The Spy and the Traitor
Ratings38
Average rating4.6
15
Ratings38
Average rating4.6
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 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 with the most likes.
Ben Macintyre has written a fantastic factual book, [b:The Spy and the Traitor: The Greatest Espionage Story of the Cold War 37542581 The Spy and the Traitor The Greatest Espionage Story of the Cold War Ben Macintyre https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1522906662l/37542581.SY75.jpg 59145602] , which reads like a thriller novel which you simply cannot put down. The book is a testament to the significant contribution Oleg Gordievsky made to ensuring the Cold War remained without escalation into all out war and helped ensure effective diplomatic relationships could be established between the USSR and NATO allies. Ben Macintyre has diligently researched the subject matter drawing on open source information, first hand accounts and other documents in order to develop a coherent story that immerses the reader into the various situations Oleg Gordievsky found himself in. The story provides a roller coaster of emotions providing a visceral glimpse into the Cold cold war spy world where the stakes are at their highest.This fascinating novel is worth putting on your reading list , I am certain you will not be disappointed.
An engaging read about a KGB agent who fed secrets to the British for over a decade. I like how a lot of this is both thrilling and rather mundane compared to a Hollywood “spy” story and the details of things like how the British were able to use the information he gave them without giving him away and things like how little miscommunications or inconveniences can derail a plan are really interesting.
I believe this author has written a few other real-life spy books so I'll probably check another one out in the near future.
Secrets secrets are no fun. Secret secrets hurt someone
A true pleasure to read. Gives you all the intrigue of a spy novel but with the deep knowledge of a historical recounting. It exposes the inner workings of espionage during the late stages of the Cold War in an engaging way that keeps you wanting to know more.
