An exhilarating tale of one remarkable woman’s journey to find her purpose, and herself, in post-war America.
New York, 1954. A Fifth Avenue address, parties at the Plaza, two healthy sons and the ideal husband: what looks like a perfect life for Katharina Edgeworth is anything but.
As a single girl in 1940s Manhattan, Katharina was a translator at the newly formed United Nations, devoting her days to her work and the promise of world peace – and her nights to cocktails and the promise of a good time.
Now the wife of a beloved pediatric surgeon and heir to a shipping fortune, Katharina is trapped in a gilded cage, desperate to escape the constraints of domesticity. So when she is approached by the FBI and asked to join their ranks as an informant, Katharina seizes the opportunity. A man from her past has become a high-level Soviet spy, but no one has been able to infiltrate his circle.
Enter Katharina, the perfect woman for the job.
Navigating the demands of the FBI and the secrets of the KGB, she becomes enthralled by her secret mission. But as those closest to her lose their covers, and their lives, Katharina’s secret soon threatens to ruin her.
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"‘Tanabe has long delighted readers of historical fiction with her beautiful writing, compelling plots and sumptuous historic details. In A Woman of Intelligence, she gives fans a heroine to root for in the strong, complex and spirited Katharina Edgeworth. This is the story of a woman who dares to dream beyond the gilded cage and stifling social mores into which life has boxed her, and who proves the indelible power of women to change the world in the process.’"
— Allison Pataki, New York Times bestselling author of The Queen's Fortune
‘What a delicious skein of secrets Karin Tanabe has spooled in A Woman of Intelligence, somehow entwining the lies it takes to sustain the fiction of happy motherhood with the lies it takes to work as a covert operative for the FBI in 1954 at the height of the McCarthy hearings. Katharina Edgeworth’s awakening into the gray area of patriotic action is prescient, relevant and, above all, deeply satisfying. I loved diving into this world.’
— Sarah Blake, New York Times bestselling author of The Guest Book‘Karin Tanabe delivers her most complex heroine yet in A Woman of Intelligence. Katharina Edgeworth, a former UN translator, unfulfilled in her role as wife and mother, finds herself leading a double life as an FBI informant during the McCarthy era. Filled with intrigue and wit, Tanabe takes readers on a meticulously researched journey through post WWII New York. This is a novel for fans of thrillers and historical fiction alike.’
— Renee Rosen, author of Park Avenue SummerBe the first to write a review about this audiobook!
Karin Tanabe is the author of several novels, including The Gilded Years, which is set to be a major motion picture. She is a graduate of Vassar College and a former Politico reporter, and her writing has also been featured in the Washington Post, Miami Herald, Chicago Tribune, and Newsday. She has appeared as a celebrity and politics expert on Entertainment Tonight, CNN, and CBS Early Show.
Jennifer Jill Araya has been trained as an opera singer and orchestral cellist, lending a musicality and depth of understanding to her narration that help bring her authors’ stories to life. When she’s not narrating, Jennifer can be found hiking, biking, running, or generally exploring her home city of Cincinnati with her husband, Arturo, and their two children.