Sleeper Agent - (A True Crime Spy Thriller) by Ann Hagedorn (Paperback)

About the Book

"The little-known story of a spy on the atom-bomb project in World War II who had top security clearance -- American born, Soviet trained, he was never even suspected until after his information was in Soviet hands and he was safe in the USSR. It's LeCarre and "The Americans" for real"--

Book Synopsis

This "historical page-turner of the highest order" (The Wall Street Journal) tells the chilling, little-known story of an American-born Soviet spy in the atom bomb project during World War II, perfect for fans of The Americans and nominated for an Edgar Award for Best Fact Crime.Born in Iowa, schooled in science at Columbia University, and as American as baseball, George Koval was the ultimate secret agent. Because he had security clearances to the Manhattan Project, he was able to pass invaluable classified information that helped Soviet scientists produce an atomic bomb years earlier than US experts had expected. The FBI only identified him several years after he had returned to the Soviet Union, and in 2007, Vladimir Putin posthumously awarded him Russia's highest civilian honor for his contribution to the Soviet atomic bomb program. As William J. Broad wrote in The New York Times, Koval was "one of the most important spies of the twentieth century," but because of his success he is also the least known. Sleeper Agent is his fascinating story, a real-life thriller as gripping as any spy novel and "worthy of John le Carre" (The New York Journal of Books).

Review Quotes

"Ann Hagedorn has gifted us with a dazzling, gripping, most timely reflection of the Cold War era - and the ongoing legacy of hateful anti-Semitism driving the quest for sanctuary, education, and peace. This captivating, profoundly researched book is required reading for everyone concerned about history and the future."

About the Author

Ann Hagedorn has been a staff writer for The Wall Street Journal and has taught writing at Northwestern University's Medill School of Journalism and at Columbia University's Graduate School of Journalism. She is the author of Wild Ride, Ransom, Beyond the River, Savage Peace, Invisible Soldiers, and Sleeper Agent.