NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • The true story of Kim Philby, the Cold War’s most infamous spy, from the master espionage writer and author of The Spy and the Traitor.Who was Kim Philby? Those closest to him—like his fellow MI6 officer and best friend since childhood, Nicholas Elliot, and the CIA’s head of counterintelligence, James Jesus Angleton—knew him as a loyal confidant and an unshakeable … confidant and an unshakeable patriot. Philby was a brilliant and charming man who rose to head Britain’s counterintelligence against the Soviet Union. Together with Elliott and Angleton he stood on the front lines of the Cold War, holding Communism at bay. But he was secretly betraying them both: He was working for the Russians the entire time.
Every word uttered in confidence to Philby by his colleagues in the West made its way to Moscow, leading countless missions to their doom and subverting American and British attempts to subdue the Soviet threat. So how was this cunning double-agent finally exposed? In A Spy Among Friends, Ben Macintyre expertly weaves the heart-pounding tale of how Philby almost got away with it all—and what happened when he was finally unmasked.
Based on personal papers and never-before-seen British intelligence files, this is Ben Macintyre’s epic telling of one of the greatest spy stories ever, a Cold War history that will keep you on the edge of your seat.
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I read A Spy Amongst Friends by Ben Macintyre all the way through to the last page of the bibliography. Actually, I read the two pages after that. It’s what you do when you can’t bear for the story to end. And I already knew the end of this story, but I knew just enough to not know much at all. Really excellent book. Writing non-fiction which has more dazzle and suspense than any novel is a gift. To do it over and over as Mr. Macintyre has done is just pure talent.
I researched James Jesus Angleton for my book, The Kennedy Endeavor, and knew he was a broken man– just one ‘among the friends’. If you want to understand the depths of despair that one human being can cause another without causing them the slightest physical blemish–this is the book. Maybe the worst thing is to murder someone’s soul.
I confess my knowledge of the Cambridge Spies and Kim Philby specifically was perfunctory at best, and I was intrigued in particular why Graham Greene was forgiving of Philby’s betrayal and John le Carre was not. Ben McIntyre’s book lays it out thoroughly: how and why Philby decided to spy for the Soviets, how the “good old boy” system in British intelligence meant no one would believe he’d betrayed them. It reads almost like a fictional spy thriller, especially toward the end when you’re left with the mystery of whether Philby duped his former colleagues when he absconded to Russia or not. John le Carre’s afterword was worth the price of the book–with a pithy le Carre reaction to a request from Philby to meet when le Carre was in Moscow. Cold War stuff, to be sure, but I live for it. A great read. And if you have any thoughts that Philby was being true to his cause, as he described it, McIntyre shows you the human cost of Philby’s betrayal of operations to the Soviets. Hundreds, yes, hundreds of people died because of Kim Philby.
Incredible, unbelievable, astonishing; A SPY AMONG FRIENDS is the ultimate book on spies and Kim Philby. Superbly written, mesmerising, mystifying, excruciatingly well researched; there are pictures, an extensive bibliography and references, plus an afterword by John le Carré; simply put: A SPY AMONG FRIENDS is absolutely flawless.
Kim Philby’s story defies comprehension, and no fictional spy novel could ever top this; this stuff just couldn’t be made up. I thought I knew quite a bit about Kim Philby, but it was just the tip of the iceberg. Compared to anything I have ever read on espionage – real or fictitious – A SPY AMONG FRIENDS merits 10 stars out of 5. It exceeded my extremely high expectations tenfold. I don’t think I have any question left about Kim Philby that could be answered.
A look at the network of friends surrounding Kim Philby’s long career as a spy. Fascinating read.
Well written, what an interesting story!
We knew it could happen but at the highest levels of government.!! The old boy network and the liberal Oxbridge elitism was a hornet’s nest for double agent development. A true story , well told:a most enjoyable read.
This is one of the best true spy books ever. A must read if you like this type of story.
One of the greatest spy stories ever! In depth and detailed research and character analysis make this book unputdownable!