'Both gripping and scarily plausible, from the first page to its chilling conclusion, The Cover Wife is a book that demands to be read' Kevin Wignall, author of A Death in SwedenThe latest sophisticated, suspenseful, and intensely human spy thriller from master of the genre Dan Fesperman transports the reader to Paris and Hamburg, and deep into the conspiracy behind the 9/11 attacks.Paris, October 1999. CIA agent Claire Saylor's career has stalled, thanks to unorthodox behaviour in her past. So when she's told she'll be going undercover in Hamburg to pose as the wife of an academic who has published a controversial interpretation of the Quran's promise to martyrs, she assumes the job is a punishment. But when she discovers her team leader is Paul Bridger, another Agency maverick, she realizes there may be more to this mission than meets the eye – and not just for professional reasons.Meanwhile, Mahmoud, a recent Moroccan e´migre´ in Hamburg, has become involved with a group of radicals at his local mosque. The deeper he's drawn into the group, the more he is torn between his obligations to them and his feelings toward a beautiful westernized Muslim woman.As Claire learns the truth about her mission, and Mahmoud grows closer to the radicals, their paths are on a collision course that could have disastrous repercussions far beyond the CIA.
An exhilarating spy thriller inspired by a true story about the precious secrets being kept hidden just after the fall of the Berlin Wall.BERLIN, 1990. On a chilly early morning walk, Emil Grimm finds the body of his neighbour, fellow Stasi officer Lothar, lying dead with a bullet wound to the temple. Despite the appearance of suicide, Emil suspects murder, for as East Germany disintegrates, being a Stasi colonel is more of a liability than an asset. Emil and Lothar were involved in a final clandestine mission – now Emil must finish the job alone, on uncertain ground where alliances seem to be shifting by the day.Meanwhile, CIA agent Claire Saylor, sent to Berlin to assist an Agency action against their collapsing East German adversaries, has just received an upgrade to her assignment: she'll be the designated contact for a high-ranking Stasi foreign intelligence officer. When her first rendezvous goes dangerously awry, she realizes the mission is far more delicate than she was led to believe. Emil and Claire soon find themselves on unlikely common ground, fighting for their lives against a powerful enemy hiding in the shadows.Reviewers on Winter Work:'An entertaining thriller about a society turned upside down.' Joseph Kanon 'Fesperman belongs in the front rank of American spy novelists.' Charles Cumming 'Into this lethal turmoil, Fesperman injects an acute sense of place, and a mastery of the many consequences of failure.' Graham Hurley 'An engrossing, deep-in-the-weeds thriller.' Kirkus 'Winter Work is just fantastic.' Olen Steinhauer 'Superb spy thriller.' Publishers Weekly 'Fesperman’s smooth, easy style belies its complexity, and makes for an engaging read.' Crime Time
'Both gripping and scarily plausible, from the first page to its chilling conclusion, The Cover Wife is a book that demands to be read' Kevin Wignall, author of A Death in SwedenThe latest sophisticated, suspenseful, and intensely human spy thriller from master of the genre Dan Fesperman transports the reader to Paris and Hamburg, and deep into the conspiracy behind the 9/11 attacks.Paris, October 1999. CIA agent Claire Saylor's career has stalled, thanks to unorthodox behaviour in her past. So when she's told she'll be going undercover in Hamburg to pose as the wife of an academic who has published a controversial interpretation of the Quran's promise to martyrs, she assumes the job is a punishment. But when she discovers her team leader is Paul Bridger, another Agency maverick, she realizes there may be more to this mission than meets the eye – and not just for professional reasons.Meanwhile, Mahmoud, a recent Moroccan e´migre´ in Hamburg, has become involved with a group of radicals at his local mosque. The deeper he's drawn into the group, the more he is torn between his obligations to them and his feelings toward a beautiful westernized Muslim woman.As Claire learns the truth about her mission, and Mahmoud grows closer to the radicals, their paths are on a collision course that could have disastrous repercussions far beyond the CIA.
An exhilarating spy thriller inspired by a true story about the precious secrets being kept hidden just after the fall of the Berlin Wall.BERLIN, 1990. On a chilly early morning walk, Emil Grimm finds the body of his neighbour, fellow Stasi officer Lothar, lying dead with a bullet wound to the temple. Despite the appearance of suicide, Emil suspects murder, for as East Germany disintegrates, being a Stasi colonel is more of a liability than an asset. Emil and Lothar were involved in a final clandestine mission – now Emil must finish the job alone, on uncertain ground where alliances seem to be shifting by the day.Meanwhile, CIA agent Claire Saylor, sent to Berlin to assist an Agency action against their collapsing East German adversaries, has just received an upgrade to her assignment: she'll be the designated contact for a high-ranking Stasi foreign intelligence officer. When her first rendezvous goes dangerously awry, she realizes the mission is far more delicate than she was led to believe. Emil and Claire soon find themselves on unlikely common ground, fighting for their lives against a powerful enemy hiding in the shadows.Reviewers on Winter Work:'An entertaining thriller about a society turned upside down.' Joseph Kanon 'Fesperman belongs in the front rank of American spy novelists.' Charles Cumming 'Into this lethal turmoil, Fesperman injects an acute sense of place, and a mastery of the many consequences of failure.' Graham Hurley 'An engrossing, deep-in-the-weeds thriller.' Kirkus 'Winter Work is just fantastic.' Olen Steinhauer 'Superb spy thriller.' Publishers Weekly 'Fesperman’s smooth, easy style belies its complexity, and makes for an engaging read.' Crime Time