«Blaine Harden has done what no one else thought to do in seven decades: He’s brought us the full, secret, astonishing story of one of the most improbably powerful characters in American history, and he has done so with crystalline writing and in jaw-dropping detail»

Steve Twomey, author of Countdown to Pearl Harbor: The Twelve Days to the Attack

«Many accounts of the Korean War are full of mystery, hinting at horrific crimes and large-scale covert operations. King of Spies pierces that mystery through the story of a remarkable American operative who took his mission to mind-boggling extremes. The adventures that fill these pages, from bleak battlefields to the corridors of power, tell us much about how the world really works»

Stephen Kinzer, author of Overthrow: America's Century of Regime Change from Hawaii to Iraq

«Fascinating account of an espionage pioneer who thrived during the Korean War and then disappeared into disgraced obscurity . . . An engrossing hidden history of wartime espionage, with elements of derring-do and moral barbarity.»

Kirkus

«King of Spies is a dark story of espionage and evil by a wild American military spymaster in Korea, a tale both revelatory and tragic. Blaine Harden's superb book throws open a long-ignored chapter in the Korean War; a compelling and disturbing read, not to be missed»

David E. Hoffman, author of The Billion Dollar Spy: A True Story of Cold War Espionage and Betrayal

«Blaine Harden’s King of Spies is jaw-droppingly good — a quirky, unlikely, thrilling true story of intrigue and daring and depravity told by a master of the genre»

David Maraniss, author of Once in a Great City: A Detroit Story

«Blaine Harden has now produced a fascinating trilogy of stranger-than-fiction books about North Korea. His latest, King of Spies, is about a gay, middle school dropout who was one of the few U.S. officials to predict the outbreak of the Korean War and whose espionage activities had a profound impact on the course of the war. You’ve probably never heard of Donald Nichols, but you’ll never forget him after reading King of Spies»

Barbara Demick, author of Nothing to Envy: Ordinary Lives in North Korea

«A must-read for readers interested in Korea, the ­Korean War, or U.S. intelligence operations»

Library Journal

«A thrilling real-life spy story told by a terrific writer.»

Tim Weiner, author of Legacy of Ashes: The History of the CIA