Our Woman in Moscow: A Novel

Written by Beatriz Williams

Narrated by Nicola Barber and Cassandra Campbell

""A captivating Cold War page-turner."" — Real Simple

The New York Times bestselling author of The Summer Wives 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.

• Language: English
• Publisher: HarperAudio
• Release date: Jun 1, 2021
• ISBN: 9780063020825

Beatriz Williams

Beatriz Williams is the bestselling author of over a dozen novels, including The Beach at Summerly, Our Woman in Moscow, and The Summer Wives, as well as four other novels cowritten with Lauren Willig and Karen White. A native of Seattle, she graduated from Stanford University and earned an MBA in finance from Columbia University. She lives with her husband and four children near the Connecticut shore, where she divides her time between writing and laundry.

Reviews for Our Woman in Moscow

[Amber Johnson · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This is the third of Williams’ books that I have listened to and I am a fan, affirmed yet again. She has a way of brilliantly capturing historical moods and attitudes, as well as writing believable events. Thoroughly researched and thrilling.

[Teesha Fogelsanger · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I loved this book until almost the end and then it got a bit boring. Felt like the author rushed the ending. Still worth the read/listen.

[Alice Grix · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Excellent story, really became a page turner. Very interesting characters.

[F Brugnano · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

If you're looking for women spies, pick up "The Alice Network" instead of this book.
"Our Woman in Moscow" takes a very long time to become a "spy" novel. 2/3 of it felt like vanilla, domestic romance and the drudgery of everyday life. Important moments happen off the page. POV characters skip over important info for the illusion of suspense. Suddenly, people are in love (and have been for years) or suddenly have a conflict of interest (but it was never mentioned) because it's time to tidy the plot up.

[kity16 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I loved it. I loved the writing as it was simple and nice. But i admit that i didn't exactly pay attention at the start as i found myself having a hard time to remember and understanding what the deal was with the characters.
It was more of a romance story than spy. Lots of parts of the story involved one of another marriage.
I think i've found the author's note in another book (the idea that "oh, i was looking into something else, but came across this and i found interesting and i'm going to write a book about it"). I want to say "The Alice Network" because of their similar spy part, though the latter has more spy parts in it.

[bookwyrmm_1 · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

This took a while to really get into the meat of the story, but then it became predictable yet convoluted when chapters started focusing on other character.

[jtsolakos · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A great read about an intriguing time in history.

[nancyjcbs · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Our Woman In Moscow introduces two more members of the Schuyler family. Charlie and Vivian's twin nieces are Ruth and Iris Macallister. The sisters are visiting and living with their brother Harry in pre-war Rome. As World War II begins extroverted, model Ruth is ready to head home while the artistic, quiet Iris has fallen in love and wants to stay behind. Their close relationship is broken.The story focuses on espionage and includes reference to and events inspired by the Cambridge Five who were traitors to the United Kingdom divulging important secrets to the Soviet Union. Iris is entangled in this activity and finally reaches out to Ruth for help.I enjoyed this spy thriller/romance/family drama and would recommend it as one of my favorite novels by Beatriz Williams.

[virginia51-1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This book will take you back to the Cold War era. If you like reading about spies you will enjoy this story. This talks more about what the spy is feeling rather than what they are spying on. I was not sure I was going to care for Ruth in the beginning but she really grows on one. Her sister Iris is also one that grows on you and I a to decide if she was good or bad. This definitely kept me thinking. I received a copy of this book from the William Morrow team fir a fair and honest opinion that I gave of my own free will.

[wagner5sarah35 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I have to admit, I wasn't quite certain where this novel was going until about halfway through when the divergent stories began to intermingle. This is a Cold War tale of sisters and spies. Ruth and Iris are twins, but after Iris's romance and marriage to a young, idealistic man in the American foreign service, the sisters fall out of touch, living mostly separate lives. But Iris's world is increasingly dangerous, as her husband becomes more deeply involved in passing information to Soviet contacts, and eventually even Ruth becomes swept up in international schemes to outwit the Soviet intelligence forces. Overall, this was a fun, highly satisfying read and I look forward to more from this author.

