Former Soviet KGB agent Alexander Litvinenko died last November in a hospital in London. His organs failed because of exposure to lethal levels of polonium-210. In short, he was poisoned. His death received extensive news coverage, and the world waited expectantly for an explanation to emerge. The elements were certainly there: Litvinenko had left the Russian secret service in 2000 and had gone into hiding, knowing that he was a marked man for what he knew. Another Russian spy was charged, but he blames British intelligence for murdering Litvinenko to discredit Putin. The dying Litvinenko, in his final statement, actually blamed Putin for his death. In the end, though, answers were still few and far between…until now, of course.

Litvinenko’s wife, Marina, and close friend Alex Goldfarb, have recently published Death of a Dissident: The Poisoning of Alexander Litvinenko and the Return of the KGB, in which they elaborate on the ex-spy’s life, investigations and death. They even go so far as to name names they believe were involved in the murder, explain why he broke with Russia in 2000 and reveal some of the Russian secret service’s biggest, um, secrets—those they believe Litvinenko was killed for knowing.

Marina Litvinenko and Alex Goldfarb appeared on The Early Show yesterday to discuss the book. You may watch their interview here and read an excerpt here.