What do you think?
Rate this book
Davina Graham #1
The Defector
British Intelligence Service agent Davina Graham falls in love with the KGB defector she has been ordered to debrief in this cold war thriller
British operative Davina Graham’s life is her work. Her latest assignment is her most daunting. For the past five months, she’s been trying to gain the confidence of Ivan Sasanov—and against her better judgment, she’s falling in love with him. Sasanov, a top KGB agent who defected to America, has an Achilles heel: He desperately misses the family he left behind in Russia. In exchange for information, his wife and daughter must be brought to England and given asylum. But the KGB is already on to him—he barely escapes an assassination attempt. And now his wife has been arrested. With Sasanov’s daughter, Irina, in imminent danger, Davina knows there’s only one way to save the family of the man she loves.
Shifting between multiple viewpoints, this complex Cold War thriller will keep readers guessing as a diabolical chess game of espionage and intrigue plays out on a global stage. For Sasanov, it means returning to the country he betrayed. For Davina, a vulnerable woman in a place where she is now the hunted, it means risking everything for a future she may not live to see.
The Defector is the 1st book in the Davina Graham Thrillers, but you may enjoy reading the series in any order.
British operative Davina Graham’s life is her work. Her latest assignment is her most daunting. For the past five months, she’s been trying to gain the confidence of Ivan Sasanov—and against her better judgment, she’s falling in love with him. Sasanov, a top KGB agent who defected to America, has an Achilles heel: He desperately misses the family he left behind in Russia. In exchange for information, his wife and daughter must be brought to England and given asylum. But the KGB is already on to him—he barely escapes an assassination attempt. And now his wife has been arrested. With Sasanov’s daughter, Irina, in imminent danger, Davina knows there’s only one way to save the family of the man she loves.
Shifting between multiple viewpoints, this complex Cold War thriller will keep readers guessing as a diabolical chess game of espionage and intrigue plays out on a global stage. For Sasanov, it means returning to the country he betrayed. For Davina, a vulnerable woman in a place where she is now the hunted, it means risking everything for a future she may not live to see.
The Defector is the 1st book in the Davina Graham Thrillers, but you may enjoy reading the series in any order.
503 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 1981
128 people are currently reading
172 people want to read
About the author
Evelyn Anthony
115 books96 followersEvelyn Anthony was the pen name of Evelyn Bridgett Patricia Stephens Ward-Thomas,
Started her career as a writer of historical fiction, later switched to writing contemporary thrillers, often with an espionage theme.
She met Michael Ward-Thomas on a double date in The Dorchester and both were attracted to each other.] He worked for the Consolidated African Selection Trust. They switched partners and were married a few months later.
They bought Horham Hall in 1968 but found that it was costly and sold it in 1976 and moved to Naas, County Kildare where she had relatives. Increased income from her writing allowed her to buy Horham Hall back in 1982.
In 1994 she became High Sheriff of Essex, the firswt woman in over 700 years to hold this office.
In 1995 her daughter Kitty died of a heroin overdose, leading Evelyn to not write for another seven years.
In 2004 her husband died of a stroke.
She was survived by her children Susan, Anthony, Ewan, Christian and Luke as well as 16 grandchildren.
NB:Some sources give Ms Anthonys year of birth as 1926.
Additional information added from Wikipedia
Started her career as a writer of historical fiction, later switched to writing contemporary thrillers, often with an espionage theme.
She met Michael Ward-Thomas on a double date in The Dorchester and both were attracted to each other.] He worked for the Consolidated African Selection Trust. They switched partners and were married a few months later.
They bought Horham Hall in 1968 but found that it was costly and sold it in 1976 and moved to Naas, County Kildare where she had relatives. Increased income from her writing allowed her to buy Horham Hall back in 1982.
In 1994 she became High Sheriff of Essex, the firswt woman in over 700 years to hold this office.
In 1995 her daughter Kitty died of a heroin overdose, leading Evelyn to not write for another seven years.
In 2004 her husband died of a stroke.
She was survived by her children Susan, Anthony, Ewan, Christian and Luke as well as 16 grandchildren.
NB:Some sources give Ms Anthonys year of birth as 1926.
Additional information added from Wikipedia
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 32 reviews
July 31, 2021
When you start reading a novel with mediocre expectations of a little romance and a dash of intrigue, its a lovely surprise when you're grabbed tightly and whisked away to exciting places with characters you've come to like and dislike with equal intensity.
5 stars, and happy to say I have the next 3 in the Davina Graham series lined up on my bedside table.
5 stars, and happy to say I have the next 3 in the Davina Graham series lined up on my bedside table.
February 18, 2022
A pretty good spy story held back by extraneous detail and introspective. The first third or so of the book is a bit of a slog. Once you get through that, though, the alternating multi-perspective approach really works well. Makes me wish the whole book would've been like that.
July 12, 2018
Yazarin Davina Graham serisinin ilk kitabiymis bense sonrakilerden baslamistim yinede iyi oldu bunu okumam. Tipik casus gizli polis örgutleri oyunlar iki yuzlulukler buyuk ulkelerin kucuk oyunlari..
November 30, 2019
My love for Cold War suspense novels runs deep. This novel, written in the year of my birth, is inspiring me to seek out more like these. Good thing this is the first in series. I can indulge in my mid-20th century espionage fixation from the comfort of my warm, comfortable, American home all winter long—and no doubt comment again to my husband that I’m glad I am not a spy trying to infiltrate 1980’s USSR without a smart phone.
