Swap: A Secret History of the New Cold War

by Drew Hinshaw, Joe Parkinson

From the Wall Street Journal's award-winning international investigations team comes a spellbinding account of a spy war between the U.S. and Russia that transformed into a ruthless game of hostage-taking, in which Putin held all the cards.

Narrated with the propulsive drive of a spy thriller and packed with revelatory reporting, Swap takes you deep inside a shadow war that will upend how you think about global politics. It is the first full account of the Kremlin’s game of human poker—and the extraordinary lengths the U.S. had to go to to retrieve its citizens, including Brittney Griner, Evan Gershkovich, Paul Whelan, Alsu Kurmasheva, and numerous others whose arrests were unseen collateral damage in a hidden conflict.

Swap unspools the history behind the series of prisoner trades that returned Moscow and Washington to the crude transactional logic of the Cold War, culminating in the two rivals’ largest and most complex swap ever. On August 1, 2024, twenty-four people jailed in seven nations were exchanged, including eight Russian spies, smugglers, hackers, and a professional hit man. But that headline moment was only the climax of a secret war two decades in the making.

Investigative reporters Drew Hinshaw and Joe Parkinson were Pulitzer finalists for their work with Gershkovich to uncover the Russian officials responsible for resurrecting a brutal tactic once wielded by the KGB. Now they reveal the story of how the Russian government planted deep-cover agents in the West, how the CIA tracked them down, and how Russia responded by snatching American citizens—imprisoning them under false or jacked-up charges—forcing the U.S. government to play Putin’s game.

Swap takes you inside the Oval Office, the Kremlin, the headquarters of the CIA and MI6, and the living rooms of ordinary families forced to become activists in order to bring their loved ones home. You’ll meet the Gulf royals, billionaire tech moguls, and unlikely Hollywood intermediaries navigating back channels to save lives. You’ll visit remote Arctic prison camps and cordoned-off Middle Eastern airstrips. And you’ll discover how the CIA and MI6 waged a quiet, high-stakes campaign against a Kremlin that was abducting Americans to build leverage.

Tracking each move and countermove in a multilayered Rubik’s Cube of negotiations, Swap unscrambles and decodes the spy craft really going on between the U.S. and Russia, offering a chilling diagnosis for how power works in the twenty-first century.

Genres: Nonfiction, History, Russia, Politics, Audiobook

303 pages, Kindle Edition

Published August 19, 2025

Reviews

[Thijs Van Dam · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow! The Book Swap reads with the intensity of a thriller, pulling you into the world of global hostage warfare with surprising depth and showing loads of perspective.

I’ve learned so much more about a story I had only seen in the news, but in the book it unfolded with so much needed back- and side story, without ever getting dull.

What struck me most was the delicacy behind every move, the careful balance of power and humanity that shapes each decision. It is both gripping and enlightening, it left me thinking long after I turned the final page!

[Nick · Rating 5 out of 5]

Would you believe it took until the year 2021 for Biden’s NSA advisor Jake Sullivan to essentially ask “isn’t it time for us to do something more than vibes-based hostage swaps?” While Sullivan quickly learned that this is easier said than done, this is the story of his relentless effort to create a moral framework and international relations process for political prisoner exchanges.

Also the story of how the (absolutely worthy and important) international focus on the plights of Olympic athlete Brittney Griner and journalist Evan Gershkovich completely overshadowed the case of another innocent American Civilian falsely imprisoned by Russia for a far longer duration.

Absolutely riveting. I listened to it in a day.

[John Miller · Rating 5 out of 5]

From the weird, dark corners of Putin’s Russia to the raw machinery of U.S. power, SWAP is a geopolitical masterpiece, one of those rare books that tells you how the world *really* works. I’m fascinated (and horrified) by how Putin manages to cling to power; and it’s hard to find reporting that digs deep into his way of thinking and working. Through the prism of the arrest of U.S. citizens (including WSJ reporter Evan Gershkovich) traded for Russian spies and assassins, including the Berlin bicycle shooter, this book illuminates boldly and brightly. A must-read.

[Stephen Lyons · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great Read

Just finished Swap by Drew Hinshaw & Joe Parkinson — incredible read. Feels like a thriller, but it’s all real: prisoner swaps, diplomacy, and the human stories behind the headlines. Highly recommend if you’re into geopolitics or just a page-turning true story. If you liked the Traitor and the Spy, you would love this one!

[Eric Leis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gripping from start to finish. The book is overflowing with excitement and intrigue. Like a John le Carre novel except it’s true! Cancel all your plans, clear your schedule, and pickup a copy of this book. Once you do, you won’t want to put it down (or vacation in Russia!)

[Banele Nyamane · Rating 3 out of 5]

A high level summary of the behind the scenes

This is a high level summary about the behind the scenes events that resulted in one of the big “prisoner” exchange in history.

[Scott Wentworth · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great read, great story and lessons on those who just roll their sleeves up and get things done vs those trying to be perfect.

[Jessica · Rating 5 out of 5]

Incredibly well researched, real-life spy novel. I thought this stuff only happened in movies.

[Paul · Rating 1 out of 5]

Although the authors have right at the beginning of the book included a Who's Who list, you will get lost and I had to give it up after 30 pages. Horrible writing. A wste of time and money.