“In the early days of the Cold War, many Americans simply could not believe that a perfect gentleman like Alger Hiss could be a Red spy. David Adams Cleveland uses his gifts as a storyteller to imagine deeper human truths behind the headlines. Gods of Deception is a lushly vivid tale of a haunted time.”…
Chapter 2 As I gave my name at the entrance to Merton College it was still light, with that persistent and peaceful quality of summer days in England. While I waited for Seldom to come and get me, I peered into the grassy quadrangle of the first courtyard and became once more ensnared by…
Excerpt As hiding places went, you could do worse than the Village on a rainy Tuesday night. The bartenders at McSorley’s Old Ale House, on East 7th Street, liked to point to the dusty wooden chair tied to the ceiling and claim Abraham Lincoln had sat his bony ass in it a hundred years…
PROLOGUE The bones come first. A gift, but nothing wanted. Next, a doll: a likeness, a promise. And the blood marks the choice. It finds a face, and then you know. Help. I need help. That’s what he said; I remember it clearly. Voices in the night, and footsteps, soft and slow on a carpet…
c h a p t e r 1 Boston—1993 It happens in November. You are walking down Beacon Street when you feel a chill settle deep within you. It’s the kind of feeling you know won’t let go till the warmest spring day arrives with plans to linger. Or perhaps you are being followed. You…
A Note from Phillip Margolin From 1972 until 1996, I had a law practice that specialized in criminal defense. During that time, I handled a number of cases that featured the testimony of experts on fingerprints, blood spatter, neutron activation analysis and other areas of science. In my opinion, you will usually win your case…
Chapter 1 “Taleggio.” I presented the younger couple with a sample of the dense, pale yellow cheese with its orange edible rind. I watched for their reaction, knowing they’d sense a pudding silkiness on their tongue just a moment before delighting in its mellow sweetness and lingering earthy aftertaste. When their smiles told me…
Chapter 1: Michael As Michael Hart rounded the corner to his hotel room, he saw a small, lifeless shape lying on the floor of the hallway. It was Teddy. Teddy’s arms were splayed open wide like the T-shape of a cross, legs straight as boards, feet pointed up at the ceiling. Still as stone, his…
Chapter One The Penthouse Robberies It was customary for my dear wife, Joanna, to situate herself at the window of our parlor at 221b Baker Street and observe the ongoings down below. On more than a few occasions the view of an individual approaching our doorstep heralded the arrival of a most intriguing case which…
A Note from Author Mindy Quigley I am not known for my cooking. Or maybe I am, but not in a good way. When my girlfriends and I used to have regular potlucks, I got put in charge of bringing the salad. Then I was demoted to buying the bread. Finally, I was told that…
