The Double Agent
A Novel
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- $17.99
Publisher Description
Betrayal, survival, and the fate of nations hang in the balance as a Russian orphan turned double agent navigates the treacherous world of espionage during World War II.
In The Double Agent, a sequel to the acclaimed A Single Spy, William Christie weaves a riveting tale of deception and danger. Alexsi Smirnoff, a Russian orphan trained by the Russian Secret Service and inserted into Nazi Germany, finds himself trapped between two brutal dictatorships. Desperate to protect himself, Alexsi betrays both sides in a daring ploy that succeeds—and fails.
With his false identities burned and his life at risk, Alexsi is caught by the British and recruited by the SIS. Sent to Italy under a new identity, he finds himself at the nexus of competing forces: the Vatican, the Italian resistance, and the ruthless German Army determined to maintain control of Northern Italy.
As the war reaches a critical juncture, Alexsi must navigate a web of deceit, forge alliances, and finally choose sides in a battle for survival. Christie's fast-paced, compelling novel of espionage takes readers on a suspenseful journey through one of the most momentous and dangerous periods in history.
"...a riveting thrill ride." —Kirkus Reviews
"Fans of Ken Follett's and Len Deighton's espionage novels will find much to admire." —Publishers Weekly (starred review)
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Set in 1943 and 1944, Christie's excellent sequel to 2017's The Single Spy picks up immediately after the previous book's events. Having saved Prime Minister Winston Churchill from a Gestapo assassination plot in Tehran, Alexsi Ivanovich Smirnov, a Soviet spy under deep cover as a German intelligence officer, turns himself over to the British expecting gratitude and sanctuary. Instead, the British put Alexsi back in the field as a double agent, assigned to the German SS headquarters in Rome. There he transmits coded messages back to England, beds an Italian princess, and avoids reprisal from German soldiers and Italian partisans. Christie's knowledge of old-school tradecraft is exhaustive, and his portrayal of the genuine Ardeatine massacre of more than 300 Italian civilians in 1944 is haunting. A reluctant operative driven more by self-preservation than quaint notions of duty, Alexsi nevertheless possesses a deep core of personal honor. If he can't prevent Nazi butchery, he at least won't participate, and when the opportunity to escape finds him, he'll instead risk it all to do the right thing. Fans of Ken Follett's and Len Deighton's espionage novels will find much to admire.
