That Sweet Little Old Lady

About this book

The story is a mid‑century science‑fiction spy tale that drops the reader straight into a tense FBI briefing. The opening scene has Chief Jeremiah J. Burris assigning the young agent Kenneth Malone a baffling case: a telepathic spy is leaking secrets from a Nevada nuclear plant. The dialogue‑heavy opening establishes the central problem, detecting a mind‑reader, while sketching Malone’s modest record and Burris’s weary authority. The narrative then shifts to a night‑time walk through Washington, where Malone reflects on his luck, the emerging field of psionics, and the uneasy ethics of a device that might sense mental intrusion. The prose moves from the cramped office to the city streets, setting up a procedural that blends bureaucratic intrigue with speculative technology.

Written in the brisk, dialogue‑driven style typical of 1950s pulp magazines, the story carries the flavor of Astounding Science Fiction’s golden era. Its tone is both procedural and speculative, with a touch of dry humor in the banter between Burris and Malone. Readers who enjoy classic spy narratives infused with early Cold‑War science‑fiction, especially those who like a dash of telepathy, government conspiracies, and period‑authentic dialogue, will find this tale an engaging snapshot of a time when space dreams and espionage collided.