The Falcon and the Snowman: A True Story of Friendship and Espionage

This true account follows two young Americans who became traitors during the Cold War. At the height of the Cold War, classified secrets passed through a CIA contractor in Southern California. Christopher John Boyce, an employee with a high IQ and passion for falconry, had access to highly sensitive intelligence at the Black Vault facility. Security was lax enough that Boyce was tempted to steal classified documents. With help from his best friend Andrew Daulton Lee, a drug dealer with connections to Mexico, Boyce began selling stolen documents to the Soviet embassy in Mexico City. The two young men, often intoxicated, committed this act of espionage and found themselves caught between the CIA and the KGB. This Edgar Award–winning book inspired a critically acclaimed film starring Timothy Hutton and Sean Penn. It tells the story of two unlikely Cold War spies whose actions had significant consequences.