Stealing Stealth is a Cold War spy thriller about a master thief and a burned-but-still-burning CIA case officer who get pulled into a fight over the future of stealth technology. We meet Gabrielle Hyde in 1975 Toronto, dropping into a dusty old government office from a ventilation shaft to steal classified files while half the law-enforcement world hunts her. At the same time, John Olson, a young CIA case officer with something to prove, becomes obsessed with catching her and then with stopping a legendary Soviet operator, Sasha Morozov, from getting his hands on America’s experimental stealth aircraft research, the kind of “perfect first-strike weapon” that could tip the whole Cold War. Their paths cross, collide, and eventually twist together as they race from rooftops and embassies to African markets and the secretive Skunk Works facility, trying to plug leaks, uncover a mole, and keep a fragile nuclear treaty from falling apart.

Reading it, I felt like I was sitting in a dark theater watching one of those big, old-school spy movies. The writing leans into atmosphere: the musty FBI outpost, the humid chaos of Mogadishu’s markets, the cold wind high over Toronto when Olson literally throws himself between rooftops after Hyde. Scenes play out in clean, visual language that made it easy for me to track the action without getting lost in technical detail. I liked how the book switches perspectives between Gabrielle, Olson, and even Morozov, so I never felt like I was stuck on just one side of the board. The pacing feels very much like a modern spy thriller: bursts of intense action, then quieter conversations where people argue about loyalty, politics, and what it costs to do this kind of work. There are moments where the briefing-room talk about treaties and stealth programs slows things down a bit, but most of the time it adds weight instead of drag, reminding me this is not just about a cool gadget in a metal case, it is about who gets to shape the world.

What stuck with me most were the choices the characters are forced to make. Olson is haunted by a failed operation in Somalia and the death of his partner; that guilt colors everything he does after, especially when he is ordered to stand down and decides to ignore it. Gabrielle is fun to watch because she is both playful and ruthless, a thief who talks about capability as a kind of moral authority and treats sexism in the agencies as another lock to pick. The book lets her be brilliant without sanding off her sharp edges, and I appreciated that. Morozov could have been a cartoon villain, but instead, we see his grief for his granddaughter and the way he is forced back into being “the Demon” when she is taken and ransomed for the stealth data. It does not excuse what he does, but it makes him more human and more unsettling. I also liked the thread about institutions versus individuals: the CIA, FBI, and political leadership spend as much energy protecting careers and narratives as they do protecting the country, and Olson and Hyde are constantly working around their own side as much as they are fighting the enemy.

Stealing Stealth is a solid, character-driven spy thriller with a techno edge, the kind of book you pick up for the rooftop chases and Cold War tension and stay for the messy loyalties and bruised hearts underneath. If you like stories in the vein of Cold War espionage, enjoy the mix of spies, thieves, and experimental weapons, and you appreciate a capable female lead who is always three moves ahead, this book will likely hit the spot for you.

Pages: 474 | ASIN : B0FSL2KVB8