The Spy and the Traitor
The Greatest Espionage Story of the Cold War
1st Edition
Published on 20. September 2018
416 pages
978-0-241-18667-1 (ISBN)
Description
*The No.1 Sunday Times Bestseller*
'THE BEST TRUE SPY STORY I HAVE EVER READ' JOHN LE CARRE
A thrilling Cold War story about a KGB double agent, by one of Britain's greatest historians - now with a new afterword
On a warm July evening in 1985, a middle-aged man stood on the pavement of a busy avenue in the heart of Moscow, holding a plastic carrier bag. In his grey suit and tie, he looked like any other Soviet citizen. The bag alone was mildly conspicuous, printed with the red logo of Safeway, the British supermarket.
The man was a spy. A senior KGB officer, for more than a decade he had supplied his British spymasters with a stream of priceless secrets from deep within the Soviet intelligence machine. No spy had done more to damage the KGB. The Safeway bag was a signal: to activate his escape plan to be smuggled out of Soviet Russia. So began one of the boldest and most extraordinary episodes in the history of spying. Ben Macintyre reveals a tale of espionage, betrayal and raw courage that changed the course of the Cold War forever...
BEN MACINTYRE'S NEXT BOOK, COLDITZ, IS AVAILABLE FOR PRE-ORDER NOW
'THE BEST TRUE SPY STORY I HAVE EVER READ' JOHN LE CARRE
A thrilling Cold War story about a KGB double agent, by one of Britain's greatest historians - now with a new afterword
On a warm July evening in 1985, a middle-aged man stood on the pavement of a busy avenue in the heart of Moscow, holding a plastic carrier bag. In his grey suit and tie, he looked like any other Soviet citizen. The bag alone was mildly conspicuous, printed with the red logo of Safeway, the British supermarket.
The man was a spy. A senior KGB officer, for more than a decade he had supplied his British spymasters with a stream of priceless secrets from deep within the Soviet intelligence machine. No spy had done more to damage the KGB. The Safeway bag was a signal: to activate his escape plan to be smuggled out of Soviet Russia. So began one of the boldest and most extraordinary episodes in the history of spying. Ben Macintyre reveals a tale of espionage, betrayal and raw courage that changed the course of the Cold War forever...
BEN MACINTYRE'S NEXT BOOK, COLDITZ, IS AVAILABLE FOR PRE-ORDER NOW
Reviews / Votes
An incredible true life spy story...Every word ramps up the tension as you're drawn deeper into the danger * Mail on Sunday * If any spy writer were to put it in a novel, it would not be believed. But, blow by blow, trick by trick, it is all in Macintyre's book -- Fredrick Forsyth He writes like a novelist. One of the last chapters is as tense as any thriller. No wonder le Carre liked it * Daily Express * The best true spy story I have ever read -- John le Carre [A] captivating espionage tale. In a feat of real authorial dexterity, Macintyre accurately portrays the long-game banality of spycraft-the lead time and persistence in planning-with such clarity and propulsive verve that the book often feels like a thriller. Macintyre has produced a timely and insightful page-turner. * Publishers Weekly * Meticulously researched, splendidly told, immensely entertaining and often very moving -- John le Carre on 'Agent Zigzag' Impeccably researched, superbly told - by far the best book on the SAS in World War II -- Antony Beevor on 'SAS' Thrilling. Ben Macintyre is the ideal narrator * Spectator on 'SAS' * Thorough and highly entertaining. It would be nigh on impossible to praise it too highly * Daily Express on 'SAS' *More details
Language
English
Place of publication
London
United Kingdom
Target group
College/higher education
Professional and scholarly
File size
12,56 MB
ISBN-13
978-0-241-18667-1 (9780241186671)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions
Book
05/2019
Penguin Books Ltd
€15.50
Available immediately
Book
09/2018
Viking
€51.00
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Person
Ben Macintyre is the multimillion-copy bestselling author of books including Colditz, Agent Sonya, SAS: Rogue Heroes, The Spy and the Traitor, Agent Zigzag, Operation Mincemeat and A Spy Among Friends. He is a columnist and Associate Editor at The Times, and has worked as the newspaper's correspondent in New York, Paris and Washington. Several of his books have been made into films and television series, including Operation Mincemeat, A Spy Among Friends and SAS: Rogue Heroes.
