The very idea that an ordinary family living near me could be ASIO spies is quite exotic but almost unbelievable. This is how journalist Sandra Hogan felt when Sue-Ellen, at nearly 60 years of age, chose her as the first to hear about her incredible childhood assisting her parents in their ASIO work.

Dudley and Joan Doherty swore their children to secrecy to protect their family and Australia from the threat of Communist infiltration in the 1950s. It took courage for the family to speak to Hogan after a lifetime of silence and to trust her with their story.

While very young, the three children learn spy skills including memorising number plates, observing unusual behaviour, and being invisible, unnoticeable. But the most amazing thing is their loyalty to silence with their school friends and each other. They can never ask where Dad is or what he’s done. He’s just ‘working’. They implicitly trust their parents and follow the rules.

Why did the parents involve the children with such a heavy responsibility? Hogan found out after extensive research that Dudley and Joan both came from abusive families torn apart by secrets and lies. So, within their family they strive for absolute support for and trust in each other. Hogan relates how each of the children handled questions of trust in their adult lives.

It’s an exciting, intimate journey with the Dohertys through suburban Brisbane and Sydney, immersed in the culture and history of that time. The Dohertys were at the coalface of spy work including living with the Petrovs, famous Soviet defectors, hiding them from assassins during the Melbourne Olympics.

Reviewed by Judith Grace