The Vanishing Man

The Spy Who Vanished #1

by Alma Katsu

A renowned spy’s reputation is put to the test when he becomes an ally to his former enemy in the first installment of Yuri Kozlov’s trilogy from Alma Katsu, the award-winning author of Red Widow.

Yuri Kozlov is well known as the “Russian James Bond.” So when he defects to the United States during Putin’s war on Ukraine, suspicions arise around his loyalties. To prove he’s turned over a new leaf, he’ll have to convince his handlers—and the CIA’s rigorous debriefing and analysis—that his intentions are as honorable as he claims.

The Vanishing Man is part of The Spy Who Vanished, a three-part journey into the political unrest that forces Russia’s most famous spy to choose between his legacy and who he wants to become. Read or listen to each immersive story in a single sitting.

Genres: Thriller, Short Stories, Fiction, Audiobook, Mystery, Mystery Thriller, Espionage

43 pages, Kindle Edition

Published July 18, 2024

About the author

"Hard to put down. Not recommended reading after dark." -- Stephen King

"Makes the supernatural seem possible" -- Publishers Weekly

Award-winning author of eight novels, including historical horror (The Hunger, The Deep, The Fervor) and spy novels (Red Widow, Red London). Coming September 2025: FIEND (Putnam)

Reviews

[chantalsbookstuff · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 rounded up
Yuri Kozlov is like the Russian version of James Bond! His books might be short, but worth the effort. Not my most favorite type books, but I did enjoy his little excursion!

[Alan (the Lone Librarian rides again) Teder · Rating 2 out of 5]

The Spy Who Tried
Review of the Amazon Original Stories eBook (July 18, 2024) released simultaneously with the Audible Originals audiobook.

This story is really a novella which is rather unfairly split into 3 parts. There is only one story arc. A Russian assassin appears to defect to the USA citing their reason as dissatisfaction with Russia's invasion of Ukraine. But are they really a double? Can they be turned into a triple? The American security seems to be ridiculously weak and the agents stupidly gullible throughout.

Much of this is just stereotypical and nothing particularly surprising happens.

The Vanishing Man is part 1 of the 3 part novella The Spy Who Vanished.

Trivia and Links
Alma Katsu is the author of about 30 works of fiction in the historical fiction, horror and suspense category. Her best known series are The Taker Trilogy (2011-13) and the Red Widow Duology (2021-23). Her most popular work (based on the number of GR ratings and reviews) is The Hunger (2018). a horror fiction novel based on the real life Donner Party Expedition (1846-47).

You can watch for current and past Amazon Original Stories which are usually paired with their Audible Original narrations at an Amazon page here (link goes to Amazon US, adjust for your own country or region).

[Lou Jacobs · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Spy Who Vanished
by Alma Katsu
Pub Date: Jul 18 2024
Review by
Lou J, Media/Journalist
Last updated on Aug 26 2024
THE SPY WHO VANISHED by Alma Katsu
Published: July 18 2024 by AMAZON ORIGINAL Audio
Narrated by: Daniel Hemming
Length: 3 hours, 8 minutes


Alma Katsu returns with another immersive espionage novel dropped into the relevant historical setting, of Putin’s ongoing war with Ukraine. An ongoing cat and mouse game involving the shadowy world of spies pitting the CIA with the Russian intelligence service (FSB). The bait is Russia’s most famous and decorated spy, Yuri Kozlov, their answer to “James Bond,” with decades of assassinations and successful infiltrations. Is his defection to the C.I.A. legitimate or is he attempting to become a double agent? Katsu expertly weaves together three tales: The Vanishing Man, On Enemy Ground, and Shaken, Not Stirred, into a compelling story of secrets, deception, and testing ones inner worth and loyalty. Past and present musings intertwine to question Yuri’s interpretation of not only his present mission, but the significance of his past actions.
In the span of these three stories, Katsu expertly weaves together an extensive character study of multiple characters who as a baseline are deceitful and secretive. Katsu successfully ratchets up suspense and intrigue, that culminates in a surprising and believable denouement. The Audio version with Daniel Hemming was a treat to experience, as his marvelous voice inflections of multiple characters, brought the story to life in the “theatre of my mind.” Thanks to NetGalley and Amazon Original for supplying an advance audio version in exchange for an honest review.

