by Lindsay Smith
An empty mind is a safe mind.
Yulia's father always taught her to hide her thoughts and control her emotions to survive the harsh realities of Soviet Russia. But when she's captured by the KGB and forced to work as a psychic spy with a mission to undermine the U.S. space program, she's thrust into a world of suspicion, deceit, and horrifying power. Yulia quickly realizes she can trust no one - not her KGB superiors or the other operatives vying for her attention - and must rely on her own wits and skills to survive in this world where no SEKRET can stay hidden for long.
"Starred Review. Debut novelist Smith's background in foreign affairs and Russian culture shines through in the historical context of her story and the political savvy of her characters and plot." - Publishers Weekly
"Smith strikes an inexpert contextualizing balance, teetering between unexplained Russian and giving Yulia an outsider's view of her own culture. Still, the Soviet setting (uncannily similar to many a sci-fi dystopian future) is a flavorful backdrop for psychic espionage." - Kirkus
This information about Sekret was first featured
in "The BookBrowse Review" - BookBrowse's membership magazine, and in our weekly "Publishing This Week" newsletter. Publication information is for the USA, and (unless stated otherwise) represents the first print edition. The reviews are necessarily limited to those that were available to us ahead of publication. If you are the publisher or author and feel that they do not properly reflect the range of media opinion now available, send us a message with the mainstream reviews that you would like to see added.
Any "Author Information" displayed below reflects the author's biography at the time this particular book was published.
Lindsay Smith's love of Russian culture has taken her to Moscow, St. Petersburg, and a reindeer festival in the middle of Siberia. She writes on foreign affairs and lives in Washington, D.C. Sekret is her first novel.

If you liked Sekret, try these:
by Mindy McGinnis
Published 2025
From award-winning author Mindy McGinnis comes a mesmerizing YA psychological mystery following a teen girl who is grappling with the death of her brother as she starts a new job in the caverns of Ohio—only to become the number one suspect in her coworker's murder. Perfect for fans of Courtney Summers and Kathleen Glasgow.
The Standardization of Demoralization Procedures
by Jennifer Hofmann
Published 2020
An audacious debut that combines spycraft, betrayals, and reversals to show that sometimes it's the secret that destroys you.
by Michael Honig
Published 2017
A biting satire of a particular despot and a deeply humane allegory of the fragility of goodness and the contagion of unchecked power.
L.A. Women by Ella Berman
Two ambitious writers in 1960s LA face betrayal when one writes a novel based on the other's life.
Your guide toexceptional books
BookBrowse seeks out and recommends the best in contemporary fiction and nonfiction—books that not only engage and entertain but also deepen our understanding of ourselves and the world around us.