• Deep Undercover

  • My Secret Life and Tangled Allegiances as a KGB Spy in America
  • By: Jack Barsky, Cindy Coloma
  • Narrated by: Stephen Bowlby
  • Length: 10 hrs and 52 mins
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars (2,132 ratings)

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Deep Undercover  By  cover art

Deep Undercover

By: Jack Barsky, Cindy Coloma
Narrated by: Stephen Bowlby
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Publisher's summary

One decision can end everything...or lead to unlikely redemption.

Millions watched the CBS 60 Minutes special on Jack Barsky in 2015. Now, in this fascinating memoir, the Soviet KGB agent tells his story of gut-wrenching choices, appalling betrayals, his turbulent inner world, and the secret life he lived for years without getting caught.

On October 8, 1978, a Canadian national by the name of William Dyson stepped off a plane at O'Hare International Airport and proceeded toward customs and immigration.

Two days later, William Dyson ceased to exist.

The identity was a KGB forgery, used to get one of their own - a young, ambitious East German agent - into the United States.

The plan succeeded, and the spy's new identity was born: Jack Barsky. He would work undercover for the next decade, carrying out secret operations during the Cold War years - until a surprising shift in his allegiance challenged everything he thought he believed.

Deep Undercover reveals the secret life of this man without a country and tells the story no one ever expected him to tell.

©2017 Jack Barsky (P)2017 Blackstone Audio, Inc.
  • Unabridged Audiobook
  • Categories: History

What listeners say about Deep Undercover

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    1 out of 5 stars

I listened to this crap so you don't have to

Please save yourself hours of your life instead of wasting it on this. If you're looking for something thrilling (think The Americans, Homeland or The Bureau), this is absolutely not it. You won't even find any significant spy tradecraft. Long story short, nothing interesting happens. For all intents and purposes, it's the story of a KGB agent who infiltrates the USA (kinda) but achieves nothing. You've been warned.

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15 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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Amazing

Loved it. The ending is so good. Definitely listen at 1.5x or 2x speed. Reader is way too slow.

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12 people found this helpful

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    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

interesting life story

The narrator was very good, and kept my attention throughout the book as he read.

The story itself, was intriguing. A man born in East Germany who became a KGB spy. He describes himself as self-sufficient, a fairly harsh and cold upbringing, and a casual way of looking at people throughout his lifetime.

The author, would like you to believe that he is now fully American. He even became a born-again Christian. Which is wonderful, if this is true. Like with all stories, especially Memoirs of this ilk I am more of a trust but verify type of person. I hope he is a Christian. I hope he has come to love America. But who knows truly but himself and even our government.

He tells of him coming over here in establishing his credentials. He went to school here even as he tried to keep a family and East Germany. The wall fell and he decided to stay here with his new family.

This is a good read, and I am sure there are many truth elements in there, but it makes me uneasy that if there is one there must be many more.

I do recommend this book.

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7 people found this helpful

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    4 out of 5 stars
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good until end

i loved this book untill it came to the religious part. it felt like he was preaching the word of god instead of finishing a spy story.

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7 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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Outstanding

Loved this true story. I couldn't stop listening. I definitely recommend you give this book a chance

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5 people found this helpful

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    3 out of 5 stars
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setup to be prostilitized

beginning and middle of the book are good. the end is very unrelated and preechy.

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4 people found this helpful

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    2 out of 5 stars
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Didn't expect it religious aspect

Performance was solid, great narration.

The story was ok, although it becomes very preachy. I didn't want an advertisement for Christianity, but maybe I'm being too harsh on the story.

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4 people found this helpful

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Christian apologist

Ugh. I thought he was getting a little heavy handed with the religion in the beginning, so I googled the author. He's a Christian speaker. If you want a good spy novel, look elsewhere. If you want religion shoved down your throat, have a go at this one.

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3 people found this helpful

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    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Not as much detail as expected

I was hoping for a lot more adventure and descriptions of the KGB and his story of operations. This book was heavily focused on his personal life. Although interesting. I was really hoping for operations and adventure.
Still good.

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3 people found this helpful

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Very interesting story, well read.

Fascinating story of a life lived in parallel time to my own, but completely different. Raised in East Germany after the War, this brilliant young boy finds a pathway to success in a most unusual way: by agreeing to be a spy. Lots of twists and turns. And a surprising ending.

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3 people found this helpful