[Ethan’s Books · Rating 3 out of 5]

Yuri Kostkov—a Russian spy turned U.S. spy… maybe. That’s the central mystery here, and through this three-part breakdown you’re left wondering if Yuri is really a double agent, or even a triple agent. The first story serves as a straightforward introduction, easy enough to follow, but it didn’t quite hook me enough to immediately jump into the next book. That said, I do plan to return to the series later on.

[Stefan · Rating 4 out of 5]

An intriguing opening chapter in this short story trilogy. Good characters, an intriguing premise. Looking forward to seeing how it turns out.

[Review copy via NetGalley.]

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

The first in a short story series from Amazon Original about the James Bond of Russia who comes to America.....Whos side is he on?????

[Chris · Rating 3 out of 5]

Book 1 of 3 short stories involving a Russian super spy defecting to the CIA over Putin's Ukraine adventure. You just know it's a con.

[Jeff · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fans of Katsu's impressive prose will find familiar territory in this spy story about "the Russian James Bond." While convincing and immersive, there isn't a lot of specialized covert operations knowledge or activity. In the first installment, deception is mostly limited to Yuri concealing the fact that he is a double agent. The reveal is helpful, because otherwise there wouldn't be much point to the story. Very little conflict, so far, and while it's enjoyable to read, other authors have done much more with 50 pages.

[Tomasz · Rating 3 out of 5]

WHAT WAS I THINKING, or, it's not like this was my first encounter with Alma Katsu's prose. And right now I'm inclined to think she's hard capped at three stars, yay creative writing programs. (Also, an uncharitable thought - it's a good thing she's no longer working with the intelligence). A quick and rather pointless read, the first third (and a bit) of an apparently skeletal story artificially divided.

[Denise · Rating 4 out of 5]

First part of a trilogy of spy thriller novellas. Off to a good start, I'm intrigued enough for grab the next one right away.

[Jasmine · Rating 1 out of 5]

“The CIA hired the Russian agent without doing their due diligence …” lmao ok, this is such an absurd concept that I just couldn’t take the story seriously when the author would make that choice

[Matt Mansfield · Rating 2 out of 5]

Last Call for a Russian James Bond

An aging Russian version of James Bond is sent on a mission as defector bait for the Western intelligence services to take. His mission: to eliminate another earlier defector as an object lesson for Vladimir Putin to put in front of others thinking of following suit.

An interesting volte-face premise unfortunately undercut by briefness of the story and lack of complexity in either plot or character development.

Alma Katsu’s 2024 three-part spy novella with separate titles, “The Vanishing Man”, “On Enemy Ground”, and “Shaken, Not Stirred", combined are maybe one hundred pages in length and can be read within a couple of hours. The interest, albeit brief, is the author’s lengthy experience working as a senior intelligence analyst for several US agencies.

Yuri Kozlov is on an uncomfortable mission which he takes because “…All Yuri cares about these days is survival.” As he admits to himself, “he wasn’t intelligent like some of his peers, the ones who rose through the ranks or slipped into the ‘private’ sector to run a corporation at Putin’s pleasure.”

He is successfully picked up by US Intelligence in forms of Renata Jacobs and many others – all reporting to Jennifer Grayson. Then, his mission unexpectedly changes and will the hunter become the hunted?

Despite three titles, the tale is one story and deserving of one review. It seems like a treatment for a video game script where the characters are ciphers and have little substance. The main interest is whether the author’s experience as an analyst offers any insight to how “foggy bottom” works.

Their secrets are safe for now.

[Ray Moon · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Defection

This book covers Yuri Kozlov’s defection, a top FSB spy and dirty deeds operative to the US. The start is action-packed and slows down once the spy is onboard a yacht to take him to a friendly airport for a flight to the US. His extraction was set up when Kozlov told the CIA station chief in Moscow that he wanted to defect because he disagreed strongly with what Putin was doing in Ukraine. The reader will learn a more nuanced version of his motivation.

