Our Woman in Moscow by Beatriz Williams

4/5 Stars

Our Woman in Moscow by Beatriz Williams was an enthralling and thrilling delight of a read. Historical fiction at its finest, this book takes you on an adventurous ride. Ruth Macallister and her twin sister Iris are at the center of the story which spans some critical times in world history: World War II prior to the United States entering, the war itself and the Cold War era afterwards. The story bounces seamlessly between these periods.

Ruth is an independent and successful manager of a New York City modeling agency, but her sister Iris is the quieter and more reserved of the pair and easily falls in love with and marries a man named Sasha Digby. Sasha is a US Foreign Service officer but, like many young Americans after the Great Depression, was swayed by the empty promises of Communism and Soviet propaganda. And that is where the adventure begins.

Williams does a great job with character development in Our Woman in Moscow. She is talented and attentive to the smallest details. I felt like I really got to know not only Ruth and Iris, but the handful of other main players in the novel. Our Woman in Moscow is a story of love and hope, deception and misdirection, redemption and revenge. Well-researched and well-written, this is a spy story for the ages and well worth reading. I love historical fiction, and this was no exception. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book and fully intend to check out others by this author.