You can support this podcast at patreon.com slash partners in crime media.

I'm Rebecca LaVoy, and this is Crime Writers On.

Crime Writers On is the original True Crime Review podcast that digs in a true crime,

pop culture, other podcasts.

And on this episode, two secretaries at the U.S. Embassy and the Soviet Union become unlikely spies as they try to learn why their CIA husbands died.

We'll talk about the Cold War thriller, Ponies on Peacock. Joining me to get that done in, Moore's, true crime author, TV journalist, and host of. These are their stories podcast, my husband, and the love of my life every single day. Kevin Flynn. Hello, Kevin. Hello, Rebecca. Also with us is private investigator, certified pet detective, resident cat lady, author of the Piper Green series of Cozy Mysteries, and legit one of my favorite people in the world, Laura Bricker. Hi, Laura.

Oh, thank you, Rebecca. It's true. I'm great because I'm with you. Oh, thank you. And finally,

all the way from Valencia, Spain, author of a city trilogy, host of Rip Current, more like ancient

phalians in the podcast, soon to be a major motion picture, the world's most interesting man, Toby Ball. Hi, Toby. Hey, Rebecca. No comment on the fact that I just called you the world's most interesting man. Hello. You made it sound like the motion picture is called the world's most interesting. Man, you can say strange arrivals. The classic podcast. It is the world's most interesting man, Toby Ball. Do it again. Hello, Toby. Hello, Rebecca. You can respond now, Toby. There you go. Yeah, thanks for the kind words. All right. So, Kevin, this is Thursday's program. What is coming up next week on this lovely show that we call crime writers on?

Yes. So next week, we're going to be talking about the podcast, The Brothers Ortiz. That's going to be

on Monday's show, and then on Thursday, we've got a classic rewind. We're going to be talking

about our review from 2018 of Season 2 of Ozark. Why are we going to have a classic rewind? Why are we going to have a classic? Well, because you and I are going to be stepping away for a couple of days. And so we can't leave nothing in the feed. No. So we're going back to an interesting, because Jason Bateman, he's having a moment. He's having a moment again, another moment. And so we're going to look at season two of Ozark. Okay, Kevin, I'm really looking forward to talking about the show that we're talking about in this episode. Can we just get right to it? Let's jump right in. All right, leading off. You can tell them that two embassy employees on diplomatic business were flying a small, single-engine Soviet-made aircraft. And after encountering engine failure, the plane crashed.

You're giving us the cover story. What happened?

In 1977's Moscow, Americans B. Grant and Twyla Hasbeck learned their husbands have died during a secret

mission in Soviet Russia. Determined to learn why, they convinced the CIA station chief to let them

return to the U.S. embassy to complete their husband's covert operation and uncover why it went

wrong. No one would ever suspect us of anything. I mean, we're women. People only look at us if they

want to fuck us or marry us, and that's it. So nobody would ever think that two people like us

would be spies.

B and Twyla find themselves helping a young Russian leak secret Soviet technology. But they're

drawn in deeper when B catches the eye of a ruthless KGB officer who's been gathering KGB

now they must complete their dangerous mission before the Russians figure out that American

...