His thoughts and relationship with Renata Jacobs, his Russian-speaking junior handler, provide insight into his background and character. His action at the end of this book clearly demonstrates his duplicitous nature.

There is very little of the trifecta of intimacy, language, and violence that is objectionable to some readers.

My major issue with this novel was how easily Kozlov could scout how to exit the secure compound. Also, the CIA safe house was not very secure in ensuring that there was no way to escape. The whole security posture appears to be lackadaisical. This incident is required for this series of short stories to work.

The flow of the main storyline was adequate, keeping my interest. I finished this novel in a few hours. I have read two previous short stories by this author. This one is not of the same quality as those short stories. You must read all three short stories to see the whole story. I did enjoy reading it. I rate all three novels read together with three and a half stars rounded to four stars. Taking this novel by itself, I rate it as a three. I do not understand why a short story is split into three individual books.

I received this novel's free prepublication e-book version through NetGalley from Amazon Short Stories. My review is based solely on my own reading experience. Thank you, Amazon Short Stories, for the opportunity to read and review this novel.

[Carole Barker · Rating 4 out of 5]

An infamous Russian spy defects to the US….or does he?

Yuri Kosovo is a legend in the world of espionage, referred to as the Russian James Bond (a nickname he hates) whose exploits are taught as part of basic training at the CIA. When he approaches a high ranking American at a function and says he wants to defect, it seems too good to be true. An exfiltration operation is planned and executed, and he is assigned Renata Jacobs as his handler. She is young, but something in her background may make her the perfect person to bring him into the fold. Is he like so many Russian operatives fed up with Putin’s actions in Ukraine, looking to get out before that regime collapses? Or is his defection happening for other reasons? In the world of espionage, no one should take anything at face value …and the best spies can sell a lie to anyone, even themselves.
This is the first is a compilation of three stories (The Vanishing Man, On Enemy Ground and Shaken Not Stirred) detailing Yuri’s defection from when he boards a speedboat in Instanbul as a body double distracts his pursuers through his vetting and debriefing in Virginia and beyond. It’s a peek behind the curtain of the intelligence world, where seasoned veterans and relative neophytes match wits and work to enhance their careers while struggling to ascertain the sincerity (or lack thereof) of a master spy. Yuri is an enigma, and discovers that even he isn’t completely certain which way he will decide to go, while Ren is much too green for this assignment but that naïveté coupled with her background may be what tips the scales for Yuri. A quick, fun read for fans of Alma Katsu’s Red Widow series as well as readers who like Ava Glass, Paul Vidich and Francine Matthews. My thanks to NetGalley and Amazon Original Stories for allowing me access to a copy of The Spy Who Vanished.

[Thomas Kiley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Yuri Kozlov is a legend in the spy community for his years of exploits on missions. Except now he is defecting to the United States. The CIA needs to work to figure out his true motivations and whether he can be trusted. Yuri has to examine the legacy of his career. What follows over the subsequent days is a game of cat and mouse between Yuri, his handlers, and his former country.

The Spy Who Vanished is a fun spy story in three parts from Alma Katsu, who once again uses her career to create a realistic feeling spy story. The story moves rapidly across the three sections and it was easy to push through and finish the whole thing. I loved the connections between the characters (wanting more than the short story provided) and it built to a very thrilling climax. Daniel Henning also did a great job with the audiobook and the various accents involved in the story.

Thank you to Brilliance Publishing and NetGalley for a copy of The Spy Who Vanished in return for an honest review.

