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.

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.

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.

The Early Show has featured brief articles on two books this week:

Sports Illustrated columnist Rick Reilly has recently published a collection of his columns that appeared on the back page of the magazine for many, many years. The book is called Hate Mail from Cheerleaders and Other Adventures in the Life of Reilly.

You may finally sleep through the night again knowing why bananas and apples go brown, or why your cereal gravitates to one side of the bowl, or why onions, like so many other things, make you cry. The answers are all here: Why Don’t Penguins’ Feet Freeze? And 114 Other Questions, a collection of questions sent in from New Science Magazine, and of course, their corresponding answers. Do they have the answer you’re looking for?

Excerpts from both of these books may be found here.

It has been 10 years since the crash killing Lady Di and she’s still having a dramatic impact on popular culture. Enough so, that Christopher Andersen saw fit to write After Diana: William, Harry, Charles And The Royal House of Windsor, a book that follows and examines the lives of the remaining family members in the wake of Diana’s death, from the teenage years of Princes Harry and William to Prince Charles’ marriage to Camilla Parker Bowles. Andersen also addresses some of the rumors surrounding Diana and the Royal Family, including the prevalence of infidelity that Andersen purports plagued the family until the Princess’ dying day.

The Early Show has made an excerpt of the book available, as well as an interview with Andersen, both of which you may view here.