Atomic Spy tells the story of Karl Fuchs, a physicist who worked on The Manhattan Project, and shared secrets with the Russians. The book tells the story of his early life, and gives insight into his political and moral beliefs. The characters are well researched and each is treated with reverence and empathy. The actions of each character are explored from many angles, showing that very rarely are there ever only 2 sides- the “good guys” and the “bad guys”. Nancy Thorndike Greenspan shows that the actions of Fuchs were nuanced and that in the end, he had a very strong moral compass leading his decisions. The tale is one of espionage, intrigue, and the choices people make during extraordinary times. The story does drag in some places with excessive detail that perhaps wasn’t necessary, but overall you are left with a greater understanding of the contributions Fuchs made to the world of science, as well as his personal motives and beliefs.

This was an interesting biography about a controversial historical figure. The author goes into a lot of detail about Klaus' life so there was a timeline leading up to him giving Russia the plans for the plutonium bomb that led to him being labeled a villain.