A Spy in the Family: A True Story of Espionage and Betrayal

by Paul Henderson, David Gardner

A can’t-believe-it’s-true wartime page-turner that tells the incredible story of a mother, the son she was forced to give up for adoption, and the spy who, decades later, infiltrated her life with a devastating lie. 

Johanna van Haarlem never wanted to abandon her son, Erwin. But the Nazis had occupied Europe and the teenager felt she had little choice. Her father had kicked her out, telling her she could return, without the child—or not at all. Johanna realized that together, she and her newborn wouldn’t survive; separated, at least Erwin had a fighting chance. So she surrendered the baby to an orphanage and tearfully went back home, vowing to return for Erwin one day.

Johanna lives to see the Nazis defeated, and to deeply regret abandoning her child. When, decades later, at the height of the Cold War, she receives a letter from Erwin, it feels like a miraculous second chance. But at their joyful reunion in London, Johanna makes a disturbing Erwin’s eyes are the wrong colour. In a decision that will come to haunt her, she quickly buries the seed of her doubt and welcomes the young man into her life.

It will take more than a decade for the imposter’s deceit to come to light, even longer to untangle the lies shielding his real identity—and his motives. Unfolding in a series of astonishing twists and turns, A Spy in the Family reveals the true story of a notorious Soviet Bloc agent who took advantage of a mother’s heartbreak to hide in plain sight. 

Genres: Nonfiction

304 pages, Paperback

First published April 29, 2025

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Reviews

[Ray Grynol · Rating 4 out of 5]

The old adage that truth is stranger than fiction sums up this story perfectly. Reading at times like a John Le Carré spy thriller, the story focuses on the life of Václav Jelinek as a Czech spy in London; however, Jelinek works under the assumed identity of Erwin van Haarlem, who was left at an orphanage by his Dutch mother during WWII. Since the StB, the Czech counterintelligence agency, feels that the real van Haarlem will be difficult to find, the group appropriates the name and trains Jelinek in spy craft and sends him to London as Erwin van Haarlem. The first part of the story shows the poignant tribulations of Erwin’s mother, Johanna van Haarlem, who was raped and impregnated by a German soldier stationed in Holland in 1944. To avoid the ignominy of their daughter’s having a child out of wedlock and especially having a child fathered by a German, Johanna’s parents disown her and force her out of the house. Desperate to survive and to keep her child, Johanna goes to Czechoslovakia, but her penury compels her to give Erwin to the Red Cross for their care with the understanding that she can come back for him when she has enough money to pay for the child’s upkeep. The second part of the story shows Jelinek’s training to become a spy, his adoption of Erwin’s identity, and his work around London with groups like The 35s, a group of British Jews who campaigned for the release of the refuseniks in the USSR and the freedom for them to emigrate to Israel. Through his suave character and his occupation as a bartender in the Hilton and later as a successful art dealer, Jelinek used his charm to infiltrate The 35s, and send information of their activities to the StB who eventually send it to the KGB in Russia. Even when Johanna’s persistence to find her son leads her to find the imposter Erwin, Jelinek, in an effort to avoid compromising his espionage in London, continues the charade by encouraging Johanna’s belief that he is her long-lost son, Erwin. Jelinek’s callousness towards Johanna’s feelings becomes evident over a ten-year period during which he maintains a relationship with his “mother” and his half-brother, sending them gifts and going on trips with them. His insensitivity works against him when MI5 arrests him and brings him to trial where DNA evidence proves he is not Johanna’s son, and she testifies against him. The final section of the book focuses on Johanna’s continued search for Erwin in Czechoslovakia. Journalists Paul Henderson and David Gardner who collaborated on the research tell an engaging and, at times, emotionally wrenching story that will captivate fans who love tales of espionage.

[H Wesselius · Rating 3 out of 5]

As the living memory of WWII dies out, writers are mining it for interesting stories to tell and memorialise. This is one of those stories. Unfortunately what could be an interesting story is marred by uneven writing and slightly mis-provided historical context.

In recounting what is essentially the story of a woman mistreated by her family and then misled by a spy, the surrounding historical context is uneven at best. Some information is missing or wrong (the Gereformeerde Kerk was conservative not fundamentalist) and others are extra (why do we need to know Italy was invaded in 1943 when it was 1944 and the father died in Caen or the Blitz happened in 1941 when describing the danger of train travel in 1994-45 Germany). The description of the cold war was haphazard at best.

Normally, one would be sympathetic to the mother in the story but although the writer occassionally tells us to be empathetic, he (or they) rarely show us empathy. The story of the spy at times supersedes the mother and often reads farcical and even sympathetically but in the end we are told he's the bad guy. The writing in short is uneven and does a disservice to what is an interesting life story.

[Lisette Frankton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a great summer read! IT was so unique, not so much like a novel, or a biography, bur more like an op-ed or even magazine. I loved the pictures and documents of the people in the story; you really are enmeshed in a mystery spanning decades.
Highly recommend for anyone who enjoys mysteries, thrillers, history, and/or stories of mothers persevering.

[Todd · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting book, a little light on what secrets the spy discovered, aside from infiltrating Jewish groups.

At the end - in the Acknowledgements, there are 3 books listed from Czechoslovakia. Two about the spy, and one the memoir of the 'Mother'. While it's likely the reporters who authored this book had to be some investigating, I really wonder how much, given the already printed material.

[Jim C · Rating 4 out of 5]

Intriguing true story of a Dutch woman who leaves her infant son in a Czech orphanage during the later stages of WW2. What follows over the decades makes a good read: a Czech spy with a stolen identity is stationed in England and eventually deceives the mother into believing he is her actual son. Highly recommended.

[Dana · Rating 2 out of 5]

DNF
I lost interest at about halfway through this book, the story was interesting enough but the writing seemed to jump all over the place, there maybe needed to be a short 1-2 page description with aliases to help the reader keep track of who they were reading about

[Alvira Plett · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow! This is the best book I’ve read in a very long time! What a great read and a true story. Never give up-always keep your head up and find ways to make it.

[Kayla Cork · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

I looooove me a good spy/war story esp when it’s real.

[Ron McGuire · Rating 5 out of 5]

an excellent story, very glad I had the opportunity to read it.

[iCod · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great read.