Title: Making Russian Dolls

Author: Kimberly Anne Conway

Publisher: Independently published on 5/4/2026

Language: English

Format(s): Hardcover, Softcover, e-book, 282 pages

Genre: Historical Fiction

ISBN/ASIN: 979-8-9949560-2-1

Reviewed by: Rachael Fealy-Layer

Secrets, Spies, and Soviet Ambitions

Conway’s Making Russian Dolls is a twisty historical thriller set in the years leading up to WWII. Maya Orlova and Dmitry Kurchin are childhood sweethearts with connections to Russian secret intelligence. While Dmitry uses his interest in sports to find recruits to help him move freely between countries, Maya uses her position to evaluate the potential of orphans for espionage work. When the pair find a talented duo of children that grow into ice skating entertainers, it sets in motion a longstanding plot to infiltrate America while the threat of WWII continues to loom large in the background.

This novel features a large cast of characters all working towards their own ends. As the years pass and their machinations begin to intertwine, loyalties begin to blur as the characters face a reckoning for the choices they’ve made for themselves and for each other. The author’s attention to detail gives the story an authenticity that will appeal to fans of historical fiction who like a fast-paced thriller.