robert legvold, reviewing for "foreign policy", said, "whittell is a master storyteller, and the story here—of three men seized during the cold war—is better than hollywood's best." legvold said whittell recounted the story's "utterly fascinating elements... in meticulous detail". the reviewer said, "the stakes in both instances may not have been as dramatic as he claims, but the events were emblematic of the cold war's more shadowy and adventurous aspects."