[Cyndy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read all three of the shorts in the series The Spy Who Vanished. The premise of the series is how do you know when your spy is your ally or your enemy. The blurb provided is “One country’s enemy is another man’s ally.” (1) The Vanishing Man by Alma Katsu is a great start to the series. Yuri Kozlov vanishes from Istanbul with the assistance of the CIA. Are things really as they seem? (2) On Enemy Ground by Alma Katsu covers day 4 through 21 of Yuri Kozlov’s debriefing by the CIA after his defection and disappearance in Istanbul. These days are mostly spent in a secure facility rural area of Virginia. Yuri thinks things are going well until the CIA asks about Maryam Babak. (3) Shaken, Not Stirred by Alma Katsu covers day 22 through 24 and then an update from three months later. The three months later was as I expected, so this book didn’t quite live up to the first two, for me. I would recommend this collection overall.

[Garrett Zecker · Rating 2 out of 5]

The Spy Who Vanished novella, broken into a trilogy, is Alma Katsu’s emotional injection of a Russian spy who attempts to defect to America in the broiler of the new cold war. I think this trilogy was a little too ambitious when the piece opens with a bold statement that the main character, Yuri Kozlov, is the Russian 007. But this book is little more than two parts that bring our hero to the US, feels a lot of things and wonders what happened to some old compatriots, and is then hunted down when he makes the final decision to stay and spill his guts and take selfies with CIA operatives, senators, and celebrities at a party. The best part of the trilogy is the last one – of course, the big reveals and a killer showdown, but I am not sure the payoff is worth the rest of it despite it being well-written.

[Dana · Rating 2 out of 5]

5/28: Reserving judgment until I read all 3 parts. These aren't 3 separate complete stories, it's a single story divided up into thirds to make it fit into a set for Amazon Original Stories. This is highly annoying - just publish it as a single novella and be done with it.

5/29: Read all parts of the story. All three parts concern the "defection" of a high-ranking Russian spy and his attempts to infiltrate the CIA to learn the whereabouts about another actual Soviet defector, all because Putin is paranoid about some secret the Soviet may or may not have about him. So...nothing new or innovative here.

I had high hopes for this, because her books sound interesting, and I had several in my TBR read list. Not anymore. There are better spy thrillers to read, so save your time and go read those.

[Deb Kiley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Short story about a Russian spy, Yuri, switching sides to the US. One of three short stories to be published in July 2024. Page turning story with a few surprises about how the CIA took Yuri in and set him up in a comfortable safe house to determine if he was an asset or still a spy. The story starts out with an escape, has private jets, a helicopter, a trip to Jamaica, and a fire fight. So much going on to draw you into the plot and characters. There are several interesting characters (Ren, Grayson, and Jack) that I hope turn up in the other two stories. If you like spy thrillers and want an entertaining story to read in an afternoon, I recommend this one.
Thank you Net Galley and Alma Katsu for a complimentary copy. All opinions expressed are my own.

[Dan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Grayson hopes she isn’t making a mistake leaving the biggest defection in the history of the CIA in the hands of this…girl.


The story opens in Istanbul, Turkey.

Yuri Kozlov is very handsome. (We are reminded of this quite frequently.)

Pursuit. Escape via water.

Renata “Ren” Jacobs meets Yuri on the yacht. She is to be his handler.

Jennifer Grayson, head of the Russia Office.

A defection, based on Yuri’s previous mishandling of the situation in Ukraine.

So many defections from the FSB and the SVR.

Why was Yuri chosen?

Virginia countryside.

Ren: is she conflicted?

Writing fiction about living people and current events is always rather iffy. So far, it’s actually working.

Strong plot; good character work. The dynamic with Ren intrigues.

A fine ending. Opening of this series shows true promise.


Because none of this is what it seems. It is the greatest mission of Yuri Kozlov’s career.

[Michelle Boyer · Rating 3 out of 5]

Initial thoughts on the first few pages: I get it, this guy is awesome. I'm so lucky to be reading about him. This guy is "so cool" that he has been offered a position at the CIA, MI6, BND, and wherever else and you want me to believe that he wants to work for the CIA. Mkay.

Midway: Oh look, spies being spies and spying on other spies. It is all just spy-spy-spy. Who is telling the truth? Who do I actually care about? Which side am I on? Doesn't matter, at least I'm having fun.

By the end: I'm interested. It seems like we could have made this one book instead of three pieces. But I'm interested and enjoying it more than I was at the beginning. Hoping the action picks up in the second book.

