Jim nicholson was the highestranking cia officer ever convicted of espionage. In a stunning piece of reporting bryan denson has unraveled one of the. Investigative reporter and pulitzer prize finalist bryan denson tells the riveting story of the father and son coconspirators who betrayed the united states. One of the strangest spy stories in american history robert lindsey, author of the falcon and the snowman. The culmination of a sixyear investigation, bryan denson has masterfully crafted a highspeed, highstakes account of this.
He played catandmouse with the kgb during cold war postings in the philippines, thailand, and japan, and then, when the soviet union collapsed, he ran spy. The riveting true story of the fatherandson coconspirators who sold us national secrets to russia. By day, he taught spycraft at the cias clandestine training center, the farm. What other book might you compare the spys son to and why. Discover delightful childrens books with prime book box, a subscription that delivers new books.
The riveting, true story of the fatherandson coconspirators who sold us national secrets to russia. The true story of the highestranking cia officer ever convicted of espionage and the son he trained to spy for russia. Bryan denson, an investigative reporter and veteran staff writer for the. The true account of the nicholsons, the father and son who sold national secrets to russia. A highspeed, highstakes account of the riveting true story of a fathers deception, a sons loyalty, and the terrible costs of betraying both country and kinback jacket flap. Oregonian reporter denson s tale is an exploration of family dynamics when the stakes are as high as treason. Bryan denson jim nicholson was the highestranking cia officer ever convicted of espionage.
The true story of the highestranking cia officer ever convicted of espionage and the son he trained to. Densons suspenseful story of the nicholsons reprehensible activities is an adventurous read, revealing tradecraft used by both spies and spy catchers. The spys son, bryan denson shop online for books in new. Denson is at his best recounting jims career trajectory and. He was a staff writer at five daily newspapers, including the houston post, and he has written for. Bryan denson tells the tale of a spy convicted of selling secrets to russia who then hands the work to his son. By night, he was a minivandriving single father racing home to have dinner with his kids. See all 9 formats and editions hide other formats and editions. The spys son book south san francisco public library. He drew upon fbi reports, court documents, military records, personal correspondence and hundreds of hours of interviews with nathan for this award winning book. However, it was from behind the bars of a federal prison that.
Denson puts his reporting chops to good use, packing the book with information but never overwhelming readers and maintaining tension, interest and momentum. Robert lindsey, author of the falcon and the snowman investigative reporter and pulitzer prize finalist bryan denson tells the riveting story of the nicholsonsfather and son coconspirators who deceived their country by sel. The book is available for purchase now, but hits bookstores in the usa and canada may 5, 2015. Spys son the true story of the highest ranking cia officer. A single father, respected mentor and brilliant case officer, he was also a double agent selling thousands of state. After reading bryan denson s superbly entertaining and informative book, my own choice is james nicholson, a cia officer who not only spied for the russians, but dragged his young son into the.
The spys son takes readers deep inside the world of spies and spy catchers, a dysfunctional cia family, and the secret catandmouse games still playing out between the united states and russia. The spy s son one of the 10 portland books you must read this summer. Bryan denson, an investigative reporter and veteran staff writer for the oregonian, is a pulitzer prize finalist in journalism for national reporting and for the robert f. A talented case officer with a rolex watch and handtailored suits, jims elan and fierce patriotic streak shot him to stardom. Spys son is based on bryan densons bestselling 2015 book, which tells the true story of a highranking star cia officer who was brought low when he.
It will keep readers awake as he takes them deep into a world of international espionage populated by kgb and cia agents, american spy catchers and a. The spys son is a startling story of a fatherson team who bluffed the cia. That was my reaction to the spys son in which bryan denson recounts the story of jim and nathan nicholson a father and son pair of spies. My historyhistorical fiction book club us meeting in early january to discuss the spys son by bryan denson. Author bryan denson, an experienced journalist, leads us step by step through an extraordinary espionage case that stretched, in two phases, from the mid1990s to. In a stunning piece of reporting bryan denson has unraveled one of the strangest spy stories in american history and written a haunting book as fast paced and as exciting as the best spy novel. Despite a confusingbut thankfully shortdigression into a 2010 spy swap between russia and the u. Denson puts his reporting chops to good use, packing the book with. Its very recent history, written by a journalist, so its different in content and style from the usual history and biography that i read. The true story of the highestranking cia officer ever convicted of espionage and the son he trained to spy for russia hardcover may 5 2015 by bryan denson author 4. The crooked cia officer who brought his son into the. Bryan denson, an investigative reporter and senior staff writer for the oregonian, is a pulitzer prize finalist for journalism and winner of the george polk award, among many other honours. The true story of the highestranking cia officer ever. The spys son is a startling story of a fatherson team.
A haunting book as fast paced and as exciting as the best spy novel. Kennedy journalism award, and the winner of the george polk award, among many other honors. Robert lindsey, author of the falcon and the snowman investigative reporter and pulitzer prize finalist bryan denson tells the riveting story of the nicholsonsfather and son coconspirators who deceived their country by selling national secrets to russia. A single father, respected mentor, and brilliant case officer, he was also a double agent selling thousands of state secrets to the russians. Valerie plame author of fair game in a stunning piece of reporting bryan denson has unraveled one of the strangest spy stories in american history and written a haunting book as fast paced and as exciting as the best spy novel. In june 1997, judge james cacheris sentenced harold james. Jim nicholson was one of the cias top veteran case officers. Investigative reporter and pulitzer prize finalist bryan denson tells the riveting story of the nicholsonsfather and son coconspirators who deceived their country by selling national secrets to russia.
Bryan denson is a reporter with the oregonian newspaper. Investigative reporter and pulitzer prizefinalist bryan denson tells the riveting story of the father and son coconspirators who betrayed the united states. How a cia traitor turned his son into a russian spy cnn. Jim nicholson earned the nickname batman early in his spy career with the cia. By day he taught spycraft at the cias clandestine training center, the farm. Investigative reporter and pulitzer prize finalist bryan denson tells the riveting story of the nicholsons father and son coconspirators who deceived their country by selling national secrets to russia. Bryan denson is a veteran american journalist, a winner of the george polk award and finalist for the pulitzer prize. The spys son takes readers deep inside the world of spies and spy catchers, a dysfunctional cia family, and the secret catandmouse games still playing out between the. The book starts with son nathaniels final meeting with a russian operative in cyprus, then jobs back in time to tell the story of how his father, harold james jim nicholson came to work for the cia. The spys son is the amazing account of the dysfunctional nicholson familys foray into the treacherous world of selling out ones country to the russians. Buy the spys son by bryan denson from waterstones today. The spys son goes inside the private meeting rooms of the fbi and cia, delves into the postcold war intrigues between moscow and washington, and steps behind the closed doors of a family struggling to stay together.
Awardwinning investigative reporter bryan denson tells the riveting true story of a fatherson spy plot, a modernday tale of espionage and betrayal that reads like a novel. The cia officer who recruited his son to spy for russia. If you want to learn the 21stcentury equivalent of those rules, the spys son is a great place to startalthough in real life, they dont always work as smoothly as in fiction. Author bryan denson, an experienced journalist, leads us step by step through an extraordinary espionage case that stretched, in two phases, from the mid1990s to 2011. Atlantic monthlyatlantic monthly bryan denson, a reporter for the oregonian. The spys son the true story of the highestranking cia officer ever convicted of espionage and the son he trained to spy for russia book. The true story of the highestranking cia officer ever convicted of espionage and the.