The Spy and the Traitor

I chose this book as it explores the difficult, murky world of the double agent, that of Colonel Oleg Gordievsky of the KGB. I could have chosen any one of half a dozen of Ben’s books for great nonfiction writing. However, this story is set in a wonderful period for the espionage lover: the Cold War of the 1980s. A rollicking yarn that I think is one the best escape from Russia stories there is. I have to say this book constantly amazed me.

Indeed, I owe a debt to Ben, as his writing inspired me to write my own… show more.

This book is a rare work of nonfiction that reads like the best spy thriller. It tells the story of the exfiltration from Moscow of one of Britain’s most valuable double agents, Oleg Gordievsky.

What I loved about this book is that it takes the reader into the detail of how the operation to exfiltrate Gordievsky was planned and executed. Based on interviews with the agents involved and with Gordievsky himself, it is a rare insight into the cut-throat world of espionage.

I read this unforgettable, true story, cover to cover while sitting for hours in the Denver airport waiting for a long-delayed flight to Seattle.

Thanks to Ben Macintyre’s brilliance, my day of stress became a meaningful and hugely informative adventure into the double life of Oleg Gordievsky. How this man, like his father and brother, joined the KGB; why certain realities and events during his KGB assignments changed him; what motivated his decision to become a double agent for British intelligence; and how he survived it all filled this saga with astute lessons about espionage.

There’s a simple yet profound… show more.

The Spy and a Traitor is the true story of Oleg Gordievsky, KGB agent, who spied for the British in the mid-1970s. While Gordievsky was ideologically motivated to help the West, he had a hard time convincing MI6 that he was sincere, because he didn’t want money. Eventually, he managed to gain trust and provided valuable information for many years.

Enter Aldrich Ames, a British citizen intent on spying for Moscow. Ames’s underhanded dealings threatened to expose Gordievsky in Moscow. Gordievsky barely escaped with his life while hiding in the trunk of a car, thanks to the distraction provided by… show more.

I love books that take me into the mindsets of people with different worldviews.

This true story of a KBG mole working for Briton’s M16, and eventually involving the US, does just that. It describes differences in spy-craft and approaches to intelligence gathering in these three countries, and impressively the incredible lengths the British go to, to ensure their mole’s safety.

The book is a page-turner. You won’t regret reading it or be able to stop once you start.

This is the most brilliant nonfiction spy book I have ever read. 

It is a juxtaposition of oxymoronic proportion: CIA agent Aldrich Ames, who became a KGB mole and betrayed his country for money, and KGB agent Oleg Gordievsky who became disillusioned with the Soviet regime and risked his life by working closely with MI6, in the process very likely preventing the outbreak of a nuclear war.

Where both spies crossed paths without knowing it when Ames betrayed Gordievsky, who was recalled to Moscow. He barely escaped death and prison but was closely watched. The story of his escape from… show more.