THE BUCHAREST DOSSIER – by William Maz – A Cold War Spy Novel

‘Even thirty years after the Romanian revolution of 1989, the questions of how it started and why it became so violent have never been adequately answered. This novel provides a plausible scenario based on the facts as I know them.’

‘Although this is a work of fiction, it is loosely based on events that occurred during that tumultuous time.’

Have your tissues at the ready I wasn’t expecting this novel to end the way it did—My Heart!!

Highly Recommend!!

Thank you, NetGalley and Oceanview Publishing, for providing me with an eBook of THE BUCHAREST DOSSIER at the request of an honest review.

A romance looped into a historical spy thriller set at the time of the fall of communism in Romania. I did find the ending a bit contrived. Reading about incidents I only knew from western news at the time they happened kept me enthralled with the story.

NOTE: I am a librarian and I received an ARC of this book in MOBI format from NetGalley.

Intrigue. Intrigue. Intrigue. This was the one word that kept popping up in my brain as I read each chapter of "The Bucharest Dossier." I am not one for spy novels, usually, but the tie-in with the end of the Cold War in what some might see as an auxiliary Communist country kept me interested. It create a plot schema in which several strands of interest, including love affairs and the question of identity, combined to keep the novel's pacing steady throughout. At times, the male-centric perspective detracts from the narrative's overall effectiveness, but only in a mildly eye-rolling way. The novel's conclusion seems to wrap up the story a little too nicely.

Unfortunately the timing of me reading this book with everything going on in the world didn’t work for me.
Given the expatriate status as a Russian and now a CIA analyst. He lands himself back into the folds of the KGB.
I wasn’t able to finish, so I have no knowledge how it ended. Maybe with time I will try again as I do enjoy spy novels.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to read and ARC sof The Bucharest Dossier by Wililam Maz!

I love learning about Eastern Europe and I loved this book! I came into this book blind, so I learned a lot of things that I did not know and I look forward to reading more about this subject and expanding my knowledge. Espionage with a splash of romance made for a great read.

I liked the main character so it was easy for me to get into this book and be able to finish it quickly. Thank you again for allowing me to read this book for an honest review!

This is a love story inside an espionage thriller . I just couldn't put it down this writer keeps you hooked and once your hooked your not letting go.

Thanks to Oceanview Publishing and NetGalley for providing me with this free ARC in return for my honest review.
You can see my full review at www.viewsonbooks.com
I probably look at this book a lot differently than many others as my wife was born in Romania, escaped in 1984 and have heard and read many stories about the Romanian Revolution back in 1989. If you do not have intimate details of these crazy days in December of 1989 I can tell you that the author has nailed it with the facts of those last days of the Ceausescu regime. And as a historical account this is a well-done and fast-paced read. The book as a love story is a bit weak and contrived, as is the man behind all of CIA analyst Bill Hefflin, who is the narrator of the book and who is plucked to be present and witness history. All in all a very good read with the best parts being those chapters that directly deal with the last days of Ceausescu.

I love political books, spies and CIA thrillers. This was not a thriller. The story of the Bill Hefflin-not his real name - is set in Boston and the past scenes are from the communist fall in Romania. I do not have a lot of knowledge of Romania, so this part was decent.

The beginning of the book we meet the professor, then the spies kick in and the past of Romania. A little dealing with clandestine meetings is interesting but the rest of it fell flat. There are a few scenes that deserve a high five, like the flight attendant putting a tracking in his coat. Several meetings that were drop offs set the tome for a page turner, but it wasnt. I felt like I should have been all in at this point but I wasn't.

Overall I think it was a decent read, but very dry and flat.

