Two Spies in Caracas

A Novel

De: Moisés Naím, Daniel Hahn - translator

Narrado por: Thom Rivera

From the New York Times bestselling author of The End of Power comes an edge-of-your-seat political thriller about rival spies, dangerous love, and one of history’s most devastating revolutions.

Venezuela, 1992. Unknown colonel Hugo Chávez stages an ill-fated coup against a corrupt government, igniting the passions of Venezuela’s poor and catapulting the oil-rich country to international attention. For two rival spies hurriedly dispatched to Caracas - one from Washington, DC, and the other from Fidel Castro’s Cuba - this is a career-defining mission.

Smooth-talking Iván Rincón of Cuba’s Intelligence Directorate needs a rebel ally to secure the future of his own country. His job: support Chávez and the revolution by rallying the militants and neutralizing any opposing agents.

Meanwhile, the CIA’s Cristina Garza will do everything in her power to cut Chávez’s influence short. Her priority: stabilize the greatest oil reserves on the planet by ferreting out and eliminating Cuba’s principal operative.

As Chávez surges to power, Iván and Cristina are caught in the fallout of a toxic political time bomb: an intrepid female reporter and unwitting informant, a drug lord and key architect in Chávez’s rise, and personal entanglements between the spies themselves. With everything at stake, the adversaries find themselves at the center of a game of espionage, seduction, murder, and shifting alliances playing out against the precarious backdrop of a nation in free fall. A thrilling fictional story based on unimaginable real-life events.

©2019 Moisés Naím. Text © 2019 by Penguin Random House Grupo Editorial, S. A. U. Travessera de Gràcia, 47-49, 08021 Barcelona. Translation © 2021 by Daniel Hahn (P)2021 Brilliance Publishing, Inc., all rights reserved.

Reseñas de la Crítica

“Thom Rivera narrates the story with an unemotional authority that complements the writing style of Moisés Naím, whose text is written with journalistic precision. Rivera characterizes both the male and female characters successfully. Further, his authentic-sounding pronunciation and stylish use of accents help to set the backdrop for this intriguing story, part spy novel and part love story as the two spies, unaware of each other's backgrounds, meet and fall in love.” (AudioFile Magazine)

“Naím wields his experiences as an international affairs writer and former Venezuelan economic cabinet member to provide authoritative insights into the severe economic downturns and rises in violence stemming from the power plays of external actors seeking to exploit a vulnerable nation in turmoil. This is a must for anyone who wants to explore this tumultuous and often strange period in modern Latin American history.” (Publishers Weekly)

“A nail-biting modern-history thriller set in 1990s Venezuela, Two Spies in Caracas: A Novel is a tale of crisscross alliances, easily betrayed.... Intense, and written with the realism drawn directly from the author’s personal experience serving as a former member of Venezuela’s economic cabinet, Two Spies in Caracas is enthusiastically recommended especially for connoisseurs of the genre.” (Midwest Book Review)

Most intriguing

Very interesting storyline full of action. Worth reading/listening. Looking forward to the next from this author.

Very good research

Although the love story may not be true, the author did an amazing job to input real events and persons into the story. Too bad the Bolivariana revolution was not treated more harshly. as it destroyed beautiful Venezuela

Educational and intriguing

I learnt an awful lot about Venezuelan history and the weaving in of the novel aspect, with the two spies love story was quite wonderful.

Great Story

Loved the accuracy of events and the love story it develops throughout the novel. Excelent!

Exciting Story with some Insight to Venezuela

Some characters were not developed the right amount. But overall a good story and insights in the Chivaz regime in Venezuela politics over the last decade.
I enjoyed the story, the plot and twists.
But it was wrapped up to quickly in the end.

Wonderful Historical Novel!

Having lived in Venezuela before.Chavez, it was eye opening to realize the extent of his Cuban connection.

More like the story of Hugo Chavez

The title is completely misleading. Approximately 80% of this book is about Hugo Chavez (Former President of Venezuela) and Fidel Castro. I listened to this book just to finish. This book could have been better, but it wasn’t. I made a mistake selecting this book