Book Review: Our Woman in Moscow by Beatriz Williams

 

Pages: 448

Genre: Adult Historical Fiction

Pub. Date: June 1, 2021

Publisher: William Morrow

Other Books By Author: A Certain Age,  A Hundred Summers, 

Tiny Little Thing,  Along the Infinite Sea,  Cocoa Beach, 

The Summer Wives, The Wicked City,  The Wicked Redhead,

The Golden Hour, Her Last Flight, and The Secret Life of Violet Grant

My Rating: 4 out of 5 stars 

 

 

Goodreads says, "The New York Times bestselling author of Her Last Flight returns with a gripping and profoundly human story of Cold War espionage and family devotion.  In the autumn of 1948, Iris Digby vanishes from her London home with her American diplomat husband and their two children. The world is shocked by the family’s sensational disappearance. Were they eliminated by the Soviet intelligence service? Or have the Digbys defected to Moscow with a trove of the West’s most vital secrets?  Four years later, Ruth Macallister receives a postcard from the twin sister she hasn’t seen since their catastrophic parting in Rome in the summer of 1940, as war engulfed the continent and Iris fell desperately in love with an enigmatic United States Embassy official named Sasha Digby. Within days, Ruth is on her way to Moscow, posing as the wife of counterintelligence agent Sumner Fox in a precarious plot to extract the Digbys from behind the Iron Curtain.  But the complex truth behind Iris’s marriage defies Ruth’s understanding, and as the sisters race toward safety, a dogged Soviet KGB officer forces them to make a heartbreaking choice between two irreconcilable loyalties."

 

The year is 1952 and Ruth Macallister works at a Manhattan modeling agency.  Things are pretty good for her until she receives a mysterious postcard from her estranged twin sister, Iris.  The postcard is requesting her presence in Moscow, where Iris lives with her family.  You see Iris left the UK two years ago very mysteriously along with her diplomat husband and her children.  Most people think they defected to Moscow and that her husband, Sasha, was a double agent. Enter government agent Sumner Fox who starts questioning Ruth and asking if she has heard from Iris.  After she spends more time with Sumner, she becomes more honest with him and they team up to extract her sister from Moscow.  Our Woman in Moscow by Beatriz Williams is a compelling spy thriller filled with romance, adventure, and family drama.

I loved the character of Ruth right off the bat in Our Woman in Moscow. Williams knows how to write such fun, spunky heroines; I was immediately drawn to Ruth's story.  I like how Williams has readers get to know both Ruth and Iris by taking us back to their summer in Rome. That was the summer Iris met Sasha Digby and her life was forever changed.  Iris ended up staying behind in Rome once their summer was over, which pretty much sealed the deal for her.  

Ruth hasn't talked to her sister in years, but after receiving a postcard from her, she knows something is up and so does counterintelligence officer Sumner Fox. Sumner is everything you could want in a literary hero and I was a big fan of his character.  He and Ruth go undercover to extract Iris and Ruth poses as his wife. It's a brilliant match up and I really enjoyed these two in Our Woman in Moscow.

Iris isn't as compelling (at first!) as her twin sister, Ruth, but as Our Woman in Moscow progresses, I was really invested. Parts of the story really break my heart for Iris, but as she becomes more confidant, I became more interested in her secrets and her tumultuous relationship with Sasha.  Iris definitely presents herself as one way, but offers much more than I was expecting.

Williams provides an engaging spy thriller in Our Woman in Moscow. Fans of Williams won't be disappointed. I loved the espionage in combination with the family drama and the Cold War setting. Also, avid readers of Williams's novels will enjoy the appearance of certain characters from her other novels.

So, are you a fan of Beatriz Williams? Is this novel on your summer TBR list or have you read it already? Let me know in the comments below.