The Bucharest Dossier by William Maz
This is a very well written espionage novel which takes place mostly in the month prior to the removal and execution of Nicolae and Elena Ceausescu in Romania in 1989.Mr. Maz like the protagonist in the book was born in Bucharest to Greek parent and came to the US as a young boy. He writes what he knows which is common for a first book but it in my mind with a very even pace. Often the hardest part of writing an espionage novel.
In the book the book the protagonist (William Hefflin) is somewhat like a “Jack Ryan” in that he is an analyst for the CIA who is thrust into being a field agent in Bucharest because his source demands he come to Romania for their first face to face meeting. While the Romanian world is crumbling Hefflin is more interested in seeking the love of his life from childhood. All the while agents from the KGB, Romanian Security, the CIA and business people from the West are following him believing he must know either what is the plan for the US to incite the overthrow of the government or where the billions stolen by the Caeusecus is hidden in western banks.
I do not wish to give away any spoilers, suffice to say it ends well for Hefflin and there is plenty of embarrassment and worse for the KGB, CIA and Romanian security.
Reading this book, I thought this is ideal for a movie and I say that in a good way. I do hope this does happen. Until then, read the book and let’s hope Mr. Maz continues writing.

Spy thriller alert! Set against the back drop of the Romanian Revolution and the fall of communism in December of 1989, an American CIA analyst, Bill Hefflin, who was born in Romania, finds himself drawn into the underside of Cold War intelligence between the Romanian secret police, the Russian KGB, and the CIA..

Get ready for this story it’s great!

This is a great book! It covers history, espionage, romance, politics, and information slowly out to the very end. I recognize to a short time I was in Romania and was draw into the story from the past and the present. Many exciting actions from first love, education, black agencies, and a great experience of left from the Soviets to the open government. Boris was a agent in KGB and worked with an analyst in the CIA. Hefflin used his name now, but had been a Greek, grow up in Romania, then moved to the USA. The story brings emotional to the reveal of the actions of the past and the people in the present. I would call this many different books brought into one. I recommend this for everyone.

A historical espionage romantic novel set against the Romanian revolution where the people rose agianst Ceausescu. Our hero Bill Hefflin, a man without borders, though he identifies himself as a Romanian by birth, is called urgently to Romania during the last stages of the cold war by his asset Boris. Meanwhile his mentor,a romanian, has been found murdered and his boss feels that this was a KGB style execution. Are both events linked, and while in Romania can Bill find the whereabouts of his childhood sweetheart. Our author, William Maz, has managed to weave these plots very well into the main storyline and the outcome is an enjoyable read with a good history lesson on the 1989 Romanian uprising.

Set in 1989 during the revolution against the Communist leadership in Romania, this story follows a CIA analyst as he visits Bucharest and tries to make contact with a Russian agent who has been sending him information. Bill Hefflin majored in economics and was recruited into the agency from college, but he has been singled out as the contact for a KGB mole code-named Boris. At the insistence of Boris, Hefflin returns to the city of his childhood and is caught up in the growing unrest and rioting. The story alternates between the events in 1989, his memories of growing up in Bucharest, and his college years and recruitment in the U.S.

The description of conditions in Romania bring the recent past back to life - corruption, food shortages, informers, and the game of spycraft played out with life or death consequences. Hefflin's grooming and recruitment make readers wonder - is that really how it was done? Is it still done that way today? How much oversight of agents and their activities is there? Can all these groups (CIA, KGB, Romanian Securitate) actually manipulate events for their own purposes as pervasively as happens in the book?

In the author's note Maz states that he himself was born in Bucharest and came to the U.S. as a young boy. "Even thirty years after the Romanian revolution of 1989, the questions of how it started and why it became so violent have never been adequately answered. This novel provides a plausible scenario based on the facts as I know them." he writes. This is a work of historical fiction, an espoinage thriller, and a love story all wrapped up in one bundle.

Viewers who enjoyed the movie "Atomic Blonde" may get the same feeling from this book of the various world powers working behind the scenes and the residents of the affected cities dealing with the aftermath of the power plays.

