Alma Katsu is the award-winning author of five novels, most recently The Deep and The Hunger. Prior to the publication of her first novel, she had a thirty-five-year career as a senior intelligence analyst for several U.S. agencies, including the CIA and NSA, as well as RAND, the global policy think tank. Katsu is a graduate of the master's writing program at the Johns Hopkins University and received her bachelor's degree from Brandeis University. She lives outside of Washington, D.C., with her husband, where she is a consultant to government and private industry on future trends and analytic methods.
Finalist for the International Thriller Writers Award
A New York Times Book Review Editors' Choice
One of:
Northern Virginia Magazine's Best Beach Reads
BookPage's Most Anticipated Mysteries and Thrillers of 2021
Writer's Digest's 71 Books and Authors to Check Out in 2021
“Katsu, a longtime intelligence analyst for the C.I.A. and N.S.A,
writes what she’s most professionally familiar with after years in
the paranormal and horror novel trenches. The plotting is
sophisticated and laced with surprises, but what stands out most is
the emotional core of Lyndsey and Theresa’s alliance, and whether
there is room, in a nest of vipers, for true sisterhood.” –The New
York Times Book Review
“Terrific…Fans of FX’s ‘The Americans’ will recognize a world where
professionalism can fall prey to sexism, careerism, and
garden-variety klutziness. Duncan’s job is a lot ‘like juggling
knives,’ and Katsu makes us care that she doesn’t bobble.” –The
Washington Post
“Red Widow is layered with inside knowledge of how CIA bureaucracy
works; it is often a bleak workplace, it seems, where loyalty is in
short supply and careers can be ended on a whim.” –Financial
Times
"This political thriller is years in the making because it's based
on the author's own past as a woman working in the intelligence
field. DC-area readers familiar with that world will appreciate the
attention to detail and the way Katsu's experience shines through."
–Northern Virginia Magazine
"Lyndsey is a likeable, slightly mysterious heroine readers will
want to see again. And her creator, having traded ghosts and gore
for more subdued thrills, still manages plenty of jaw-dropping
revelations." –Charleston Post & Courier
“Alma Katsu’s main characters in Red Widow are written with a depth
and nuance that I found profoundly refreshing.” –Diplomatic
Courier
“In contrast to many other spy thrillers, Red Widow does not rely
on titillating and damaging stereotypes of women and tales of
‘sexpionage’ to advance the story line. Rather, the book
realistically and refreshingly portrays female intelligence
officers as highly professional, capable and ethical.” –Cipher
Brief
“The authenticity of [Katsu’s] experiences deepens every bit of
this story….I raced to the end, and you will too.” –Suspense
Magazine
“[Katsu] uses her 30-plus years of intelligence to create a
suspenseful, entertaining spy tale laced with authenticity.”
–Washington Post
“An exhilarating spy thriller.” –The Nerd Daily
“Katsu succeeds brilliantly here in capturing the ambience of
espionage in action. Red Widow is a driving, step-by-step
procedural bristling with suspenseful authenticity.” –Washington
Independent Review of Books
“[Alma Katsu] knows her stuff and already has proven that she can
write an engaging thriller….The plot never allows you to catch your
breath as the wheels keep turning with every new piece of
information uncovered, and nothing is as it appears to be.”
–BookReporter
“Katsu’s real-life experience and skill at maintaining taught,
nail-biting tension make Red Widow a standout espionage thriller.”
–BookPage (starred review)
“This fast-paced spy thriller offers a seemingly realistic look
inside the CIA and raises plenty of questions about the ethics of
spying. With a smart, plucky heroine; white-knuckle suspense;
multiple twists; and a satisfying conclusion, this is a must for
espionage fans.” –Booklist
“Gripping...An intriguing look at the day-to-day office politics
and jostling that goes on behind Langley’s walls. Best known for
her novels of psychological terror, Katsu shows a sure hand at a
new genre.” –Publishers Weekly
“Women serving in the CIA face unique challenges and Alma Katsu’s
exhilarating Red Widow captures the reality and nuances with deadly
accuracy, style, and truly enjoyable writing. As a former CIA
official, Alma writes with welcome insight about the ‘wilderness of
mirrors.’” –Valerie Plame, former covert CIA ops officer
“A first-rate thriller. Red Widow provides an intoxicating,
insider’s view of the CIA, betrayal, revenge, and espionage at the
highest levels and the highest stakes.” –Robert Dugoni, author of
The Last Agent
"Superb! Part savvy geopolitical spy thriller in the tradition of
John le Carré, part whipsawing investigative procedural, part
gripping psychological suspense, Red Widow grabs you in the
harrowing opening scene and never lets go—and I don’t mean at the
last page; this novel stays with you long after you’ve finished it.
Author Katsu brings an incisive and resonant voice to her tale and
has populated it with truly distinctive, fully formed characters,
including one of the sharpest and most appealing protagonists in
recent fiction: Lyndsey Duncan. Did I say superb? Well, consider it
said once more." –Jeffery Deaver, author of The Goodbye Man
“Red Widow is a spy thriller that shines with authenticity and
heart.” –Karen Cleveland, author of Need to Know
"Red Widow is a novel only Alma Katsu could have written—a gripping
story of secrets and loyalties that nails the brutal tradeoffs
involved in high-stakes espionage. Tense, smart, and fearless."
—Joseph Finder, author of House on Fire
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