Jim Popkin. (2023). Code Name Blue Wren: The True Story of America's Most Dangerous Female Spy—and the Sister She Betrayed. Unabridged Harlequin Audio.

Jim Popkin. 2023. Code Name Blue Wren: The True Story of America's Most Dangerous Female Spy—and the Sister She Betrayed. Harlequin Audio.

Jim Popkin, Code Name Blue Wren: The True Story of America's Most Dangerous Female Spy—and the Sister She Betrayed. Harlequin Audio, 2023.

Jim Popkin. Code Name Blue Wren: The True Story of America's Most Dangerous Female Spy—and the Sister She Betrayed. Unabridged Harlequin Audio, 2023.

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The True Story of America's Most Dangerous Female Spy—and the Sister She Betrayed

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     Jim Popkin is a journalist and writer whose work has appeared in Washington Post Magazine, WIRED, Newsweek, Slate, The Guardian, Washingtonian and on National Public Radio. He was a senior investigative producer at NBC News as well as an on-air correspondent, and his stories have appeared on NBC's Today, NBC Nightly News, MSNBC and CNBC. He received a BA from Northwestern University and a master's of studies in law from Yale Law School, and he currently resides in Washington, DC.
     

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     Jim Popkin is a journalist and writer whose work has appeared in Washington Post Magazine, WIRED, Newsweek, Slate, The Guardian, Washingtonian and on National Public Radio. He was a senior investigative producer at NBC News as well as an on-air correspondent, and his stories have appeared on NBC's Today, NBC Nightly News, MSNBC and CNBC. He received a BA from Northwestern University and a master's of studies in law from Yale Law School, and he currently resides in Washington, DC.
     

   • name: Jim Popkin

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2023-01-03T00:00:00-05:00

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title

Code Name Blue Wren

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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.
Supplemental enhancement PDF accompanies the audiobook.

reviews

1. • premium: True
   • source:
   • content:

     November 21, 2022
     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.

2. • premium: True
   • source:
   • content: Investigative journalist Jim Popkin takes listeners on an incredible journey through the life of Ana Montes, possibly the most damaging female spy in America's history. Montes, the government's top Cuba expert, worked closely with the intelligence community during the Castro years. She had a top-secret clearance and received awards for her dedication even as she passed classified documents to Cuba. In a matter-of-fact delivery, Popkin presents this true account of the damage caused by Montes's seventeen-year spying career. Her sister, an FBI employee, turned over family documents and personal letters, helping to build the case against her. Throughout, Montes steadfastly believed that she was doing the right thing for Cuba. Her twenty-two year prison sentence ends in January 2023. S.J.H. © AudioFile 2023, Portland, Maine
3. • premium: True
   • source:
   • content:

     Starred review from June 1, 2023
     

     Renowned as an investigative reporter for multiple news outlets, Popkin narrates his well-researched work about Ana Montes, the woman who spied for Cuba in one of the most damaging espionage cases in U.S. history. Popkin's dogged passion for this topic shows in his performance. He exudes empathy for Montes when describing her abusive father, tenderness when discussing her mother, and tension as the bond breaks between Montes and her sister, an FBI agent. He marvels at how an emotionally detached Montes worked as the Defense Intelligence Agency's (DIA) Cuban analyst, garnering accolades and promotions within the DIA, while also slipping top-secret intelligence to Cuban handlers for nearly 17 years. Though the FBI suspected her of being a spy, Montes left behind no evidence. It was a Cuban immigrant, an analyst for the NSA, that found proof that the mole was Montes. Convicted of espionage, she was sentenced to 25 years at the supermax unit of FMC Carswell in Fort Worth, TX. A smooth production, this audiobook skillfully manages a myriad of direct quotations and maintains an engaging newscaster perspective throughout. VERDICT This deep dive into the case of Ana Montes is meticulously presented and will captivate true-crime lovers.--Stephanie Bange

     Copyright 2023 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

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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...

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The True Story of America's Most Dangerous Female Spy—and the Sister She Betrayed

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