Code name Blue Wren : the true story of America's most dangerous female spy--and the sister she betrayed / Jim Popkin.

By:

Popkin, Jim

Material type: Text

TextPublisher: Toronto, Ontario, Canada : Hanover Square Press, [2023]Description: 351 pages, 16 unnumbered pages of plates : illustrations (chiefly color) ; 24 cmContent type:

text
still image

Media type:

unmediated

Carrier type:

volume

ISBN:

9781335449887
1335449884

Other title:

Blue Wren : the true story of America's most dangerous female spy--and the sister she betrayed
True story of America's most dangerous female spy--and the sister she betrayed

Subject(s):

Genre/Form:

DDC classification:

327.127291/073092 B 23/eng/20221129

LOC classification:

UB271.C92 M655 2023

Contents:

The world's worst sorority -- Topeka -- The hothouse -- Stevie Wonder and chocolate chip cookies -- The cauldron - - "Our native land calls to us" -- "A sense of moral outrage" -- "A rich array of targets" -- Headed for a collision -- Destination Havana -- Miami vice -- A warrior monk deep within the bureaucracy -- Death of a green beret -- Surrounded -- A meteoric rise -- Spying gets lonely -- Royal flush -- The Kmart security guard -- The interview - - "One of the most damaging spies" -- Bottoming out -- "A limited capacity" -- The seventh floor -- La otra -- McCoy -- Warming up the ice queen -- Grip and grin -- Scott and Gator -- "We're going to war" -- Full field -- Confiding in Robert Hanssen -- Snuck in like ninjas -- A manatí farewell -- Out of time -- The immaculate confession -- Your sister is a spy -- "All the world is one country" -- Escape to Sweden -- "A psychological hell" -- "You are a coward" -- Release.

Summary: "Like spies Aldrich Ames and Robert Hanssen before her, Ana Montes blindsided her colleagues with brazen acts of treason. For nearly 17 years, Montes succeeded in two high -stress jobs. By day, she was one of the government's top Cuba experts, a buttoned-down GS-14 with shockingly easy access to classified documents. By night, she was on the clock for Fidel Castro, listening to coded messages over shortwave radio, passing US secrets to handlers in local restaurants, and slipping into Havana wearing a wig. In Code Name Blue Wren, investigative journalist Jim Popkin weaves the tale of two sisters who chose two very different paths, plus the unsung heroes who had to fight to bring Ana to justice"-- Provided by publisher.

List(s) this item appears in: New Adult Nonfiction

Average rating: 0.0 (0 votes)

Holdings
Item type	Current library	Collection	Shelving location	Call number	Status	Date due	Barcode	Item holds
Adult Book	Phillipsburg Free Public Library	Adult Non-Fiction	New Books	327.127291 POP	Checked out	05/01/2024	36748002537159

Total holds: 0

Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:

*An Amazon Best Book of 2023*

*Apple Book of the Month for January*

The incredible true story of Ana Montes, the most damaging female spy in US history, drawing upon never-before-seen material and to be published upon her release from prison, for readers of Agent Sonya and A Woman of No Importance.

Just days after the 9-11 attacks, a senior Pentagon analyst eased her red Toyota Echo into traffic and headed to work. She never saw the undercover cars tracking her every turn. As she settled into her cubicle on the 6th floor of the Defense Intelligence Agency in Washington, FBI Agents and twitchy DIA officers were hiding in nearby offices. For this was the day that Ana Montes--the US Intelligence Community superstar who had just won a prestigious fellowship at the CIA--was to be arrested and publicly exposed as a secret agent for Cuba.

Like spies Aldrich Ames and Robert Hanssen before her, Ana Montes blindsided her colleagues with brazen acts of treason. For nearly 17 years, Montes succeeded in two high-stress jobs. By day, she was one of the government's top Cuba experts, a buttoned-down GS-14 with shockingly easy access to classified documents. By night, she was on the clock for Fidel Castro, listening to coded messages over shortwave radio, passing US secrets to handlers in local restaurants, and slipping into Havana wearing a wig.

Montes didn't just deceive her country. Her betrayal was intensely personal. Her mercurial father was a former US Army Colonel. Her brother and sister-in-law were FBI Special Agents. And her only sister, Lucy, also worked her entire career for the Bureau. The highlight of her distinguished 31 years as a Miami-based language specialist: Helping the FBI flush Cuban spies out of the United States. Little did Lucy or her family know that the greatest Cuban spy of all was sitting right next to them at Thanksgivings, baptisms, and weddings.

In Code Name Blue Wren, investigative journalist Jim Popkin weaves the tale of two sisters who chose two very different paths, plus the unsung heroes who had to fight to bring Ana to justice. With exclusive access to a "Secret" CIA behavioral profile of Ana, family memoirs, and Ana's incriminating letters from prison, Popkin reveals the making of a traitor--a woman labelled "one of the most damaging spies in U.S. history" by America's top counter-intelligence official.

After more than two decades in federal prison, Montes will be freed in January 2023. Code Name Blue Wren is a thrilling detective tale, an insider's look at the clandestine world of espionage, and an intimate exploration of the dark side of betrayal.

Includes bibliographical references (pages 315-337) and index.

"Like spies Aldrich Ames and Robert Hanssen before her, Ana Montes blindsided her colleagues with brazen acts of treason. For nearly 17 years, Montes succeeded in two high -stress jobs. By day, she was one of the government's top Cuba experts, a buttoned-down GS-14 with shockingly easy access to classified documents. By night, she was on the clock for Fidel Castro, listening to coded messages over shortwave radio, passing US secrets to handlers in local restaurants, and slipping into Havana wearing a wig. In Code Name Blue Wren, investigative journalist Jim Popkin weaves the tale of two sisters who chose two very different paths, plus the unsung heroes who had to fight to bring Ana to justice"-- Provided by publisher.

