Invisible Spy

Thomas Maier is an award-winning author, journalist, and television producer. He was a producer for both the Emmy-winning Showtime drama Masters of Sex, and the 2024 Paramount+ docuseries Mafia Spies, both adapted from his non-fiction books. His biography, Dr. Spock: An American Life, was a New York Times Notable Book of the Year. The JFK Library hosted a forum about his 2014 book, When Lions Roar: The Churchills and the Kennedys, which was excerpted in Time and The Wall Street Journal. At Newsday in New York, Maier twice won the National Society of Professional Journalists’ top prize and several honors, including the Daniel Pearl Award from the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists, and now serves on the paper’s editorial board. He won the 2022 Columbia University Journalism School’s Alumni Award for career achievement. He has appeared twice on the Today show and Morning Joe, as well as 20/20, CBS Evening News, Hardball, CNN, and NPR’s Fresh Air.

"As gripping as a Bond novel—and every word of it true. The Invisible Spy is a great read on an important moment in history, backed by precise reportage and keen insight. I couldn’t put it down."— Jonathan Eig, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of King: A Life “A spy vs. spy battle between Allies and Nazis in the heart of New York City—a wartime romance between agents —the untold story of Roosevelt’s fixer, Ernest Cuneo, the man that FDR couldn’t live without. If Ian Fleming said to ‘always say yes to adventure’—well, in this case, yes, please!”—Elyse Graham, author of Book and Dagger: How Scholars and Librarians Became the Unlikely Spies of World War II “With The Invisible Spy, Thomas Maier skillfully offers up his latest page-turner, a little-known tale in the best tradition of the greatest wartime sagas and classic spy stories. Ernest Cuneo, confidante of spymasters, advisor to Roosevelt and Churchill, did everything he could to fly beneath the radar as he worked tirelessly to thwart the Nazi war machine. In a story ready-made for the screen, Maier unmasks the reclusive operative who changed history, then encouraged Ian Fleming to fictionalize their wartime adventures together with the adventures of James Bond.”—Jeff Stein, SpyTalk editor-in-chief and author of A Murder in Wartime: The Untold Spy Story that Changed the Course of the Vietnam War“Thomas Maier's The Invisible Spy vividly brings to life the story of Ernest Cuneo, a fascinating yet little known personality from the days of America in the Second World War. Its cast of characters and their amazing, secret adventures are worthy of the best espionage novel. This book is sure to intrigue any reader interested in a pivotal time in the nation's history.”–Lee Pollock, Interim Executive Director, The International Churchill Society“Having known Ernest Cuneo personally, I can say with authority that Thomas Maier has painted a beautifully rendered portrait of this highly intelligent, fascinating, and unsung hero of WW2 intelligence activities. This entertaining biography is especially of interest to Ian Fleming and James Bond fans, who will know that Cuneo played an integral part in the early history of 007.”–Raymond Benson, author of James Bond: The Raymond Benson Years, advisory board member of the Ian Fleming Foundation“The Invisible Spy shines light on a little-known figure from World War II who played an outsized role in forging the wartime alliance between the United States and the United Kingdom. Maier's impeccable research and deft writing make this incredible story of espionage, sabotage, and influence a must-read."–Justin Black, author and podcaster on Spycraft101.com"With his rough-and-tumble, New Jersey origins and bulky frame, Ernest Cuneo seemed like a bad fit for the aristocratic, “Oh So Social” set that dominated America’s nascent spy establishment in the 1940s and 1950s. Yet, as Thomas Maier shows in this sparkling, revelatory biography, his influence was peerless. Working in the shadows, Cuneo knit together a clandestine network of presidents and prime ministers, famous columnists and spy novelists, double agents and honeytraps in some of the most daring secret missions of the day."–Hugh Wilford, author of The CIA: An Imperial History and Professor of History at California State University, Long BeachPraise for Thomas Maier ABOUT WHEN LIONS ROAR: THE CHURCHILLS AND THE KENNEDYS:  “The sheer accumulation of colorful anecdotes in “When Lions Roar” makes for riveting reading from start to finish.” – Douglas Brinkley, The Washington Post “What I like most in Maier’s giant work is the spine of this saga, the all-important record of influence the great soldier-statesman-historian’s life exerted on the future American president.” – Chris Matthews, former host of MSNBC’s Hardball ABOUT MAFIA SPIES: “This is a standout in the field of spy nonfiction. Not only does Maier give beyond-solid evidence for the strange alliance of politicians, mobsters, movie stars, entertainers, and Cuban-exile commandos in Miami seeking to bring down Castro, he also makes the whole book crystal clear (a rarity in spy nonfiction) and enormously fun. Maier succeeds brilliantly here in bringing this outrageous, long-hidden (if rumored) bit of history to vivid and fact-supported life.” — Connie Fletcher, Booklist STARRED review MAFIA SPIES, the Paramount+ series based on the Mafia Spies book: “There’s nothing dry about “Mafia Spies,” except perhaps the martinis slurped down by the C.I.A. honchos during one of the series’s piquant re-enactments. It may be grounded in fact, but “Mafia Spies” is also quite cheeky.” –  Chris Vognar, The New York Times“Cuneo serves as a wonderful behind-the-scenes lens to view the information wars surrounding World War II. Another winner from Maier.”–Booklist STARRED review