The Liar
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The Cold War meets Mad Men in the form of Karel Koecher, a double agent whose shifting loyalties and over-the-top hedonism reverberated from New York to Moscow
In the mid-1970s, the CIA and KGB watched Karel Koecher closely—they were both convinced he was working for the enemy. And they...
Published By PublicAffairs
Format Hardback
Category
Number Of Pages 288
Publication Date 08/23/2022
ISBN 9781541700796
Dimensions 6.3 inches x 9.55 inches
“The glamour of espionage usually gets more attention than the flawed and fascinating people who practice it. By focusing his story on the rich and multilayered lives of Karel and Hana Koecher, Cunningham gets as close to the heart of the spy as it’s possible to get.”—Joe Weisberg, creator of The Americans
“Engagingly written, carefully researched, and richly informed, The Liar tells a gripping story of a prominent Czechoslovak Secret Police agent against the backdrop of Cold War history. Cunningham depicts a character worthy of a novel without compromising on historical accuracy. Struggling to be an agent of his own life while at the mercy of world superpowers, Cunningham’s Karel Koecher meets Kafka’s K. in John LeCarré’s universe.”—Veronika Tuckerová, department of Slavic languages & literatures, Harvard University
“[V]ivid, sprawling… engrossing, well-written tale from the waning days of Cold War espionage.”—Kirkus
“Engrossing… delivers intriguing documentation about spies and spycraft.”—Wall Street Journal
“Cunningham delivers a carefully researched, logically analyzed portrait of the man and his times… he is an excellent student of a most difficult topic.”—Decatur Daily