Miraflores -- Memoir of a Young Spy — Keith Yocum

This gripping historical novel - part spy narrative, part love story, part family drama - gives readers a healthy dose of action without sacrificing character depth- The BookLife Prize A captivating spy tale, historically astute and morally nuanced - Kirkus Reviews A Cold War grows hot in tropical Panama Young Nick Halliday joins the CIA to distance himself from a family tragedy and to do his part in the patriotic fight against the communist menace. Rushed into his first undercover assignment in Panama in 1958, Nick finds himself mired in the humid, dripping world of deceit and lies. He infiltrates a group of leftist students bent on returning the canal to Panama control. But Nick's budding romance with Maria, a beautiful student activist, throws his mission sideways. The international clash of ideologies harshly intrudes on a young man's love for a woman. Both are expendable pawns in a vast worldwide deathmatch. Can they survive in a game that only values winning, whatever the cost?