The Secretary

Deborah Lawrenson

Feb 2025 · Book Guild Publishing

About this ebook

Moscow, 1958. At the height of the Cold War, secretary Lois Vale is on a deep-cover MI6 mission to identify a diplomatic traitor. She can trust only one man: Johann, a German journalist also working covertly for the British secret service. As the trail leads to Vienna and the Black Sea, Lois and Johann begin an affair but as love grows, so does the danger to Lois.

A tense Cold War spy story told from the perspective of a bright, young, working-class woman recruited to MI6 at a time when men were in charge of making history and women were expendable.

Ratings and reviews

I’d recommend The Secretary to anyone who loves Cold War fiction, but especially to readers who enjoy slower, more introspective spy stories. This isn’t an action-packed thriller. It’s a character study wrapped in espionage. If you liked Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy but wished it had more emotional depth, or if you ever wondered what it would be like to spy without backup, this is your book. I closed it feeling both chilled and strangely moved.

THE SECRETARY by Deborah Lawrenson is an historical, Cold War espionage thriller focusing on British MI6 undercover agent, secretary PA Lois Vale.THE SECRETARY is a story of cold war secrets and lies, betrayal and vengeance, power and control, espionage,intimidation and treason, shadows and covert missions based loosely in fact, wrapped in an abundance of historical fiction -the political machinations are limited; the undercurrent of mistrust is abundant. The premise is intriguing & dramatic

About the author

Deborah Lawrenson spent her childhood moving around the world with diplomatic service parents, from Kuwait to China, Belgium, Luxembourg and Singapore. She worked as a journalist in London and has written eight novels.