The book cover for 'A Reluctant Spy' by Roselyn Teukolsky features a dark background with a blurred city sidewalk scene at night and awards badges, including the 2025 Big Book Award and IndieReader Press Award.

a reluctant spy

A Reluctant Spy is a gripping spy thriller in which skydiving meets cybercrime at the highest levels of academia. 

Madeline Geiger is a young computer scientist whose husband has recently died under suspicious circumstances. On the day of his funeral, Madeline is approached by an FBI agent who persuades her to go undercover in the Computer Science Department at Cornell to find out who’s providing encryption software to an illicit pornography ring.

Madeline is an introverted nerd and definitely not a spy. When she delves into the computers of her colleagues, she makes some devastating discoveries. Someone in her orbit is a killer who is onto her and has already murdered once. In order to survive, Madeline must emerge from the shadow of her late husband and outwit an antagonist who is luring her into a deadly game.

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Awards

The New York City Big Book Award in 2025 in the category of Suspense.

The Independent Press Award in 2026 in the category of Suspense.

Press

I was interviewed about A Reluctant Spy by John Crowley. You can listen to the podcast and read the interview here. Check out the book summary reel here.

Watch the trailer

Reviews

  • "Roselyn Teukolsky is a very talented author. She kept me riveted throughout her novel wanting to know more! After a thrilling, hair raising, James Bond style first chapter, the heroine of "A Reluctant Spy", Madeline Geiger, does not stop piquing the curiosity of the readers. What will she think of next and how will she get herself out of the perilous situations she gets into?"

    — Isabella V.

  • "The blazing story of a brilliant computer scientist who survives a “suspicious” skydiving accident and finds herself dragged into helping catch a programmer in a lucrative transnational child pornography ring…Roselyn Teukolsky sets this thriller in the best depiction of an Ivy League department I’ve ever read, full of intrigue and littered with colleagues who fight like weasels for bits of status and privilege..."

    — Janis Kelly

  • "Roselyn Teukolsky's A RELUCTANT SPY is a fabulous read -- smart, engrossing, and so utterly compelling I raced through the pages at warp speed. An outstanding debut! I can't wait to read what Teukolsky pens next!"

    — Karen Dionne, author of The Marsh King’s Daughter

  • "What a thrill ride! This book kept me on the edge of my seat with one shocker after another. I couldn't put it down. The superb, detailed writing will keep any reader on a roller coaster of tension, suspense, and intrigue!"

    — Carol J. Amato

  • "A Reluctant Spy plunges readers into a labyrinth of secrets, betrayal, and intrigue…"

    — Aryn Y.

  • "Gripping suspense from the first page…"

    — Mike Brooklyn

  • "A tremendously satisfying read. A Reluctant Spy rewards with a satisfying traditional mystery and the added excitement of the new world of computers…"

    — Michael Wharton

  • "From the explosive start of literally skydiving from a small plane, Madeline (not Maddie!) leads a chase that spans the halls of academia to the murky depths of the dark web. Through plot twists and surprising character revelations reminiscent of Agatha Christie, the layers of the mystery unfold."

    — Patricia Civale

  • "A suspenseful page-turner! A brilliant, grieving, socially awkward, and infuriatingly underestimated computer genius, Madeleine is recruited for her hacking skills to crack a darkweb child-porn ring which seems to have ties to the university where she and her late husband were researchers. Twists and surprises in every chapter. A terrific book from a talented and clever author. HIGHLY recommended!"

    — Amazon Customer

  • "From the get-go, this novel had me holding my breath as the skydiving scene unfolds. I felt that I was the one waiting to jump. And the action and suspense continues, becoming more complex as the plot unravels to its surprise conclusion. A heart-stopping, brain-teasing, fabulous read, which includes much welcome humour…"

    — JoAnn Catania

Book Club Questions

  1. What do you love (or hate) about the protagonist, Madeline Geiger, in A Reluctant Spy?

  2. Madeline is so fundamentally unsuited for espionage—introverted, tongue-tied, grieving. How successful was the author in creating a protagonist who's the antithesis of a traditional spy?

  3. How do the difficulties that smart women have in male-dominated workplaces propel the plot?

  4. Speculate about the author’s motivation in killing off Andri toward the end of the book.

  5. Contrast and compare the characters of Joe and Andri and how they help or hinder Madeline in her quest.

  6. How does Andri’s relationship with Madeline’s mother enhance the plot?

  7. How does the basement scene advance the character arcs of Madeline and Andri?