“Before you see the new Coen brothers movie “Bridge of Spies,” read the book that inspired it. “Strangers on a Bridge,” the 1964 bestseller, tells a fascinating true story of Cold War espionage…An enthralling inside account.”
– Minneapolis Star Tribune
"Unique in the strange history of the Iron Curtain... Enthralling... A truly remarkable account of how the author fulfilled his stewardship as a lawyer and as a negotiator. He has done us a real service in writing this engrossing and forthright book."
– Allen Dulles, former chief of the CIA, in the New York Times Book Review
"Absorbing... A top-notch spy thriller."
– Time Magazine
"As fascinating as it is exciting."
– The Houston Chronicle
"Strangers on a Bridge guides us through the saga with a dry and courtly wisdom."
– The New Yorker
"As compelling as The Spy Who Came In From the Cold--except it happens to be true."
– Life Magazine
"An impressive story of devotion to justice and the national interest."
– M.C. Miskovsky, CIA
"Well written and informative, Strangers on a Bridge is a wonderful firsthand account of the most notable spy swap made during the height of the Cold War. Written by defense attorney James Donovan in 1963, the book gives an accurate overview of the behind the scenes negotiations that resulted in KGB Colonel Rudolph Abel being exchange for my father, CIA U-2 pilot Francis Gary Powers, in February 1962 on the Bridge of Spies."
– Francis Gary Powers, Jr., Founder and Chairman Emeritus The Cold War Museum
“This book is much more than the exciting journal of one of history’s great espionage cases, its preparation, trial and appeal and its dramatic dénouement at the Glienicker Bridge. Anyone who thrills to spy narratives and brilliant investigative work and skillful courtroom tactics will be sure to enjoy it.”
– Charles S. Desmond, Former Chief Judge of the State of New York