[Meg · Rating 2 out of 5]

This short story is the first in a trilogy about a spy from Russia who is defecting to the US, or is he? It is revealed that he is a double agent, on a mission for Putin to find a mole giving secrets to the US. Sounds exciting but it was boring, talking more about food, extracting him from Europe and the details of the secure house where they are stashing him than any real spy work. It is only at the end that it even remotely gets interesting but it was too little, too late. It may have been more successful as one novella that contained all 3 stories but I’m not interested in continuing to find out. Skip this one.

[Keith · Rating 5 out of 5]

"The Spy Who Vanished" is a trilogy of short stories centering on Yuri Kozlov, a Russian spy posing as a defector in order to elicit information from the CIA.

The stories are tightly written and strike a good balance between technical knowledge about espionage and simply focusing on telling a good story. Yuri's evolution in thought during the mission feels reasonable and the overall trajectory of the story feels plausible. I would love to read more about Yuri's exploits in future stories.

This is my first exposure to Alma Katsu and I'm looking forward to diving into some of her other books.

[Suzannah Rowntree]

I enjoyed Alma Katsu's RED WIDOW, but I'm not sure how to categorise this bite-sized fiction. It doesn't read like a self-contained short story, but a random, structureless fragment from a much longer novella. I appreciate the ironies of the setup - the suave yet aging superspy is very much not on the side of the angels, and the doe-eyed CIA handler he anticipates running rings around is obviously going to turn out to be way more formidable than he expects - but I'm not sure I'll continue with a story that doesn't seem to know what it wants to be.

[Eric Lee · Rating 5 out of 5]

This very short novella is available on Amazon Kindle for free — apparently one doesn’t buy the book, but “borrow” it. What a great idea.

It’s the first part of a trilogy of short fiction telling the story of a Russian spy known — though he hates this part — as the “Russian James Bond”, who is the process of defecting to the West. I won’t say any more about the story except that nothing is as it appears, the tale is pacey and well-written, and I look forward to “borrowing” the other two parts of the story.

[Lacey · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoy the spy thrillers that Alma Katsu writes. And while this is a short story packaged into 3 shorter stories, I still find it captures the intellect and overall feel of her full spy novels. I like how she presents the world through the eyes of a spy. There are some seriously different thought processes going on that seem truly authentic to the lifestyle. There isn't a lot of action or potential for hideous consequences, but a low level of tension is still woven through it. Good start for this trilogy. I'm intrigued.

[Andrea · Rating 4 out of 5]

Russia’s famous spy, Yuri Kozlov—aka the Russian James Bond— defects to the United States…but is he a double agent? The Spy Who Vanished is a collection of three short stories: The Vanishing Man, On Enemy Ground, Shaken, Not Stirred. I enjoyed each one and the nice twist to the story.

Daniel Henning has such a wonderful voice and added to the story.

Thank you, NetGalley and Brilliance Publishing!

[Elysian Fields · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am interest to read the rest of this series, I'm thinking I was a short story that was made shorter when it was broken into thirds dor the Amazon Original Stories series. I say this because in this story, it's pure set up, but nothing much happens other then that, so it's difficult to judge or make inferences on what the plot or the characters will be about. I'm interested though, I'll be jumping into the rest here quickly.

[Liz Lin · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the first part of the novel "The Vanishing Spy" (I have no idea why the audiobook was split into three parts)

Therefore, it's not that easy to say whether I enjoyed this book or not since the story was stopped at mid-point, which is actually quite annoying.

To me, the storyline is sort of intriguing; however, it's also cringy in some way, feels like a mediocre spy/suspense story so far :\

[Bill Blume · Rating 5 out of 5]

The first book in this series does a nice job establishing what a “Russian James Bond” would be like. Yuri is both unlikeable and interesting. The story sets the stage nicely for the next installments. I’m definitely intrigued by Ren, because there’s definitely a good twist hiding in her family history. Alma delivers a great beginning here, and I can’t wait to dive into the next book.