THE DOUBLE AGENT

A dangerous spy with a secret agenda continues to cut a deadly swath through World War II.

Christie picks up the story of Alexsi Ivanovich Smirnov where he left off in A Single Spy (2017): It's 1943, and Alexsi is in Tehran, where he shares his singular story with Prime Minister Winston Churchill at the British Embassy. After a hardscrabble childhood, Alexsi became a Russian spy and infiltrated Germany, becoming a high-ranking intelligence officer there. His plans apparently go beyond cooperating with the British. He undertakes a daring escape in the middle of the night. Posing as a poor Iranian, he hitches a ride with a group of smugglers and, after near-fatal injuries incurred during an encounter with a rival group, finds himself in a hospital, chained to his bed. There are more twists and turns before Alexsi lands in British custody again. This time he’s taken to England as a prisoner, where he’s commanded to share the unabridged account of his life and exploits for British stenographers, an appealing challenge for an inveterate yarn spinner like Alexsi, who changes identities as easily as clothes and kills without remorse. Christie’s brisk opening chapters serve to flesh out the backstory alluded to in the prologue and to illustrate the devious derring-do of his protagonist. His taut thriller is also a panoramic view of a crucial stretch of World War II, set forth with pace and precision. Readers will be challenged to guess Alexsi's motives and next moves as they feverishly turn the pages.

Authentic history tucked neatly into a riveting thrill ride.