Robert Littell is the undisputed master of American spy fiction, hailed for his profound grasp of the world of international espionage. His previous novel, The Company, an international bestseller, was praised as "one of the best spy novels ever written" (Chicago Tribune). For his new novel, Legends, Littell focuses on the life of one great agent caught in a "wilderness of mirrors" where both remembering and forgetting his past are deadly options. Martin Odum is a CIA field agent turned private detective, struggling his way through a labyrinth of past identities - "legends" in CIA parlance. Is he really Martin Odum? Or is he Dante Pippen, an IRA explosives maven? Or Lincoln Dittmann, Civil War expert? These men like different foods, speak different languages, have different skills. Is he suffering from multiple personality disorder, brainwashing, or simply exhaustion? Can Odum trust the CIA psychiatrist? Or Stella Kastner, a young Russian woman who engages him to find her brother-in-law so he can give her sister a divorce. As Odum redeploys his dormant tradecraft skills to solve Stella's case, he travels the globe battling mortal danger and psychological disorientation. Part 'Three faces of Eve', part 'The Spy Who Came in From the Cold', and always pure Robert Littell, Legends - from unforgettable opening to astonishing ending - again proves Littell's unparalleled prowess as a seductive storyteller.

罗伯特·里特尔（Robert Littell），1935年1月8日出生于纽约的布鲁克林，是一位旅法美籍作家，他擅长于创作间谍小说，其内容多涉及中央情报局和苏联。

1956年毕业于阿尔弗莱特大学后，他在美国海军服役四年，期间做过航海反潜战官员，通信官员，甲板值班官员。

在冷战期间他曾做过《新闻周刊》的记者。他还是业余登山爱好者，并且是获奖小说家乔纳森·里特尔的父亲。