The Spy and the Traitor: Uncovering the Greatest Espionage Story of the Cold War

Amanda: This book, while slow to read at times, picked up intensely during part III of the novel. It was well-written and incredibly intriguing. 4.5/5 stars, rounded up

United States on Oct 28, 2023

MattVader: This story makes for gripping reading and especially the part recounting Oleg’s exfiltration and escape from the USSR! As a spy, he chose his side and the Western spy equivalents recount a very similar tale. The nerves of steel that he needed to have in order to be able to do his job and at the same time give away state secrets is both admirable and abominable…Aldrich Ames was doing the same thing!! Overall, a well written and documented biography of a secret and intelligent man.

United States on Oct 16, 2023

Kindle Customer: What a masterpiece!

Could not put this down it is that good. What a brilliant account of one of the most significant actions in my lifetime at a time world peace was under serious threat. Expertly pieced together and written this is just a compelling read , highly recommended.

United Kingdom on Sep 20, 2023

Prathap Simha D A: A nail biting narration of a true story.
It gives a peeping glass into clandestine world. A must read for people who spy thrillers

India on Sep 18, 2023

Luc: The very well written history of a senior KGB officer who decided to serve the West in the 70’s for ideological reasons, and whom the British Government remains completely loyal to.

France on Sep 11, 2023

Nancy K: I gave this book five stars because it was a page-turner. I have also read some of critical reviews and I do get at times that we have a KGB officer who is a good guy and a CIA operative who is just a greedy one.
Also, coming from Liverpool, I had to take a deep breath when reading about the Iron Lady and Jack Jones.
However, it’s a brilliantly written book and I enjoyed the first half most of all when our KGB turncoat is still in Russia, and enjoys his first taste of European life when he is involved in faux-diplomacy.
Of course, it’s always an interesting study to try and understand why a devoted Communist at the time was so devouring of Westernised luxuries, too. It’s not so much the desire of the central character, but more a narrative around others, who sing from the KGB hymn sheet and then whack around in luxury Mercedes.
The British characters come off best - they are everything you expect them to be. Upper crust, thorough, with stiff upper lips and a sense of balance even when the situation moves towards emergency, even if the author has smoothed over some edges, they are characters to lap up and enjoy.
The role of the women in this book was also well...

United Kingdom on Aug 13, 2023

P. Davis: My wife thought I should read more fiction, so she bought this book for me. She didn't know it was actually non-fiction. As I began reading I found it fascinating to learn what was happening in the world soon after graduating college in 1984. Interest rates where 17% and I was recently married. To read what was happening with Oleg Gordievsky and his impact on the cold war at the same time as the beginning of my career was humbling. What is happening in the world today we don't know about. Had to put the book down a few times and couldn't read it before bed on occasion. A great read of non-fiction in a fiction format. Finishing the book is now leading me onto "Agent Sonya".

United States on Aug 05, 2023

Ramesh: The book is a an absolute must read spy novel. Considering its a real life story it makes it all the more entertaining.

Considering that this was a multi year tale, the number of characters and their roles dont overwhelm. The characters are suitably fleshed out for the story.

It was fascinating to read about a Spy who must have made such an impact on certain global events and perhaps had a small hand to play in defining the cold war. Considerable research seems to have been conducted and distilled. It has been distilled without losing out on the larger picture. It gives a ring-side view of the cloak-and-dagger mechanisms employed by spy agencies, the importance an utility of spying.

This book is a real page-turner, and it tempted me many times to finish it in one go, i had to savour the book. There is a certain bias and a typical british put-down of the other side but that doesnt effect the overall content. The author claims that the book has been critiqued by some of the principal characters.

The book deserves a 10 star for an irrestible read. Forget James Bond, this is the real deal.

India on Aug 05, 2023

Charles Scott: The Spy and the Traitor, by Ben Macintyre, published in 2018, is the definitive, highly informative, non-fictional account of the defection of a senior-level Soviet spy. He decided to go to the West in the summer of 1985 amidst a flurry of political instability and an uncertain future in the Kremlin. The book is jam-packed with significant historical events taking place on a massive global scale, many of which most of us have all but forgotten, if we knew about them at all. For example, Stalin's purge of 1936-38, the Soviet invasion of Hungary in 1956, the construction of the Berlin Wall in 1961, the Soviet suppression of the Spring uprising in Czechoslovakia in 1968, and Britain's expulsion of 105 key Soviet intelligence officers in 1971.
Are we beginning to see a pattern here? Is history repeating itself? It's like looking at your reflection in a two-way mirror. You see life from "Both Sides, Now," as in the Joni Mitchell song from many moons ago.
Be that as it may, the book depicts interesting, biographical information about some of the most famous (or infamous) spies of the twentieth century from the U.K., the U.S., and the U.S.S.R. An excellent selection of photographs...

United States on Dec 28, 2018

Charles Salmans: Oleg Gordievsky was a KGB spy who underwent an ideological conversion and was the rare individual who passed secrets to the British not for money but for principle, according to author Ben Macintyre.

Certainly in the period from the 1930s through the 1960s, the Soviet Union had much more success in penetrating Western democracies than those democracies had in placing a mole in a closed Soviet society. Some Soviet success was rooted in the ideological attractiveness of Communism which reached its zenith during the depression of the 1930s and produced true believers from atom spies Klaus Fuchs, David Greenglass, and Julius Rosenberg to the “Cambridge Five” that included Kim Philby.

But in Macintyre’s telling, the KGB of the 1970s lacked the ideological fervor of an earlier era and was not as effective as it had been in previous decades. Nevertheless, in the battle of spy vs. spy, the Soviets found that with enough money they could buy spies. Those particularly susceptible to selling out were experiencing personal and professional disappointment, and money became a compensating factor in self worth.

Macintyre is at his best in describing British management...

United States on Dec 12, 2018