In-Store Book Signing: In True Face; The Spy Archive

Join us in the Spy Museum Store for a special book signing event for In True Face: A Womans Life in the CIA Unmasked and The Spy Archive: Hidden Lives, Secret Missions and the History of Espionage with author Jonna Mendez and The Spy Archive: Hidden Lives, Secret Missions, and the History of Espionage with author Dexter Ingram.

In True Face:

In this “extraordinarily brave and entertaining book” (Sonia Purnell, New York Times–bestselling author of A Woman of No Importance), the bestselling coauthor of Argo tells her riveting, courageous story of being a female spy at the height of the Cold War 

Jonna Hiestand Mendez began her CIA career as a “contract wife” performing secretarial duties for the CIA as a convenience to her husband, a young officer stationed in Europe. She needed his permission to open a bank account or shut off the gas to their apartment. Yet Mendez had a talent for espionage, too, and she soon took on bigger and more significant roles at the Agency. She parlayed her interest in photography into an operational role overseas, an unlikely area for a woman in the CIA. Often underestimated, occasionally undermined, she lived under cover and served tours of duty all over the globe, rising first to become an international spy and ultimately to Chief of Disguise at CIA’s Office of Technical Service.

In True Face recounts not only the drama of Mendez’s high-stakes work—how this savvy operator parlayed her “everywoman” appeal into incredible subterfuge—but also the grit and good fortune it took for her to navigate a misogynistic world. This is the story of an incredible spy career and what it took to achieve it.

The Spy Archive:

History books lie. Not always intentionally—sometimes the truth is just locked away in forgotten archives or purposely buried in redacted files.

Behind every major world event lurks a shadow narrative. The "official story" you learned? That's the magician's trick designed to distract you from the real power players. Wars don't just happen. Revolutions aren't spontaneous. Technological breakthroughs rarely come from lone geniuses working in garages.

The backroom deals, the midnight defections, the calculated betrayals—these are what actually shape our world—not the polished versions fed to the public. Secrets cause nations to rise and fall.

The truth is always messier than fiction—and infinitely more disturbing.

Inside The Spy Archive: Hidden Lives, Secret Missions, and the History of Espionage, you'll learn about:

The Gestapo torturer who should have been hanged at Nuremberg. Instead, he enjoyed 30 prosperous years in Bolivia. How many other Nazi criminals received new identities from Western intelligence agencies—and what were they expected to provide in return?

In suburban America, a father and son casually passed envelopes that devastated U.S. naval security for eighteen years. What they sold to the Soviets for pocket change nearly triggered the nuclear war everyone feared.
They vanished overnight in 1307. Or did they? Follow the money trail across 700 years and discover why certain banking families still use Templar symbols in their private communications. Coincidence? Hardly.
Get a glimpse of the true stories they never taught you and learn how espionage actually changed the world.

Once you know what happened behind closed doors, history will never look the same again.

About the Authors:

Jonna Mendez is a former chief of disguise with twenty-seven years of experience as a CIA officer working in Moscow and other sensitive areas. With her late husband Tony Mendez, she is the bestselling coauthor of Argo, The Moscow Rules, and Spy Dust.

Dexter Ingram is a counterterrorism and counter WMD strategist with over 25 years of experience. His field experience spans multiple continents-from coordinating counterterrorism efforts at INTERPOL in Lyon, France; to leading U.S. interagency delegations to Asia and Africa focusing on nuclear proliferation deterrence; to serving as an advisor in Afghanistan's volatile Helmand Province. Dexter has assembled one of the most impressive private spy collections outside government archives. He currently serves on the boards of the International Spy Museum; Real Spy Comics; and the National Counterterrorism, Innovation, Technology, and Education Center. Dexter is the founder of IN Network, a nonprofit dedicated to mentoring promising young minds interested in careers in national security.

The Spy Museum does not endorse, approve, or support the opinions stated by guest speakers. Statements made by speakers do not represent the position or opinion of the International Spy Museum.