Spies in the family An American spymaster, his Russian crown jewel, and the friendship that helped end the Cold War

Dillon's book is a poignant portrait about how espionage touches personal lives. Focusing on American spy Paul Dillon (the author's father) and Soviet spy Dimitri Polyakov, it explores how each navigated the dangers of the Cold War. Readers will quickly see how the Soviet and American espionage apparatuses were quite similar. Furthermore, there is a connection between the two men that makes their lives even more remarkable. This story reveals how each created separate identities—the one at work and the one at home. It is astounding to realize how little each family knew about what their patriarch did and the dangers he endured. This volume further adds to the understanding about Cold War intelligence services and is similar to Benjamin Weiser's A Secret Life, David E. Hoffman's The Billion Dollar Spy, and Kati Marton's True Believer. VERDICT An intriguing work with a touching narrative. Cold War historians and espionage aficionados will be delighted. [See Prepub Alert, 11/14/16.]—Jacob Sherman, John Peace Lib., Univ. of Texas at San Antonio Copyright 2017 Library Journal.

The daughter of a high-ranking American intelligence officer traces the story of her father and the CIA's highest ranking double agent at the height of the Cold War.

A veteran magazine journalist and daughter of a high-ranking American intelligence officer traces the story of her family's influential relationship with the family of the CIA's highest-ranking double agent at the height of the Cold War. 35,000 first printing.

"The true story of two spies and their families on opposite sides of the Cold War, told from the first-person perspective of Eva Dillon, the daughter of one of these spies. With impeccable insider access to both families as well as CIA officers, Dillon offers a riveting true-life spy thriller told in the tradition of a family memoir"--Provided by publisher.

A riveting true-life thriller and revealing memoir from the daughter of an American intelligence officer—the astonishing true story of two spies and their families on opposite sides of the Cold War.In the summer of 1975, seventeen-year-old Eva Dillon was living in New Delhi with her family when her father was exposed as a CIA spy. Eva had long believed that her father was a U.S. State Department employee. She had no idea that he was handling the CIA’s highest-ranking double agent—Dmitri Fedorovich Polyakov—a Soviet general whose code name was TOPHAT. Dillon’s father and Polyakov had a close friendship that went back years, to their first meeting in Burma in the mid-1960s. At the height of the Cold War, the Russian offered the CIA an unfiltered view into the vault of Soviet intelligence. His collaboration helped ensure that tensions between the two nuclear superpowers did not escalate into a shooting war. Spanning fifty years and three continents, Spies in the Family is a deeply researched account of two families on opposite sides of the lethal espionage campaigns of the Cold War, and two men whose devoted friendship lasted a lifetime, until the devastating final days of their lives. With impeccable insider access to both families as well as knowledgeable CIA and FBI officers, Dillon goes beyond the fog of secrecy to craft an unforgettable story of friendship and betrayal, double agents and clandestine lives, that challenges our notions of patriotism, exposing the commonality between peoples of opposing political economic systems. Both a gripping tale of spy craft and a moving personal story, Spies in the Family is an invaluable and heart-rending work.Spies in the Family includes 25 black-and-white photos.

A riveting true-life thriller and revealing memoir from the daughter of an American intelligence officer'the astonishing true story of two spies and their families on opposite sides of the Cold War.In the summer of 1975, seventeen-year-old Eva Dillon was living in New Delhi with her family when her father was exposed as a CIA spy. Eva had long believed that her father was a U.S. State Department employee. She had no idea that he was handling the CIA's highest-ranking double agent'Dmitri Fedorovich Polyakov'a Soviet general whose code name was TOPHAT. Dillon's father and Polyakov had a close friendship that went back years, to their first meeting in Burma in the mid-1960s. At the height of the Cold War, the Russian offered the CIA an unfiltered view into the vault of Soviet intelligence. His collaboration helped ensure that tensions between the two nuclear superpowers did not escalate into a shooting war. Spanning fifty years and three continents, Spies in the Family is a deeply researched account of two families on opposite sides of the lethal espionage campaigns of the Cold War, and two men whose devoted friendship lasted a lifetime, until the devastating final days of their lives. With impeccable insider access to both families as well as knowledgeable CIA and FBI officers, Dillon goes beyond the fog of secrecy to craft an unforgettable story of friendship and betrayal, double agents and clandestine lives, that challenges our notions of patriotism, exposing the commonality between peoples of opposing political economic systems. Both a gripping tale of spy craft and a moving personal story, Spies in the Family is an invaluable and heart-rending work.Spies in the Family includes 25 black-and-white photos.