"An intriguing look at the life and adventures of a remarkable woman...Clever Girl is not only an insightful biography of an extraordinary American woman but a thrilling character-driven drama."-San Francisco Chronicle"Kessler's story of Bentley the woman is superb, bringing to life the loneliness, the fear and the thrill of her life as spy and anti-spy."-Seattle Times"Spellbinding."-Library Journal"In this compelling and comprehensive biography, Kessler masterfully explores and exposes the myriad, competing facets of Bentley's tumultuous life. Whether she was lover or naif, patriot or spy, Bentley's various crises-of-conscience would ultimately bring down individuals and nearly topple a nation."-Booklist"A gripping book. Bentley's story is quite remarkable."-National Post (Canada)"A well-paced and sympathetic chronicle."-Boston Globe"Impressively researched...the mystery of Elizabeth Bentley is what keeps the reader turning the pages."-Milwaukee Journal Sentinel"Kessler is an expert chronicler of complicated events, dedicated to unearthing the unvarnished truth, and Clever Girl is an important and compelling read."-Portland Oregonian"Kessler always has known how to make history come alive. In "Clever Girl," she has written a book as compelling and fascinating as any novel. This book is the work of a master."-Salem Statesman Journal"Lauren Kessler's story of one American woman's evolution into a leading KGB operative, and her eventual about-face, is a nuanced and moving tale of Cold War espionage. It is a drama played with subtlety, angst and love at that incendiary intersection of human need and national ambition."-Erik Larson, author of Devil in the White City and Isaac's Storm"This thoroughly engaging, ultimately tragic tale of Cold War espionage reads like a novel. It's one compulsive read, and an extraordinary window into an extraordinary era."-Alex Kotlowitz, author of The Other Side of the River and There Are No Children Here"Lauren Kessler's beautifully written and researched narrative has it all: A compelling heroine, an intriguing, true story, and a uniquely illuminating window onto a time when, like now, so many of our precious freedoms seemed to hang in the balance. Clever Girl is a great read."-Edward Humes, author of Mean Justice and Baby ER"Lauren Kessler's biography of Elizabeth Bentley is a lively portrait of this pivotal secret Communist courier turned government witness. Kessler's well-researched and compassionate book is highly readable narrative of the Cold War's notorious "blond spy queen", whose post-Communist life proved even more turbulent than her years as a Soviet agent."-Allen Weinstein, author of The Haunted Wood: Soviet Espionage in America