[kimkimkim-7 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I used to read every Beatriz Williams’ book as soon as it came out and then I fell away for no particular reason. Having just finished “Our Woman in Moscow” I am wondering why? She captures the essence of her plot and characters. Her dialog is of the moment, smart, fast, near to perfect (I’m channeling Betty Hutton among others). Writing about the Cambridge Five and their time, she absolutely nails the decade, the clandestine cloak and dagger of the spy thriller, dead drops, defection and all.Just a sliver shy of five starts but rounding up for the excellence in plot, characters and my total involvement.

[herschelian · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Wonderfully written book about the early Cold War from 1940 - 1952 and set in Rome, England, and Moscow. The chief protagonists are American twin sisters who go to Rome to be with their brother who is working at the US Embassy there. FROM THIS POINT ON THERE ARE SPOILERS!Italy is on the point of allying itself to Germany against Britain, France and the rest. The younger - less dynamic twin - falls in love with a colleague of her brother who is also a US Diplomat. She becomes pregnant and when her brother and her twin sister book passages for them to return to the US, she defies them and remains with her lover who marries her. They become a diplomatic couple travelling round various countries and having two children before her husband is sent to London when the war is over. This is the story of their marriage, how they eventually defect to Russia, and what the outcome of that decision is.The characters stand out as real individuals.Reminiscent of Le Carré's Smiley books, the author brilliantly depicts London as it was immediately post-war, and Moscow ruled by fear. I was totally gripped. Highly recommended,

[sleahey_3 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This espionage adventure revolves around twins Iris and Ruth. The action takes place in a present of 1952, with returns to the events of the 1940's and the lead-up to World War II. Because of their relationships with the men in their lives, both women are caught up in various aspects of spying and counter-intelligence, taking them from New York to Rome to London to Moscow. The sisters are very different from each other on the surface; Ruth is an ambitious single successful career woman, while Iris is a housewife with several young children. Their differences result in a 12 year estrangement, but when their paths cross in 1942 we realize just how close and similar they are. The intrigue is fast-paced, the suspense is nail-biting, and the alternating voices, settings, and times turned this into a quick read for me.

[brangwinn · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

The author of Her Last Flight returns with a riveting story of Russian espionage base on real events after World War II. Sister, Ruth, and Iris have been left orphans after the death of their parents. They join their brother in Rome, Italy just before World War II breaks out. Ruth returns to the US and a glamorous life in New York City. Iris remains married to Sasha, an employee of the US embassy. Her life isn’t easy. Sasha drinks and is violent when he drinks. She has her children to keep her busy while in England. When her husband defects to Russia she and the children go with him. She’s struggled with the birth of her other children and writes to Ruth asking her to come assist in the birth. Ruth, along with her recently acquired husband, who is a US spy head to Russia to bring Sasha, Iris, and the children back to the US. Its tense and at the end the reader is left stunned with the conclusion of the storyline. It’s so complex a story that a review cannot do it justice. If you struggle with the book at the beginning, just hold on, you are just getting set up for the roller coaster ride. Excellent narration, including the ability to voice the many characters make the audio an worthy choice.

[jetangen4571 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

cold-war, communism, Russia, FBI, historical-fiction, historical-places-events, historical-research, history-and-culture, espionage, twins, intrigue, family-dynamics, KGB****Take a real historical espionage issue, turn it sideways and fictionalize those involved, make it character driven and packed with twists and family history, and make sure it is written by a real craftsperson, and you have this book. The story revolves around the personal relationships between sisters Ruth and Iris, Ruth and FBI agent, Iris and KGB while also delving into attitudes of the day. And double agents and their conflicts. A solid, if long, read.I requested and received a free temporary ebook copy from William Morrow and Custom House via NetGalley.