The ImPerfect Spy is the inside story of George Trofimoff, an American civil servant and army reserve colonel, convicted in 2001 of spying for the Soviet Union throughout the Cold War. It is a story of betrayal, greed, and treachery at an almost incomprehensible level. It begins with Trofimoff's early years as a Russian refuge living in pre-World War II Germany, and continues throughout the remarkable series of coincidences that converged to give him a new life and made him an American citizen. It follows Trofimoff's life as he advanced in the American intelligence community through positions of increasing responsibility, and his unlikely recruitment by a Russian Orthodox Priest, Trofimoff's step-brother, as a spy for the Soviet Union. It ends with his arrest, trial, and conviction for espionage. The Imperfect Spy is a remarkably complete look at the life of a spy, told from both Trofimoff's point-of-view and from the trial record. The author's unique access to Trofimoff's wife's comments, Trofimoff's writings, and from the author's personal observation over a five year period, combine to create a remarkably intimate look at a very public event.

Mitrokhin Archive--The Trofimoff Family History and Early Years in Berlin--From Pilsen to Paris--Emigration to the United States--The Army Years--The Nuremberg Joint Interrogation Center--Arrests and Hearing in Germany--A New Start--Letters, Telephone Calls, and Videotapes--Trofimoff's Arrest in the United States and Pretrial Confinement--The Prosecution--The Trofimoff Defense--Guilty--The Anatomy of a Spy