise
“Katsu, a longtime intelligence analyst for the C.I.A. and N.S.A., writes what she’s most professionally familiar with after years in the paranormal and horror novel trenches. The plotting is sophisticated and laced with surprises, but what stands out most is the emotional core of Lyndsey and Theresa’s alliance, and whether there is room, in a nest of vipers, for true sisterhood.”
–New York Times, Editors’ Choice
“Alma Katsu’s main characters in “Red Widow” are written with a depth and nuance that I found profoundly refreshing… Katsu writes in such a way as to bring the reader to question characters’ motivations, rather than merely presenting the situation as suspicious—she shows, rather than tells, which is novel in the genre these days.” – Joshua Huminsky, director of the Mike Rogers Center for Intelligence & Global Affairs, writing for Diplomaticourier
“Katsu succeeds brilliantly here in capturing the ambience of espionage in action… Red Widow is a driving, step-by-step procedural bristling with suspenseful authenticity… Katsu depicts the workaday realities of the spy game at CIA with singular skill: its organization, its operational practices, and, most tellingly, its internecine jealousies, its petty personal rivalries, and dog-eat-dog grudges. Beyond these revealing jaunts into intra-agency culture, Red Widow abounds in vivid action scenes and riveting cloak-and-dagger moments. Some are violent, while others smolder with chilling menace, even when recalled in flashback. But they all serve as gripping backdrops to the central spine of the investigation undertaken by Katsu’s protagonist, who — in a refreshing departure from the standard spy-fiction model — is a woman.” – The Washington Independent Review of Books
“Terrific… Fans of FX’s The Americans will recognize a world where professionalism can fall prey to sexism, careerism… Katsu makes us care…” – The Washington Post
“Katsu’s real-life experience and skill at maintaining taut, nail-biting tension make Red Widow a standout espionage thriller.” – BookPage (starred)
“[Alma Katsu] knows her stuff and already has proven that she can write an engaging thriller…The plot never allows you to catch your breath as the wheels keep turning with every new piece of information uncovered, and nothing is as it appears to be.” – Bookreporter.com
“A female spy thriller that gets it right… In contrast to many other spy thrillers, Red Widow does not rely on titillating and damaging stereotypes of women and tales of ‘sexpionage’ to advance the story line. Rather, the book realistically and refreshingly portrays female intelligence officers as highly professional, capable and ethical.” – The Cipher Brief
“A first-rate thriller. Red Widow provides an intoxicating, insider’s view of the CIA, betrayal, revenge, and espionage at the highest levels and the highest stakes.”
–Robert Dugoni
“Red Widow is a spy thriller that shines with authenticity and heart.”
–Karen Cleveland, author of Need to Know and Keep You Close
“Superb! Part savvy geopolitical spy thriller in the tradition of John le Carré, part whip-sawing investigative procedural, part gripping psychological suspense, Red Widow grabs you in the harrowing opening scene and never lets go—and I don’t mean at the past page; this novel stays with you long after you’ve finished it. Author Katsu brings an incisive and resonant voice to her tale and has populated it with truly distinctive, fully formed characters, including one of the sharpest and most appealing protagonists in recent fiction: Lyndsey Duncan. Did I say superb? Well, consider it said once more.”
–Jeffery Deaver, author of The Goodbye Man
“Red Widow is a novel only Alma Katsu could have written–a gripping story of secrets and loyalties that nails the brutal trade-offs involved in high-stakes espionage. Tense, smart, and fearless.”
–Joseph Finder, NY Times bestselling author of House on Fire
“[Katsu provides] an intriguing look at the day-to-day office politics and jostling that goes on behind Langley’s walls. Best known for her novels of psychological terror, Katsu shows a sure hand at a new genre.” -Publishers Weekly
“We’re looking forward to this one, because espionage remains a fairly male-dominated genre and a new, authentic female voice here could give it the shake-up it arguably needs.” -Crime Fiction Reader
“Katsu drew from her own experience as a former intelligence analyst at CIA to craft this compelling and suspenseful tale of modern espionage.” -BookPage
“This fast-paced spy thriller offers a seemingly realistic look inside the CIA and raises plenty of questions about the ethics of spying. With a smart, plucky heroine; white-knuckle suspense; multiple twists; and a satisfying conclusion, this is a must for espionage fans.” -Booklist
Want to know what it’s like to work in intelligence? I’m doing a series of brief videos answering readers questions and you can see all of them on my YouTube channel. Have a question you’d like to see answered? Email me at almakatsubooks2@gmail.com