What’s up readers? It’s the 7th day of Blogtober! If you don’t know what Blogtober is, it is a series I am conducting that starts from the first of October where in I post on my blog eveyday until Halloween. 🎃📚🌟📖🍁🎃
Today’s book review is The Billion Dollar Spy by David E. Hoffman. I hope you enjoy! 😄
Synopsis
It was at the height of the Cold War and a dangerous time to be stationed in the Soviet Union. One evening, while the chief of the CIA’s Moscow station was filling his gas tank, a stranger approached and dropped a note into the car. The chief, suspicious of a KGB trap, ignored the overture. But the stranger had made up his mind. His attempts to establish contact with the CIA would be rebuffed four times before he thrust upon them an envelope with contents that stunned U.S. intelligence. In the years that followed, that man, Adolf Tolkachev, became one of the most valuable spies ever for the United States. But these activities posted an enormous personal threat to Tolkachev and his American handlers. They had clandestine meetings in parks and on street corners, and used spy cameras, props, and private codes, eluding the ever-present KGB in it’s own backyard – until a shocking betrayal put them at risk.
My Thoughts
I was walking in the aisle of the bookstore with a pile of books I’ve chosen for my fall TBR and I was looking if there are any more books that would interest me for a fall read.
Particularly looking for dark-colored covers and along the lines of mystery and thriller, The Billion Dollar Spy caught my attention. Not only because of its black cover but also because it is a novel about a spy. I have to admit, the words “Billion” and “Dollar” in the title intrigued me when I first laid eyes on this book in addition to the word “Spy” that made my hand immediately grab it.
Hoffman did a great job with keeping his title short, simple and catchy. I also like the cover design created by Henry Steadman with its simplicity and depth.
Deeply engrossing and skillfully written, this is a must-read for those interested in Cold War and espionage. With betrayal from both sides of the party fueled with vengeance, it makes you think twice or thrice about your trust with the people around you.
It was an eye-opening read for me since I’ve never read a book about espionage before let alone based on a true story and I’m not a fan of history no thanks to the boring history classes I had at school.
I learned so much with just this one book like the Jack-in-the-Box, the brush pass, the dead drop, L-pill, parole, etc. and it cast a whole new light on my view of what being a spy is like in real life as compared to the cartoons I’ve seen like Totally Spies when I was younger.
I’m so glad I picked this book up because although there were a lot of terms that were unfamiliar to me and I had to pause every once in a while to use a dictionary, it was worth the read. Definitely worth the read.
A true story paced like a thriller, it kept me in suspense with every page turned. It’s almost as if reading a spy fiction.
Don’t miss out an episode of Blogtober! 😄
Blogtober Day 1: October Book Releases
Blogtober Day 2: Ask Me Anything
Blogtober Day 3: Q and A with Flexi
Blogtober Day 5: September 2017 Book Wrap Up
Blogtober Day 6: Books to Read This Fall 2017
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Also, I’m doing an Instober (Instagram version of Blogtober) so if you’re interested, you can follow me on Instagram @flexireads. See you there!
Thank you for reading and cheers to more books! 🍷📚💕😄
Love,
Flexi ❤