Table of contents provided by Syndetics

Introduction (13)
Chapter 1 The World's Worst Sorority (19)
Chapter 2 Topeka (23)
Chapter 3 The Hothouse (31)
Chapter 4 Stevie Wonder and Chocolate Chip Cookies (39)
Chapter 5 The Cauldron (53)
Chapter 6 "Our Native Land Calls to Us" (63)
Chapter 7 "A Sense of Moral Outrage" (71)
Chapter 8 "A Rich Array of Targets" (83)
Chapter 9 Headed for a Collision (93)
Chapter 10 Destination Havana (95)
Chapter 11 Miami Vice (105)
Chapter 12 A Warrior Monk Deep within the Bureaucracy (111)
Chapter 13 Death of a Green Beret (117)
Chapter 14 Surrounded (123)
Chapter 15 A Meteoric Rise (129)
Chapter 16 Spying Gets Lonely (133)
Chapter 17 Royal Flush (141)
Chapter 18 The Kmart Security Guard (147)
Chapter 19 The Interview (151)
Chapter 20 "One of the Most Damaging Spies" (157)
Chapter 21 Bottoming Out (171)
Chapter 22 "A Limited Capacity" (177)
Chapter 23 The Seventh Floor (185)
Chapter 24 La Otra (189)
Chapter 25 McCoy (197)
Chapter 26 Warming Up the Ice Queen (205)
Chapter 27 Grip and Grin (209)
Chapter 28 Scott and Gator (213)
Chapter 29 "We're Going to War" (217)
Chapter 30 Full Field (225)
Chapter 31 Confiding in Robert Hanssen (233)
Chapter 32 Snuckln like Ninjas (239)
Chapter 33 A Manati Farewell (247)
Chapter 34 Out of Time (251)
Chapter 35 The Immaculate Confession (257)
Chapter 36 Your Sister Is a Spy (263)
Chapter 37 "All the World Is One Country" (271)
Chapter 38 Escape to Sweden (281)
Chapter 39 "A Psychological Hell" (289)
Chapter 40 "You Are a Coward" (297)
Chapter 41 Release (301)
Epilogue (303)
Author's Note (307)
Endnotes (315)
Index (339)

Reviews provided by Syndetics

Library Journal Review

A high-up at the Defense Intelligence Agency, Ana Montes spent 17 years sharing U.S. intelligence secrets with the Cuban government, who then sold them to countries like Russia, Venezuela, and Iran. She was arrested shortly after 9/11, and among those who felt most keenly betrayed was her sister Lucy, a veteran FBI agent who won awards for helping to unmask Cuban spies. With a 75,000-copy first printing.

Publishers Weekly Review

Investigative journalist Popkin's engrossing debut tells the story of Ana Montes, an intelligence analyst for the U.S. government who, probably before she joined the Defense Intelligence Agency in 1985, was spying for Cuba. In 1998, the efforts of her sister, Lucy, an FBI analyst, to bring down a Cuban spy ring in Miami led to clues about a highly placed U.S. citizen working for Cuba. The FBI and DIA spent more than two years investigating, but came up short due to a lack of cooperation between the agencies. It wasn't until they finally shared information that they identified the spy as Montes. She was arrested 10 days after 9/11, which explains the lack of headlines her capture received. Montes pleaded guilty to one count of espionage, receiving 25 years in prison. Popkin thoroughly explores her upbringing--an abusive father divorced her mother--but never really explains why she became an ardent supporter of Fidel Castro to the extent that she risked her high-level position at the DIA and ultimately her freedom. This is a must-read for espionage fans. Agent: Matt Latimer, Javelin. (Jan.)

Kirkus Book Review

The life of "the most important spy you've never heard of." As Popkin recounts, Ana Montes (b. 1957) was arrested days after 9/11, when Americans were "shell-shocked" by the attack. The New York Times ran a story on Page 7. A high-level operative of the Defense Intelligence Agency, Montes spied for Cuba from 1985 to 2001. Since her family talked freely after her arrest, there is plenty of material for the author to re-create her life and career. They had moved to the U.S. from Puerto Rico and prospered, so all her siblings attended college. Ironically, two of her siblings--and their spouses--were "true-blue FBI." After obtaining a degree in international relations, Montes took a low-level job in the Justice Department, impressed superiors, obtained a top-secret clearance within a year, transferred to the DIA in 1985, and continued to climb the ladder. In a parallel story, Popkin notes that Montes' sister joined the FBI that same year and enjoyed similar success in Florida. At the time, Castro's Cuba operated a frugal but efficient intelligence service. Recruited by a college friend, Montes underwent an informal but rigorous course in spycraft and then got to work. Popkin delivers a gripping account of her routine, which lacked the fireworks of a Hollywood spy story but contained plenty of stress--so much so that she sought psychiatric help. Her activities attracted enough concern to produce a frightening 1996 interview with a counterintelligence officer, but they didn't have enough evidence to bring her to justice. Clues to the presence of a Cuban mole continued to bother security agents, but years passed before investigators focused on Montes. Popkin writes a fascinating account of the months before her arrest, during which her apartment, computer, and purse were searched without her knowledge. Following advice from her lawyers, she confessed, cooperated, and received a long prison term, which ends in January 2023. She has never expressed regret. An entertaining story of cunning espionage. Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.