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.

Acclaimed thriller writer Jeffery Deaver cut his teeth writing novels staring quadriplegic forensics expert Lincoln Rhyme. Rhyme is perhaps Deaver’s most popular character, which explains why the writer’s newest book, The Sleeping Doll, has absolutely nothing to do with him. Instead, we have Kathryn Dance, a body language and interrogation expert charged with tracking down the brilliant Daniel “Son of Manson” Pell, who escapes after murdering the whole of a wealthy family save for one young girl, who lay asleep, hidden by her toys — the sleeping doll.

Deaver appeared on the Early Show and discussed the research process, his reasons for creating a new series and what he anticipates fans will think of his newest character. Watch the interview here.

There is also an excerpt of the book on Deaver’s Website, which you may read here.

Tony Lagouranis, former U.S. interrogator, makes an appearance on Talk of the Nation to discuss Fear Up Harsh: An Army Interrogator’s Dark Journey Through Iraq, a memoir on the tactics he used at Abu Ghraib, including stress positions, environmental manipulation, military dogs, sleep deprivation and, in one case, a mock execution.

In the interview, Lagouranis talks about his training as an interrogator and the shock and confusion he endured when he realized that the U.S. military was deliberately going against certain aspects of the Geneva Convention laws. He admits that the techniques in question never actually worked. “People only tell you things when they want to tell you things, and causing somebody pain, duress, is only going to strengthen their resolve.” He also entertains callers’ questions, during which he discusses the gray areas and moral issues he had to endure throughout his tour in Iraq, and whether the military’s disregard for the Geneva Convention was the reason why the scandal at Abu Ghraib happened.

Listen to the interview here.

Lagouranis also appeared on Diane Rehm early last week. Listen to that interview here.

Cat Cora, the most fearsome of all the Iron Chefs, has recently released her newest cookbook, Cooking From the Hip: Fast, Easy, Phenomenal Meals. The recipes contained therein are divided into four sections: fast, easy, fun and phenomenal. But, everything is designed with the amateur chef in mind. The Early Show has posted several recipes online, which you may view here.

Cora actually appeared on the show Monday to discuss said recipes as well as Chefs for Humanity, a non-profit group she founded that sends food and chefs to hurricane-devastated Mississippi and Louisiana. As soon as a clip of the interview is made available, we’ll post it.

Legendary New York novelist, essayist and journalist Pete Hamill discusses the story behind his latest novel North River and writing New York in general. The book is set in the “Depression-era New York immigrant community, and about who is telling the stories of today’s immigrants.”

The two also discuss the origins of the book’s title: The North River is the old name for the southern end of the Hudson River where the Hudson River turns from south-southwest to south between the bottom of Manhattan and New Jersey.

You can hear the whole interview here.

Apparently, we’ve gone from Generations X, to Y, to Broke. I can certainly attest to that one, being as I am, in debt up to my eyeballs from college loans, rent and general cost of living. Mine is certainly not a unique story and the Bronze Goddess of Finance, Suze Orman, has come to realize this. Just for us 20-somethings, she’s written The Money Book for the Young, Fabulous and Broke, which should give us the know-how, if not the wherewithal, to get us unbroke as quickly as possible.

The Today Show posted a brief excerpt on its Website. Do you know what FICO stands for? Then I suggest you read it.

According to The Journey to Parenthood: Myths, Reality and What Really Matters, the newest parenting manual by Diana Lynn Barnes and Leigh Balber, it’s OK to not be blindly enthused about the stork pecking down your door. In fact, it’s even OK to resent the change a bit. Other people do, even if they don’t admit it. This is what Barnes and Balber set out to explore the gap between what new parents say they think and what they actually think. It is wider than you might believe.

Read the excerpt posted today on the Early Show Website and take solace.

There is also an interview with Barnes, available here.

Remember that book, Hate Mail from Cheerleaders and Other Adventures in the Life of Reilly, by that Sports Illustrated-columnist Rick Reilly? Remember that? It was a collection of his funniest, wittiest and most touching columns from the course of 9 years occupying the back page of SI. Yeah, that one. Well, now you can see what that guy looks like, because CBS has posted a clip of the interview with Reilly on its Website, in which he discusses some of the columns contained therein and why his book makes a great fathers’ day gift.

English gossip-columnist Tina Brown is the latest to try her hand at parsing the mind of perhaps the most beloved member of the royal family. She interviewed the people that knew the late Princess Di best, analyzed old press notes and managed to create one of the most thorough portraits of her we have seen in recent years.

Brown’s book, The Diana Chronicles, garnered a small article on Good Morning America, along with an excerpt , which you may read here.

In Brazilian-author Paulo Coelho’s newest novel, The Witch of Portobello, a Romanian orphan (none-to-subtly) named Athena is adopted by wealthy Lebanese Christians. Throughout her upbringing, her various visions and prophesies are discounted as childish and baseless, but when the situation in Beirut becomes inhospitable and she moves to London as a young adult, things start to change. She acquires a spiritual teacher, begins endorsing a sort of modern Paganism and finds herself both disciples and detractors, both fervent in their respective beliefs.

In the Weekend Edition Saturday interview, Coelho, a Catholic, discusses his motivations for bringing to light an archaic tradition of matriarchal worship. “I’m a Catholic, but not a Catholic writer.” To him, “God is love…and love is traditionally associated with the more feminine face of the Lord.”

From there, Coehlo discussed the subtle evolution of religion and suggests that the Virgin Mary is likely a vestigial figure from the Roman Pagan tradition, pointing to the comparisons drawn between Christianity and Athena’s brand of religion that run throughout the novel. Coehlo continued, saying he hopes that this evolution will continue and that in another 2,000 years, the traditionally feminine aspects of religion will reemerge.

Listen to the NPR interview with Paulo Coehlo here.