Why did Iwan love this book?
This is a superbly plotted novel about the Cold War that begins in 1950 but whose main developments take place in 1969.
It brilliantly weaves fiction into real history and places entirely believable characters into its very well-paced, suspenseful narrative. I loved it for dealing with events around the time I was born and then focuses on developments that shaped my youthful view of the world at age 21. But it is more than a trip down memory lane.
It is very moving on father-son relationships, has believable male and female leads, gives a very good account of life in Cold War Prague, and gets readers into the mindset of the spy. I found it unputdownable and would wake in the night wanting to read a bit more of it.
2 authors picked The Prodigal Spy as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.
It is 1950 and communists are being hunted across America. When Walter Kotlar is accused of being a spy by the House Un-American Activities Committee, his young son Nick destroys a piece of evidence only he knows about. But before the hearing can conclude, Walter flees the country, leaving behind his family...and a key witness lying dead, apparently having committed suicide. Nineteen years later, Nick gets a second chance to discover the truth when a beautiful journalist brings a message from his long-lost father, and Nick follows her into Soviet-occupied Prague for a painful reunion and the discovery of a…