Spy Affair
4.5/5
Critic Rating
A charismatic Russian woman arrives in the US on a mission to improve relations between the two countries, and she soon makes some powerful friends. But who is Maria Butina? And who is she working for? As Maria gets closer to the rich and connected she also attracts the attention of the FBI. In the politically charged world of US-Russia relations, everyone has secrets and almost nothing is what it seems. From Wondery, the makers of The Shrink Next Door and Dr. Death comes SPY AFFAIR a story about deception, appearances and betrayal. Hosted by Celia Aniskovich.Binge all episodes...
Critic Reviews
Score: 4.5
Fiona Sturges • Financial Times • Apr 4, 2021
"As in those series, there are no corpses in Spy Affair. There is also no obvious jeopardy, since many listeners will know how the story ends. The tension lies in the protagonists’ motivations as Aniskovich tries to unravel who knew what, whether key figures turned a blind eye to Butina’s activities and whether she is not, in fact, a master manipulator but a pawn in a much bigger political game."
Score: 4.5
Hannah J Davies • The Guardian • Apr 2, 2021
"Another characteristically slick, ripped-from-the-headlines series from market leaders Wondery introduces us to Russian gun activist Maria Butina, who – as one does – fell in love with her father’s shotguns as a child and subsequently became an arms lobbyist."
