Review: WHO IS VERA KELLY by Rosalie Knecht

Thank you so much to Tin House for providing my free copy – all opinions are my own.

Book Description

New York City, 1962. Vera Kelly is struggling to make rent and blend into the underground gay scene in Greenwich Village. She’s working night shifts at a radio station when her quick wits, sharp tongue, and technical skills get her noticed by a recruiter for the CIA. Next thing she knows she’s in Argentina, tasked with wiretapping a congressman and infiltrating a group of student activists in Buenos Aires. As Vera becomes more and more enmeshed with the young radicals, the fragile local government begins to split at the seams. When a betrayal leaves her stranded in the wake of a coup, Vera learns the Cold War makes for strange and unexpected bedfellows, and she’s forced to take extreme measures to save herself.

My Review

I really enjoyed this book! And can we just take a moment to admire this cover?!! It’s PERFECT and really showcases the story inside! I really loved the character Vera. So much so, I would love to see this as a series. It’s not a typical spy novel but rather more of a short piece of literary fiction about a spy. The book is short with chapters that alternate between past and present.

In the 1960’s, Vera is a CIA agent stationed in Argentina. Her assignment is to infiltrate a group of student radicals and wiretap a congressman. A betrayal leaves her stranded during the wake of a coup, so she must use whatever skills necessary to survive.

My favorite aspect of the book are the chapters about Vera’s past! I just love a good backstory! I highly recommend this book to lovers of historical fiction with an espionage edge!

My rating is 4 out of 5 stars!

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