NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • The celebrated author of Double Cross and Rogue Heroes returns with his greatest spy story yet, 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 CARRÉNamed a Best Book of the Year by The Economist • Shortlisted for the Bailie Giffords Prize in … 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.
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The best true spy story I have ever read.
The tale of Oleg Gordievsky is a fascinating one – born into a KGB family, he grew disillusioned with the Soviet way of life and became a spy for MI6. His contributions to the end of the Cold War are incalculable, and largely unknown to the American public. If you’re looking for real-life intrigue, I recommend checking this one out.
We have heard of and read of Oleg for decades but this is the first book that really gets into the personal aspect of his life and motivations.
THE SPY AND THE TRAITOR by Ben Macintyre is the true of a Russian spy who spied for British intelligence during height of the Cooled War. Along the way his work comes to the attention of the American traitor Aldrich Ames.
Ben Macintyre is a wonderful writer who does his homework. He interviewed the people involved who are still alive, as well as studying newly released documents. this is a five star read.
AMAZING book! The best non-fiction spy book I’ve ever read. Reads almost like a novel.
Incredible true story, fascinating history and well-told.
It reads like a well-crafted spy novel and it’s true! One really can’t get much better than that.
When discussing exciting spy novels, I believe it’s safe to assume that authors such as Ken Follett, John le Carre, Robert Ludlum, Tom Clancy, and Ian Fleming are commonly mentioned along with others, of course. Although there are often factual based elements in the storyline, what ties their stories in a common thread is that they are all novels of fiction. But what could be more exciting, and educational, than a thrilling novel of espionage that’s actually a true account of spy vs. spy, East vs. West, and ideology vs. ideology?
Ben Macintyre’s immaculately researched novel, The Spy and the Traitor, primarily takes place in the era from the late 1970’s through the eventual dismantling of the Berlin Wall. It’s a story centered on Oleg Gordievsky, an officer of the KGB who reached the upper echelon of their organization while simultaneously working as a double agent for the UK with the eventual desire to defect. Having grown up in a family with a father that was 100% no-questions-asked obedient to Russia and was also a KGB member himself, Gordievsky had no defection intentions until he became stationed in a couple of western European countries and became exposed not just to the freedoms that he’d never known before, but also learning, through those freedoms, just how oppressive and life sucking the Communist/Soviet life was for all of humanity living under those totalitarian regimes. The Spy and the Traitor does an excellent job explaining many facts from that era of the Cold War, including how the Soviet aspirations for citizen dominance and world wide influence helped mold the mindset of a young KGB officer named Vladimir Putin and which apparently remain with him through today.
Macintyre’s book makes it abundantly clear that without the invaluable pipeline of information that Oleg Gordievsky provided about the KGB to Western intelligence, the easing of restrictions for the people under the Soviet empire, and, of course, the dismantling of the Berlin Wall, would not have occurred at the time that they did. To use a sports analogy, if you were a coach, and were given a detailed breakdown of the playbook of the team you were competing against, there would be few of any surprises and your preparation would be geared to combat each thing they tried. As long as you stayed disciplined in your preparation, you’d eventually stifle the other team’s abilities to do much of anything consequential.
The last thing I’ll say is that I’ve read many thrilling spy novels, but for me, none of them can match the suspense of Gordievsky’s attempt to escape to the West with the aid of the British intelligence community. I won’t spoil anything here with details other than to say I was captivated by the entire event that involved luck, fate, and years of meticulous preparation while faced with seemingly impossible odds.
This would make a fantastic movie!!!
Edge of my seat for the last third — this book is incredible.
Finally, a true cold war page-turning book I was looking for. I could hardly put it down. It is historical and contemporary at the same time. The life and times of Oleg Gordievsky are truly remarkable and sad at the same time. Espionage seems so romantic, but in this book, it highlights the stress, deceits, and loss that all spies will eventually take. His successful career and exfiltration from the USSR had a lot to do with the skill of MI-6 and a remarkable amount of luck and complacency of the KGB. I also appreciate the authors’ candid feedback from the MI-6, CIA, and KGB about his book. It shows that he will not shy away from criticism and standby his research.
This book is based on a true story of the most successful spy of the Cold War era, a KGB agent who spied for MI5 and MI6 and influenced history. A mine of information about how things really work in the world of espionage. Incredibly informative and thrilling. Reads like a suspense novel.
Move over James Bond. The Spy and the Traitor is an edge of the seat read about Oleg Gordievsky, a Russian spy working for the British intelligence during the Cold War.
Oleg was the son and brother of KGB agents and it only seemed natural that he too join the KGB. His first post as an intelligence agent in Denmark opened his eyes to the West in 1968. As he rose through the KGB ranks to become the top KGB officer in London, his disillusionment with communism intensified and became an informant for the British from 1973 until his defection in 1985.
The intimate workings of both sides of the spy game was a fascinating read and I was astounded to find out that the world was on the brink of nuclear war in 1983 when Russian paranoia was at its height. Russia mistakenly believed that the US was about to push the nuclear button. Gordievsky revealed this information which was given to Thatcher and Reagan who quickly diffused Russia’s concerns. Thank God for Gordievsky. He is also credited with not just preventing nuclear war but quite possibly the break-up of the Soviet Union.
MI6 kept a close eye on Gordievsky; the risks were high and very few people knew his identity. However, the CIA were desperate to find out the identity of the British source and the power struggles between the two intelligence machines was intense.
The spy world is filled with treachery, ego and stupidity highlighted by games of cat and mouse. I had to keep reminding myself that this actually happened and was not make-believe which served to make me feel a bit uncomfortable that the world’s peace is in the hands of these so-called intelligence gathering experts.
The way the author has pulled this book together from interviews and documented evidence is truly remarkable. It makes for chilling and uncomfortable reading. Just try and put it down. I’ll bet you can’t.
Fascinating account of a true story steeped in the history of the cold war. Well researched and well written. Starts a bit slowly but quickly picks up and builds to an exciting finish.
I finished this book in two days. It is the true story of Oleg Gordievsky, one of the most important spies of the Cold War, as seen from within the depths of the Russian KGB. The story is vetted, and thoroughly researched with the author’s skills as an experienced journalist. If you have memories of the Cold War in the 1970s and 1980s, this is like reading a behind-the-scenes story of actual events and meetings between world leaders. Even with all the information and facts laid out, the author still manages to keep the story flowing. It becomes more incredible over the time period of the story, most of which took place prior to 1989. There were a lot of names referred to, and I kept track of most of them. If you love a good spy thriller like Robert Ludlum’s Jason Bourne books, Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan stories, and John le Carre this is for you. John le Carre calls this book “The best true spy story I have ever read.” You can’t get much better than that.
I love reading about all the spy work that on during World War II. both by the British and the Americans. This shares a history of both these groups. It’s interesting to see the development of turning into a traitor and turning against your country and people you knew
The best spy novel I have read, kept me on the edge of my seat, couldn’t put it down. Couldn’t recommend it more.
Fascinating, especially as I was in my twenties and thirties plus internationally aware at that time.
I love Ben MacIntyre’s books and this one was no exception. Very interesting, reads like a novel
Anything by Ben Macintyre is a must-read for me. Hey, don’t trust me; le Carré is a big fan.