Michael Rey and Oriana Zill De Granados' 'The Havana Syndrome'

By Kevin Seabrooke

This investigative account explores the terrifying malady that has afflicted up to 1,500 American officials worldwide. Beginning in Cuba in 2016 and expanding across the globe from Moscow and Shanghai to Vienna, these directed-energy attacks caused severe brain injuries reminiscent of Cold War–era Soviet microwave harassment against the U.S. Embassy in Moscow. Highlighting whistleblowers like former Pentagon investigator Lt. Col. Greg Edgreen, the narrative examines ties to specialized weapons bragged about by Vladimir Putin’s military—a campaign CIA Director William Burns ultimately challenged with threats of direct retaliation. Beyond the personal toll on diplomats and intelligence officers, the book delivers a scathing critique of government secrecy and institutional denial, arguing that decades of official concealment have betrayed U.S. personnel and undermined strategic deterrence.

The Havana Syndrome: Secret Weapons, a Government Cover-Up, and the Greatest Spy Mystery of Our Time (Michael Rey and Oriana Zill De Granados, Crown Pub. Group, New York, NY, 336 pp., Oct. 13, 2026 $33 HC)