Notes of Deception: How a Quartet of American Musicians Outwitted the KGB – The Untold Russian History of a Daring Cold War Mission

by Merryl Goldberg, Vince Houghton

The riveting untold story of a four Jewish American musicians-turned-amateur-spies who risked everything to help fellow Jewish people escape from the Soviet Union during the Cold War.

In 1985, four American musicians—members of a New England-based klezmer band that focused on Yiddish music—landed in Moscow. With little training in espionage, they risked their freedom and their lives to smuggle information to and from the West under the watchful eye of the KGB and to help fellow Jews, activists, and dissidents escape an oppressive regime. 
  
Merryl Goldberg was one of those musicians. Together with co-author Vince Houghton, the Director of the NSA’s National Cryptologic Museum, she tells the story of how she devised an ingenious plan to encode intelligence within the group’s sheet music.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Jewish, Audiobook, Music, Russia

299 pages, Kindle Edition

First published August 25, 2026

Reviews

[Rachel Godfrey]

Notes of Deception takes an inside look at Jewish people in the Soviet Union and the United States and how connected they were at a time of deep turmoil. It follow the KCB (Klezmer Conservatory Band) while under the watch of the KGB. It was an exciting peak behind the Iron Curtain and the highlights the power of music in many ways.

The book starts off with some context and history about Jewish people in the Soviet Union and Jewish customs and traditions. The first half of the book is pretty content dense but interesting. Once the musicians head to the USSR, the excitement turns up in the book. It follows their wild customs adventures, their translator Kevin, and the oddities of being a US tourist in the Soviet Union at the peak of the Cold War. The final chapter updates you on where everyone is now, almost 40 years later.

I enjoyed the content of the book a lot, and I feel like I learned a lot about a history that is often skipped. I wish I could say the same for the narrator. I was not the biggest fan of this narrator, and it should be noted that she uses accents and voices for different characters. Some people may like that, but I felt as though I was pulled out of the seriousness of some moments when she starts doing a Russian accent. It is not enough for me to not recommend, but I think listeners should be aware.

Overall, I give this 4 stars, and it is very engaging for anyone who loves history. Thank you Net Galley and the publisher for the Advanced Listener Copy.

[Olive Fellows (abookolive)]

How nice that the authors wrote this niche work of historical nonfiction for me, specifically. 🤣

Joking aside, if this doesn't get adapted into a movie or miniseries, I'll be floored.

Click here to hear more about this book and my other anticipated releases of the upcoming quarter over on my Booktube channel, abookolive!

[Susan]

It's such a thrilling and important book that reads like a novel. I thought the very end was so chilling because at any point the Soviet Jews could have been stopped from emigrating. Goldberg shows through her trip across the Soviet Union in 1985 how awful it was for Jews in the USSR. And the lengths that the KGB and other parts of the Soviet government went to torment their Jewish population was absolutely pathological. I recommend this book for anyone who enjoys spy thrillers (even though this one is true and not fiction like most thrillers) or Jewish history. I listened to the audio, which was done very well!

[Tutt]

I got the audiobook from NetGalley.
Before reading this book, I knew nothing of the Jews persecution in Russia or that students were sent over during the Cold War to try and help. I don’t remember learning about this at all it was eye opening.
The book takes you through the history of the Jews persecution in Russia, which started well before World War II. I appreciate the history lesson since it highlights the plight and suffering of those that the students met with in the 1980s. The author also talks about the activism by other countries trying to help the Jews due to human rights violations.
Once Merryl, the author, starts the talking about their preparation and trip to Russia the pace really picks up. You can tell how much Jewish music means to the Russian Jews and to the 4 students that traveled over. I loved hearing about how they bonded, shared meals, sang, talked and just existed with those that they were there to help.
At the end of the book, she does explain what happened to some of the people that they met along their travels and I needed that closure.
Like another Reviewer said, I know that it is only a matter of time until it is adapted for either film or tv. I think a miniseries would be best; there was quite a bit that happened in the 10 days that they were in Russia.

[Jill Vaughn]

Fascinating read. Living through the cold war and its end, you knew bits and pieces f this cold war but this is a real inside story of being in Russia when communism ruled and the KGB followed everything you did. It's hard to believe they were able to get the information out of Russia regarding Jews who were trapped their and sometimes tortured and imprisoned for wanting to leave. Lesson here for people who forgot or ignore history.

[Sharon]

What I liked: The author’s description of the covert mission to 1980’s USSR as a quartet of musicians was fascinating. They were very brave dealing with KGB surveillance while also rendezvousing with Refuseniks.

What I disliked: The beginning portion, covering the historical saga of persecution of Russian Jews, was very dry. The rest of the book was excellent.

[Bonnie]

A really interesting book about four young Americans who visited the USSR in 1985 to visit and support Jewish and a family of Catholic refuseniks. They brought instruments with them and used musical notes as a cipher to keep their notes from possible destruction by the KGB.

[Kay]

Listened to the audiobook. Narration was good. At times I struggled to stay focused and interested in this book. There was a lot of history to get through.

[Cherie]

It would have been a great as an article or short story, but got slow

[sandra]

I enjoyed this non fiction book. We forget the time when we struggled to help people leave the ussr good to revisit this time period

[Julie]

Best non-fiction book of 2026!

[Marsha Rafalski]

3.75 rounded to 4.0).

The US and Russia engaged for years in intense surveillance of each other for everything from nuclear brinksmanship to training cats to record conversations, including watching their own citizens. This is the story of four young Americans whofound a way to smuggle information into and out of Russia right under the noses of the KGB and the US intelligence community. They carried lists of Russian citizens who were willing and in a position to gather information. They were even able to train U.S. intelligence agents. The way they managed was to embed information into their musical scores.

I was intrigued with this event and with the young woman, Merryl Goldberg, who developed the code and used it to help their Russian friends. The Americans were both expert musicians and teachers. They held classes for the young Russians while also touring and performing. This was well written, researched and informative. I am a reader of nonfiction and narrative nonfiction. I enjoyed this one and recommend to readers of nonfiction, Jewish history, history, Cold War politics, and young people who exhibit courage under pressure.