A mysterious First Lady. The intrepid journalist writing her biography. And the secret that could destroy them both.
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“Elegant and well-paced...Like 'Emily in Paris' meets 'Scandal'—fantastic fun.”
“A gripping tale of the Cold War and its legacy.”
— People Magazine
“Spectacular—a global thriller with pace, tension and ever-higher stakes, born of an intimate and unlikely friendship between two very different women … The story succeeds on every level.”
— Lee Child, #1 New York Times best-seller
“A smart political thriller, sharply observed and well written.”
— Alan Furst, New York Times bestselling author of Mission to Paris
Tired of covering the grating dysfunction of Washington and the increasingly outrageous antics of President Henry Caine, White House correspondent Sofie Morse quits her job and plans to leave politics behind. But when she gets a call from the office of First Lady Lara Caine asking Sofie to come in for a private meeting, she’s intrigued. Sofie, like the rest of the world, knows little about Lara—only that Lara was born in Soviet Russia, raised in Paris, and worked as a model before moving to America and marrying the notoriously brash future president.
When Lara asks Sofie to write her official biography, and to finally fill in the gaps of her history, Sofie’s curiosity gets the better of her. She begins to spend more and more time in the White House, slowly developing a bond with Lara, who, to Sofie’s surprise, is entirely candid about her mysterious past. The First Lady doesn’t hesitate to speak about her beloved father’s work as an undercover KGB officer in Paris—and how he wasn’t the only person in her family working undercover during the Cold War.
As her story unfolds, Sofie can’t help but wonder why Lara Caine is rehashing such sensitive information. Why to her? And why now? Spanning from the 1970s to the present day, traveling from Moscow and Paris to DC and New York, Our American Friend is a gripping page-turner about power and complicity and how, sometimes, the fate of the world is in the hands of the people you’d never expect.
More Praise for Our American Friend
“Wholly original … [The book] follows journalist Sofie Morse as she begins work on what she's told is the first lady's authorized biography but, like the dolls from Mother Russia herself, the assignment reveals itself to be nothing like what it seemed.”
— Entertainment Weekly
“Riveting…. Our American Friend interweaves the increasingly suspenseful story of Lara’s youth with the present-day partnership between Lara and Sofie. The back-and-forth gives the novel a propulsive energy, especially as the truth behind Lara’s clandestine activities in Paris – and their role in her present political position – come to light.”
— Christian Science Monitor
“Fast-paced … Smart, twisty … With sharp observations on everything from D.C. insider politics to the mundane details of family life, Our American Friend is both an engaging feminist thriller and a meditation on the ways history often surprises even the people who make it.”
— Shelf Awareness
“An exhilarating ride through recent Cold War highlights, framed cleverly with the story of a disenchanted journalist hired to ghost write the First Lady’s memoir; in this case, the First Lady comes from the Soviet orbit, is a former model, and has shadowy ties to the KGB. So why is she revealing her secrets now? That’s the question that will keep you reading.”
— Crime Reads, Most Anticipated Fiction of 2022
“I was immediately hooked on this novel about Sofie, a burned-out political reporter, who develops a friendship with the mysterious and elegant First Lady. Pitoniak blends a sharp look at present-day Washington, DC with an exploration of power, love and politics and the result is this smart, addictive page-turner. Our American Friend is a delicious political thriller and I couldn’t put it down.”
— Jennifer Close, bestselling author of Girls in White Dresses
“An irresistible political thriller with wit and heart, Our American Friend is a fascinating take on a mysterious fictional First Lady and a moving, rueful exploration of love, loyalty, and the presence of the past.”
— Amy Bloom, New York Times bestselling author of White Houses
“A smart, timely take on American politics, Soviet spy craft, and the lengths we'll go to for love and revenge.”
— Town & Country, The 23 Must-Read Books of Winter 2022
“Though their settings have varied, Anna Pitoniak’s three novels have all been about peering behind the curtain at those who hold power, and about the moral complexity privilege can engender … Pitoniak is a fluid writer who knows her strengths.”
— The Globe and Mail
“A Cold War spy thriller and a fictional tale of a mysterious first lady is the unusual but compelling combo at the heart of this decades-spanning story … A dangerous cat-and-mouse game.”
— E! News
“Anna Pitoniak’s latest page-turner Our American Friend is packed with Cold War spy intrigue, complex women characters, and rich historical details. I read this novel in one sitting, pouring over the pages, wanting to know what secrets the unforgettable character of First Lady Lara Caine held. Our American Friend does what good fiction does best—it reaches across time to speak to the present moment.”
— Lara Prescott, New York Times bestselling author of The Secrets We Kept
“An enthralling journey into the life of one of the most powerful women in the world ... Exploring interpersonal loyalties and the difference between cowardice and patience, the well-researched and twist-filled Our American Friend is a natural next-read for fans of Curtis Sittenfeld, A. Natasha Joukovsky, and Stacey Swann.”
— Booklist, starred review
“An intriguing Russian nesting doll of modern Washington politics, Cold War spy games, and above all women with secrets. … Just what is the President's wife hiding? Anna Pitoniak's masterful puzzle of espionage, love, and betrayal keeps us flipping the pages to find out!”
— Kate Quinn, New York Times bestselling author of The Alice Network
“Perhaps [Pitoniak’s] best yet … a propelling Cold War spy thriller crossed with the fictional biography of First Lady Lara Caine … Our American Friend is a fast-paced page turning thriller that will have readers invested from the very first page.”
— Daily Hive
“This should be catnip to political thriller fans—a smart, witty take on a fictional, foreign-born First Lady with a secret tied to Cold War espionage who tests the boundaries of friendship with her would-be biographer. This fast-paced novel about love, loyalty, and the secrets we should or should not keep will have you gobbling up each page.”