The Calico Critic: Book Review: A Shadow in Moscow by Katherine Reay

In the thick of the Cold War, a betrayal at the highest level risks the lives of two courageous female spies: MI6’s best Soviet agent and the CIA’s newest Moscow recruit.

Vienna, 1954

After losing everyone she loves in the final days of World War II, Ingrid Bauer agrees to a hasty marriage with a gentle Soviet embassy worker and follows him home to Moscow. But nothing within the Soviet Union’s totalitarian regime is what it seems, including her new husband, whom Ingrid suspects works for the KGB. Inspired by her daughter’s birth, Ingrid risks everything and reaches out in hope to the one country she understands and trusts—Britain, the country of her mother’s birth. She begins passing intelligence to MI6, navigating a world of secrets and lies, light and shadow.

Moscow, 1980

A student in the Foreign Studies Initiative, Anya Kadinova finishes her degree at Georgetown University and boards a flight home to Moscow, leaving behind the man she loves and a country she’s grown to respect. Though raised by dedicated and loyal Soviet parents, Anya soon questions an increasingly oppressive and paranoid regime at the height of the Cold War. Then the KGB murders her best friend and Anya chooses her side. Working in a military research lab, she relays Soviet plans and schematics to the CIA in an effort to end the 1980s arms race.

The past catches up to the present when an unprecedented act of treachery threatens all agents operating within Eastern Europe, and both Ingrid and Anya find themselves in a race for their lives against time and the KGB.

Beginning with her 2013 debut novel Dear Mr. Knightley, author Katherine Reay’s work was firmly planted in the Austenesque community for some time. She showcased her love for and knowledge of Jane Austen’s characters with several winsome titles which delighted many. In recent years I noted that she began branching out into other areas of storytelling with much continued success. Her latest novel, A Shadow in Moscow held an intriguing premise, and I was pleased to have the opportunity to read and review it for its Austenprose blog tour.

It has been the better part of a decade since I’ve read a Reay title and in that time she has thoroughly honed her craft. As such, my experience with A Shadow in Moscow felt very fresh and was very different from my time with Dear Mr. Knightley. While there are a few minor references to Austen in the novel, this is a Cold War spy novel, through and through. Told with dual timelines, readers are taken into the secret and complex lives of two female spies as they navigate the intricacies of life under the gaze of the KGB. Ingrid and Anya love the land in which they live, but want more for the people of Russia than the oppression under which they are living. As cogs in an elaborate machine working to make the world a better place, these strong women make similar decisions while living in separate generations. Eventually their storylines begin to merge, but in general the plot alternates between the narratives of the two women to delicious effect.

Katherine Reay’s research and dedication to the subject matter of Soviet history and spycraft is deep and meticulous throughout A Shadow in Moscow. The level of expertise she exhibited in her writing was truly impressive, and the education she most certainly received while preparing for this work can be respected at the highest levels. While I am no Russian historian or specialist in the world of espionage, the level of realism that Reay captured was astounding. Immersive and seemingly accurate, A Shadow in Moscow also features extremely well-drawn characters, a compelling plot and satisfying conclusion. The adult material that must be addressed when dealing with this time period and culture is handled carefully, yet difficult scenes and topics are not avoided. Reay’s writing is skillful enough to convey heartbreaking tragedy and mature themes without gratuitous detail. I not only appreciated her discretion, but also her willingness to address the dark underbelly of the world in which her characters inhabited.

The only slight “hiccup” I had in reading A Shadow in Moscow came through the alternating timeline. As the focus alternated between the characters of Ingrid and Anya, this aided in keeping my attention for the most part. However, there were a few times wherein their similar struggles as spies in the Russian culture were similar enough that I occasionally lost track of which plot points had occurred with which character. This was not a huge problem, and does not detract from my hearty endorsement of the book.

I came to read A Shadow in Moscow because of the delightful Katherine Reay, but also due to the premise of the novel. The expectations of an intriguing, exciting and satisfying story were well met. I loved the occasional references to authors such as Jane Austen, Leo Tolstoy and Harper Lee, which have made me want to pull out my copies of works like Anna Karenina all over again.

Tidbits of philosophy were also woven throughout the narrative, and one thought in particular has truly resonated with me. Many of the characters in A Shadow in Moscow were dealing with immense oppression. Ingrid does her best to rise above her situation not by escaping it, but by changing her attitude towards it. This alters her “internal landscape”, and through that adjustment she is able to face even the harshest trials. She carries a human dignity which she endeavors to share with the world. Like Ingrid, Anya also holds admirable ideals when she says in chapter fourteen, “I wanted to do everything I could to make the world a better place, one that honored the dignity of humans and allowed each and every person to thrive.” (p. 176) That is the essence of A Shadow in Moscow in a nutshell. It is certainly a Cold War spy novel, but it also conveys a message of resilience and hope to humanity in search of Light. Author Katherine Reay has crafted a fine work and should be congratulated for her achievement.

About the Author

Katherine Reay is a national bestselling and award-winning author who has enjoyed a lifelong affair with books. She publishes both fiction and nonfiction, holds a BA and MS from Northwestern University, and currently lives outside Chicago, Illinois, with her husband and three children.