Join us today at Elaine’s Literary Salon: Thursday, August 17, 2025, 12-2, where you’ll meet Kenneth Dekleva, author of the new book, “The Diplomat’s Wife
When: Thursday, August 17, 2025 • Noon to 2pm
At Elaine’s: 208 Queen Street, Alexandria, Virginia 22314
Meet the Author: Kenneth Dekleva is a practicing psychiatrist in Dallas, TX, who served as a physician-diplomat with the US government during 2002-2016, mostly overseas, including Moscow, Mexico City, New Delhi, Vienna, and London. He has traveled to over 70 countries worldwide, and speaks Spanish, Serbian, Slovene, Russian and German. Learn more here.
About: T
“The Russian Diplomat’s Wife,” by Kenneth Dekleva
The unlikely protagonists of this new novel, set in Vienna, Austria – the city of spies – are a deep-cover American intelligence officer and a Russian woman, who have a chance encounter in a museum in Vienna, while viewing a Klimt painting. This encounter – a perfect spy recruitment – leads to further encounters, mystery, romance, and finally, tragedy and redemption. Along the way, the American’s agents – he is nicknamed Copernicus and they are named after planets – begin dying in Russia, Europe, and North Korea. Copernicus’ engagements with the Russian woman thereby draw further attention, from the CIA, Mossad, and Russia’s GRU, who are hunting down his agents. Eventually, Copernicus and the Russian woman are also tracked by a deep-cover Mossad officer, who offers his own enticements. The action and scenes in this powerful, psychologically nuanced espionage novel by Kenneth Dekleva – himself a former diplomat and psychiatrist with vast overseas experiences and travels – play out in Austria, America, Russia, Israel, and other European countries, leading to a deeply-moving denouement. Click here to buy the book!
What critics are saying:
- “With deep insights into the minds of U.S. and Russian intelligence officers, Dr. Ken Dekleva’s The Russian Diplomat’s Wife is a masterful and authentic story of recruitment, passionate love and the extremely high stakes undeclared spies face in the field. Who can understand this landscape better than a psychiatrist with first-hand experience plumbing the psyche of operatives whose personal sacrifices help protect the security of our nation? A must read.” — David Percelay, former CBS News VP and media consultant
- “A cool, knowing, and quietly devastating novel that brings Dekleva in the ranks of such thinking man spy novelists as Alan Furst and Eric Ambler. An unlikely love story between a Russian and an American plays out in a Vienna that is richly rendered with an illustrator’s eye for detail. A vibrant evocation of a city and an immensely assured portrayal of the human heart.”
About our Elaine’s Literary Salon Host, Jeffrey James Higgins: A retired supervisory special agent who writes thrillers, short stories, creative nonfiction, and essays, Jeff has wrestled a suicide bomber, fought the Taliban in combat, and chased terrorists across five continents. He received the Attorney General’s Award for Exceptional Heroism and the DEA Award of Valor. Jeffrey has been interviewed by CNN, National Geographic, and The New York Times. Learn more: jeffreyjameshiggings.com
Find more Elaine’s Literary Salon events here. And check back for new episodes of Elaine’s Literary Salon on Inkandescent.tv and listen to all the podcasts on InkandescentRadio.com.
Elaine’s Literary Salon
About Elaine’s: A menu filled with delicious modern Mediterranean cuisine selection is sure to please everyone in your party. The dishes are based on exquisite food found in Alexandria, Egypt — a combination of Middle Eastern with French, Greek, and Italian influences. Elaine’s is named for the owner’s grandmother and is based on a promise she made at the age of 12, growing up in Cairo. “I promised my grandma I would someday own a restaurant and name it after her,” shares Cynthia, who is also an author. She and her husband, bestselling thriller novelist Jeffrey James Higgins, are proud to share my family’s recipes with new friends and families in the Washington, DC metropolitan area.” Located in an 1880s building, it was the previous home for 38 years of the beloved bistro Bilbo Baggins. The newly renovated restaurant is located in the heart of Old Town’s Historic District within sight of the Potomac River and Founders Park, just a few blocks from The Torpedo Factory Art Center, and Old Town Alexandria Waterfront. Make a reservation today: elaines-restaurant.com.
About our Elaine’s Literary Salon Host 
