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Dallas' Kathleen Kent uses personal experience in new spy thriller

Photo courtesy of Kathleen Kent When Kathleen Kent was a defense contractor in Eastern Europe just after the fall of the Soviet Union, she knew Russian intelligence agents were following her, she tells Axios. Now she's turned those experiences into a new novel, "." Why it matters: Kent, a bestselling author, is an important part of the . Texas Monthly recently mentioned her in the "." The big picture: As a special project manager at one of the first companies commissioned by the after the Berlin Wall came down, Kent helped dismantle former Soviet military installations in Belarus and Kazakhstan.At the time, the former Soviet Union had more than .Part of her job included reporting any foreign interest in those nuclear weapons. Of note: After years of staying in former Soviet hotels, Kent can tell if a mirror is actually two-way glass. State of play: Kent's new novel follows Melvina Donleavy, a young CIA agent stationed inside the collapsing Soviet Union — a world populated by corrupt officials, the Russian Mafia, and, in her telling, a prolific serial killer based on the "." Reality check: She started writing "Black Wolf" before this year, but the new threats of global warfare make Kent's subject matter more relevant now than ever. Background: After growing up in Dallas and going to college at UT Austin, Kent worked on Wall Street before becoming a defense contractor. She moved back to North Texas a few years ago and started writing full time.Her popular first novel, "," was published in 2008 and is set during the Salem Witch Trials. The intrigue: "Black Wolf" will be her first spy thriller. All six of her previous novels were historical fiction or crime dramas. What's next: "Black Wolf" comes out in February 2023. Get more local stories in your inbox with .Subscribe Support local journalism by becoming a member.

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