A Shadow in Moscow

A Cold War Novel

By: Katherine Reay

Narrated by: Saskia Maarleveld, Lisa Flanagan

Length: 11 hrs and 43 mins

Publisher's summary

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

©2023 Katherine Reay (P)2023 Harper Muse

Incredible Cold War Story

The character description and development is one of the best I have read in some time. Highly recommend

Powerful

A Shadow in Moscow blew me away. It opened my eyes to a not-so-long ago world that I really hadn't understood. The details she included to paint the Soviet reality during the Cold War left me in tears to realize how many freedoms I have enjoyed without even thinking about. The characters were expertly cast to show a variety of roles and viewpoints in a complicated time. I love this novel because it doesn't just move from action to action, but allows room for the characters--and hence, the reader--to explore and contemplate freedom and limits, the joy and burden of choices, and how far one might go to conform before reaching a line one will not cross. A Shadow in Moscow is redemptive, thoughtful, and powerful. I highly recommend it for fans of historical fiction.
The narration was brilliant.

Embrace the story

Intriguing, Gripping, with a heart-stopping ending. Worth the credit and the cash, listen to it, read it.

Great story, wonderful narrator

A five star review is rare from me. But this book deserves it.
Suspenseful.
A slow starter, but when it grabs hold….look out! You won’t want to stop listening.
Reminded me of The Nightingale, which is another rare 5 star book.

My favorite yet from Katherine Reay

This story has a magnetism and depth that is rare in fiction these days. It was a compelling page-turner and suspenseful thriller (so much so that I had to take a break and remind myself to breathe at times)! I couldn’t put it down, yet somehow it was neither too short nor too long. The character development was phenomenal; unhurried, multi-faceted and wholly believable. Combined with a deep dive into the complexity and nuance of soviet culture, these elements brought a fullness to the story that made it feel vibrant and real, yet with beautiful truth that reaches beyond black and white.

I love history and literature, but the Cold War era is not one I’m naturally drawn to—now I’m intrigued to read more about the events that inspired this book. I’m so glad I started listening to this work as soon as it was released simply because I’ve enjoyed many of Reay’s past books. I believe this is her best work yet. The narrators did a fantastic job, too. I’ll be ordering a printed copy and recommending A Shadow in Moscow to everyone I know. It’s clear 5-star rating for me—which I seldom give. Thank you for the gift of this work, Katherine!

fast moving. well written

really enjoyed listening to this. don’t have any slow technical parts to get bogged down in. well written

An awesome Cold War tale

If you want to know something about people who sacrificed to be a World Changer, this is your chance. If you ever doubted the value of freedom, you only need to study communist Russia. Kudos to the author who told this sweeping story. Deede Blake, author

Fascinating!

Really enjoyed this one. Appreciated the dual narrators to keep the two time frames clear while listening

Exceptional

I absolutely loved this book! Mystery, intrigue, interesting characters…the whole book from beginning to end was exceptional.

Great storyline - well told

Well narrated the story is intriguing and full of historical facts. I enjoyed the strong female characters immensely.