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My Spy Novel Helped Me Make Peace with the CIA

Years after her exit from the agency, Ilana Berry was invited back to talk with aspiring CIA authors

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I.S. Berry
Mar 20, 2024
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Author I.S.Berry (Richard Berry photo)

INTERVIEWERS OFTEN ASK ME, only half-joking, whether the CIA is simply a front for creative writers. After all, a plethora of “formers” have penned novels in recent years: Alma Katsu, David McCloskey, James Lawler, to name a few. Last May, my novel, The Peacock and the Sparrow, based on my own experiences as a case …

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I.S. Berry
Former spy. Spy novelist. Author, The Peacock and the Sparrow.
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