April 21, 2020
Very nicely written Cold War novel. A Russian defector, a mole in the British Secret Service, a female British agent, double cross, romance, intrigue, adventure - everything one could want in a spy thriller.
December 21, 2024
My spouse got this out of the library as an e-book in preparation for an extended trip overseas, and it was a good choice--not too terrible when it comes to excessive violence and a Soviet era story that properly portrays Russians in a way that is very much how they appear now, decades later. Davina is a spy and her family has not idea. She gets involved with one of her assets and in a series of unfortunate events, she ends up going under cover. It is also a book where it is not a 100% success, which seems to me to be all together more realistic, and I will read the next one (there are only 4, which is the major downside).
June 21, 2018
1.5 ish. Ok but farfetched; the plot felt forced and the ending was pretty terrible as far as how everything went down in the end. I couldn't find it in myself to care about the MC's out of character/idiotic romance. I did really feel for the daughter in the story but she drops out of the book toward the very end and doesn't show up again so the readers can find out how she's doing.
Really don't see how MC's boss could have let her go into Russia without speaking a word of the language on a sensitive covert operation either.
Really don't see how MC's boss could have let her go into Russia without speaking a word of the language on a sensitive covert operation either.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 20, 2020
Good Story
The Cold War is nearing its end and the spy vs spy game becomes more and more complicated. This one was a little slow to get into, eventually it gets moving to a satisfying conclusion.
The Cold War is nearing its end and the spy vs spy game becomes more and more complicated. This one was a little slow to get into, eventually it gets moving to a satisfying conclusion.
March 10, 2023
Even Better the Second Time!
I read The Defector many years ago and loved it then. It most certainly holds your attention. It was if anything better the second time. I had forgotten much of the story, but it all came back “in spades!”
I read The Defector many years ago and loved it then. It most certainly holds your attention. It was if anything better the second time. I had forgotten much of the story, but it all came back “in spades!”
June 25, 2023
The Defector
Fascinating story. Not only did it hold my attention, but I genuinely cared about the characters. The good characters, that is! This is. It a genre I usually read. Something about the summary drew me in and I’m glad it did.
Fascinating story. Not only did it hold my attention, but I genuinely cared about the characters. The good characters, that is! This is. It a genre I usually read. Something about the summary drew me in and I’m glad it did.
March 9, 2025
One of the best Cold War spy thrillers I’ve read! It seems as relevant today as ever. Evelyn Anthony wrote a fantastic story full of twists, interesting characters and edge of your seat excitement. I’m looking forward to reading another!
July 17, 2017
A good spy story! 4+ stars.
August 13, 2017
Wimpy heroine, grow a backbone!
July 27, 2018
Could not stop reading and finished it in two days. Not great literature, obviously, but exciting, well-written, and huge fun. Cannot wait to get to the next in the series!
November 9, 2018
Well drafted plot but the characters, other than the main protagenists, seemed wooden. one reviewer called in a workmanlike thriller and I agree.
May 30, 2020
I thoroughly enjoy Evelyn Anthony's books. This one was particularly enjoyable. She is knowledgeable about many topics.
August 4, 2022
Evelyn Anthony is a good and clever author.
September 3, 2024
Aug 2024feally great book . Falls in love and goes Tom/russia so he won’t have to. Great read
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 14, 2025
this was a change and enjoyed reading it. there are 3 more books in te Davina graham series I will definetly read them.
September 10, 2025
I found the writing flat and the character development thin. There wasn’t anything in the first 100 pages that hooked me. The “why should we care about this” was missing for me.
October 6, 2025
Not what the could have been.
March 5, 2021
It took me a few goes to get really started. Once I got used to the pace and writing style though, I couldn’t stop. These are real proper spy stories and I got completely sucked in! Great start to this series!
July 27, 2025
The author can be a little long-winded at times, but I’m really enjoying this little-known 1980s spy series.
September 26, 2024
I read Albatross back in the 1980s when it was first published. At the time I had no idea it was the third book in this sequence. Mercifully I have only vague memories of the characters or story, so I’m starting fresh.
The Defector is a terrific cold war thriller. This is Anthony at her most polished.the story worked then, and it works now. Most of the characters are interesting, the setting is believable, and the pace is largely breathless in the second half.
This is a terrific espionage story.
The Defector is a terrific cold war thriller. This is Anthony at her most polished.the story worked then, and it works now. Most of the characters are interesting, the setting is believable, and the pace is largely breathless in the second half.
This is a terrific espionage story.
November 11, 2015
I read this years ago and decided it was time to revisit it. It held up really well, especially with Putin in charge. As a former head of KGB, some of the scenes in this book could still be happening today. Loved it just as much this time around, as when I first read it in the early '80's.
September 19, 2008
If you like spy novels, Evelyn Anthony is great. Her books are entertaining quick-reads.
Read
July 29, 2011I love the Davina Graham series!
Read
August 7, 2013Read 3/99
October 29, 2014
Thousands of unread books in this house and a chance remark by Misfit has me hunting down Evelyn Anthony from the library...
January 12, 2021
I read this spy story in the 1980's. I loved it then and loved it now. Fortunately I was able to find the sequel.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 32 reviews