The Bucharest Dossier is a classic espionage thriller set in 1989 against the back drop of the Romanian Revolution and the fall of communism. The protagonist, Bill Heflin, is a double refugee. As a child, he moved from Romania to Greece then on to America, resulting in a classic fish-out-of-water hero who never fits in. He attempts to establish a new identity in college by changing his name to Heflin and creating a new background for himself. While at Harvard, he is approached and recruited by the CIA. He ends up joining as an economic analyst. He is sent to Romania and, while carrying out his clandestine activities, searches for Pusha, his long-lost childhood love.

This book has tons of twists and turns. The characters are well-developed. The setting in Romania has a special verisimilitude I found particularly appealing. On reading the author’s notes, I learned that he had been born in Romania, and like his main character, spent two years in a Greek refugee camp before moving to the U.S.

The Bucharest Dossier provides a realistic portrayal of the CIA and spycraft during the fall of communism. My main criticism is that the romance aspect is the least successful on the interwoven lines of this book, and I had a hard time figuring out why Bill would fall for such an unlikeable character as Catherine. Nonetheless, I enjoyed the book immensely.

Read this for a look at life in Romania before and during the fall of Communism, not for spycraft as some have suggested. There are so many things wrong with the underpinnings of the plot - a Romanian born CIA analyst sent to meet a KGB asset in Romania- that it is impossible for me to read it with any degree of seriousness (blame Jack Ryan for a lot of this). There's also a love story. I'm sure that some will greatly enjoy this but it wasn't for me. Thanks to the publisher for the ARC.

First love as a child is often tragic. Torn from his birth country of Romania, Hefflin moves to Greece and finally winds up in the United States. Pusha, his childhood love, was left in Romania but certainly not forgotten. His first eight years in Romania imprinted the Romanian language in his brain for a lifetime. Love has left Pusha imprinted in his heart as a lost love.

Hefflin is recruited as an operative for the Central Intelligence Agency as a foreign operative. He is assigned to many posts in the communist block states. He has been recruited by Professor Andrei Pincus at Harvard University. Only the best and brightest for U.S. overseas C.I.A. operations!

William Maz has developed a very integral spy novel intertwined with love for a first homeland. Bucharest is showing signs of revolting against communism and release from Russian domination. Russia does not want to see a free and independent Romania. Hefflin is there to assist in bringing the country into a relationship with western powers. Meanwhile, his lost childhood love and memories broil just under the surface.

This is a very well-developed novel with believable characters. A spymaster pulls strings to push Hefflin into becoming a complete foreign operative. The story and description of Bucharest and Romanian culture are enchanting. Enjoy! 4.5 stars – CE Williams

The Bucharest Dossier has everything, it has mystery, spies, politics, family secrets, and love. It discusses certain topics that did actually occur but the big whoa-moment has to do with the love story. Boris, one of my favorite characters, is a commanding, serious, bigger-than-life persona, the spy of all spies and the keeper of secrets. The secrets, aside from the politically relevant ones, are the ones he has regarding why Hefflin is his handler of choice. Hefflin, Fili, one and the same, that heart of his my goodness, the sentimentality he has over things in his past touched my heart. I won't spoil anything but it's a page-turner.

This book is fantastic. The author has a functional knowledge of spycraft and does a great job of painting a great background. This sets a perfect scene for what is a really nice love story hidden inside a spy novel.

There is an awful lot going on here and somehow the author manages to keep control of a book which could slip too heavily towards romance or thriller without doing justice to either. The level of historical detail is admirable and the setting was a new one for me and very enjoyable to learn about.

An excellent Cold War historical thriller! Beautifully chronicled with love at the heart of the novel. I loved the characters - sparkling personalities, full of intrigue and suspense. A mix of CIA, KGB, communists, police corruption abound - who can be trusted? As the story unfolds conflicting souls collide and become involved in the Romanian revolution and culminates with revelations only hinted at during the novel. William Maz’s style makes it even more readable, and being partly based on history the entire story is very credible.

My thanks to NetGalley and Oceanview Publishing for this advance copy in exchange for an honest review.