The Spy and the Traitor - Ben Macintyre

The Spy and the Traitor

By Ben Macintyre

  • Release Date: 2018-09-18
  • Genre: History
Score: 4.5
4.5
From 1,240 Ratings

Description

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • The celebrated author of Double Cross and Rogue Heroes returns with a thrilling Americans-era tale of Oleg Gordievsky, the Russian whose secret work helped hasten the end of the Cold War.

“The best true spy story I have ever read.”—JOHN LE CARRÉ

Named a Best Book of the Year by The Economist • Shortlisted for the Bailie Giffords Prize in Nonfiction

If anyone could be considered a Russian counterpart to the infamous British double-agent Kim Philby, it was Oleg Gordievsky. The son of two KGB agents and the product of the best Soviet institutions, the savvy, sophisticated Gordievsky grew to see his nation's communism as both criminal and philistine. He took his first posting for Russian intelligence in 1968 and eventually became the Soviet Union's top man in London, but from 1973 on he was secretly working for MI6. For nearly a decade, as the Cold War reached its twilight, Gordievsky helped the West turn the tables on the KGB, exposing Russian spies and helping to foil countless intelligence plots, as the Soviet leadership grew increasingly paranoid at the United States's nuclear first-strike capabilities and brought the world closer to the brink of war. Desperate to keep the circle of trust close, MI6 never revealed Gordievsky's name to its counterparts in the CIA, which in turn grew obsessed with figuring out the identity of Britain's obviously top-level source. Their obsession ultimately doomed Gordievsky: the CIA officer assigned to identify him was none other than Aldrich Ames, the man who would become infamous for secretly spying for the Soviets. 

Unfolding the delicious three-way gamesmanship between America, Britain, and the Soviet Union, and culminating in the gripping cinematic beat-by-beat of Gordievsky's nail-biting escape from Moscow in 1985, Ben Macintyre's latest may be his best yet. Like the greatest novels of John le Carré, it brings readers deep into a world of treachery and betrayal, where the lines bleed between the personal and the professional, and one man's hatred of communism had the power to change the future of nations.

Reviews

  • Excellent

    5
    By CmhComments
    Tells things as they were…instructive for us now
  • Incredible

    5
    By Hoos 'N O's
    One of best ever. A real hero. Fast-paced, well-written, and especially timely, given current state of relations with Russia.
  • Everyone needs to read this book

    5
    By b-mc
    If you want to understand the Cold War and messed up Russia is, read this book. Very well done!
  • Real Life, Better Than Any Fiction

    5
    By Fishing Preacher
    This book, quite simply, is more heart stopping than any fiction.
  • The Spy and the Trairor

    5
    By Dccyclist222
    Best spy book i have ever read. And it wasn’t fiction!
  • Excellent Non-Fiction Storyteller

    5
    By Zach Louis G
    One of the best historical accounts I have ever read. Entertained and fascinated nearly throughout the entire book.
  • Outstanding Read

    5
    By JPE11
    Best spy book I’ve read. Excellent. Could not put it down.
  • Rewrite of Next Stop, Execution with an after action report

    3
    By jon @3333
    Readable
  • An engaging read

    5
    By Tack_D_Man
    I enjoyed the pacing and the references to other cases throughout the story.
  • Fantastic

    5
    By Great Great Book
    Finished it in 2 days - fantastic story and eloquently written.