2024 the best spy novels review

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NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • The celebrated author of Double Cross and Rogue Heroes returns with 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.

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Uncovers the true story behind the Cold War’s most intrepid female spy Chronicles the extraordinary story of what happened after British officials planted a dead body behind enemy lines during WWII Fall into this gripping tale of loyalty, love, and the thin and shifting line between fidelity and betrayal, based on recently declassified World War II files The incredible untold story of World War II’s greatest secret fighting force—Britain’s Special Air Force The untold story of one of the greatest deceptions of World War II, and of the extraordinary spies who achieved it The unbelievable true story of Kim Philby, the Cold War’s most infamous spy

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Crown; Reprint edition (August 6, 2019)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 384 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1101904216
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1101904213
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 10.8 ounces
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.16 x 0.86 x 7.95 inches
Reviewer: TD
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: Incredible True Story
Review: I wish this could be made into a movie. It is SO incredible. I couldn't put it down. All true and gripping, nearly every moment. Photos are great, also. What it takes to be a spy! If nothing else, a fabulous memory! You won't believe some of the convoluted directions this spy had to remember! And the get-away is breathless!

Reviewer: Moira French
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: Long after I finished it, I was thinking about this book
Review: John Le Carre says this is the best true story spy book he's ever read, and he's right. It's so well written. Even the protagonist, who only read it once it was published, said it was "flawless." I read it on a cruise and it was the perfect book to keep my attention for a couple of days. One mark of a good book is that it doesn't leave any unanswered questions. You're not left wondering, "I wonder why he did that?" or "Why didn't he realize that?" Or "Why didn't he follow through?" Every question you have is answered and I appreciate that in a book. It takes a lot of care to read through your own writing and anticipate what needs to be clarified or expounded on. I really, really enjoyed reading this and learned a lot about Russia, the KGB, how disillusionment motivates you, courage, MI-6, the British, the Danes, spycraft, etc. etc. It was very interesting.

Reviewer: John R.
Rating: 4.0 out of 5 stars
Title: An enjoyable read
Review: The history of Oleg and what he and his family went through was well written.

Reviewer: Laurence R. Bachmann
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: Splendid history & a gripping read
Review: The Spy and The Traitor is touted in its subhead as "the greatest espionage story ever told." That isn't just publisher hype. The real events and the story of Oleg Gordievsky, KGB officer and diplomat reads like something from a John LeCarre or Robert Ludlum story...except it's true and marvelously documented. Raised by a father and older brother who both served devotedly and unquestioningly in the KGB (dad worked through Stalin's purges and survived in the KGB's precursor agency). Loyalty to the service then would seem to be a given--betraying the agency and its million members (you read that right) would be like sabotaging the family's business. Yet events and history continue to flummox human expectations.First the invasion of Hungary, then the erection of the Berlin Wall (which Gordievsky was present to see) and finally the brutal crushing of the Prague Spring in Czechoslovakia all drove this KGB officer further and further away from the party. Exposure to the West in Copenhagen and later in London provided a first hand taste of liberty and freedom. It served as the final push into the eager and eternally grateful arms of his M16 handlers. The double agent provided them with not merely a trove of concrete information but invaluable insight into the workings of the KGB and planning of the Soviet Leadership. It is no exaggeration to say Gordievsky was our Kim Philby. The details of these meetings, contacts, "drops", etc. and how spies operated from the end WWII until the dissolution of the Soviet empire is fascinating and novelistic in the telling. Gordievsky's escape or "exfiltration" from the USSR by M16 is nothing short of breathtaking--a Bourne Identity moment.Best of all though is the historical and moral context that gives readers a perspective of events' meanings. Ben McIntyre is a masterful storyteller and detailed chronicler. He thoroughly but concisely points out the import and value of Grodievsky's insights--particularly warning the Brits and thereby the Americans that the Soviet leader Yuri Andropov genuinely believed the West was intent upon a first nuclear strike. Appreciating that paranoia can be as perilous as animus, first Thatcher and then Reagan worked to assuage Soviet fears. It was Gordievsky who prepped both sides for successful summits in the 80s and it was he who counseled wisely to neither disband nor include the USSR in the SDI or Star Wars initiative. Rather, ratchet up the pressure and they would go bankrupt trying to keep up, which is precisely what happened.Gordievsky certainly didn't single handedly end the cold war--there were dozens of events and officials who played a significant role. But Oleg Gordievsky was surely in the first rank of those who made a valuable contribution earning the appreciation of Reagan, Thatcher, the CIA, M16 and yes, QEII (the monarch, not the ocean liner). Best of all, McIntryre doesn't put a patriotic gloss on his subject's behavior. What Gordievsky did was of enormous benefit to democracy and the West but it destroyed his marriage, implicated his wife and children as well as family and friends who all paid some price for his defection. In short, his actions both saved and ruined lives and the choices he made can be rightfully regarded as both morally defensible and appalling or enraging to those who knew him. Unsurprisingly, his marriage failed and most Russian friends regard him with disdain and disgust. In the western intelligence community he is a hero.This is terrific, important history and a wonderfully well-told tale. Enjoy!

Reviewer: Lena Conway
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: Excellent and well written true spy story surpassed the best le Carre spy fictions
Review: I was unable to put down this book. It's more interesting than some fictional spy stories written by le Carre. The author was able to turn a true spy story into an amazing story in a fictionalized way with many historical references that made it a history book about the cold war at the same time. The CIA totally lied about Adrich Ames who provided the Soviets with a list of KGB agents working for the west which included Gordievsky's name, for money. CIA dropped the ball when Ames had been behaving in a way that the CIA should have fired him or demoted him, but instead, promoted hin that allowed him access to information that killed many, and almost destroyed Gordievsky. As for the MI6 handler of Oleg, he should have told Oleg not to go back to Moscow when he was suddenly summoned. He was greedy for more intelligence than doing the right thing to allow him to defect and protect him and his family. He left it to Gordievsky to decide, which Gordievsky felt obligated to keep spying for MI6, for he discerned the MI6 handler was reluctant to give up on continuing to get high level intelligence from him on the Soviets. It almost got him killed. Then admitted his mistake after the fact. Not professional! Oleg was right not to reveal what he was doing to Leila whom he knew he couldn't trust her. Though she enjoyed the privilege and freedom in England, at the core, she was a patriotic Soviet citizen, with her father and grandfather having worked for the KGB. This allowed her special privileges as a Russian, making her unable to relate to the repression of all other ordinary Russians. Oleg had amazing instincts about people but made a wrong decision about his handler's lack of responsibility to protect him. The two British couples who worked at the US embassy in Moscow were the heroes, including the baby. I totally enjoyed this book and wished I had come across it long ago. It's brilliant!

Reviewer: Peter Oakes
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: Riveting! Well written. Reasonably easy to follow a story of an individual living a very complicated life as a double agent in the world of spying!

Reviewer: Alexia
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: Excelente novela basada en una historia real. Increíble la intervención de la nteligencia de la Unión Soviética para crear ideologías extremas en varios países que afectan la política de desarrollo económico de libre mercado y las instituciones democráticas de las naciones. Interesante que aún en la actualidad sucede.

Reviewer: Gustavo Andrés Lorenzi Mendez
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: very well written and detailed by the author / gives a whole overview about the Cold War / exciting and tense.

Reviewer: MR2020
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: What is incredible about this true-life spy story is that you can read it like a classic novel, as it never slows its pace. This captivating espionage tale is a real page-turner. What struck me most in this book is how likeable the main character really is.

Reviewer: Leiding Chen
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: top quality! it said like new, it is indeed like new!