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

Written by:
Ben Macintyre
Narrated by:
John Lee

Unabridged Audiobook

Ratings
Book
103
Narrator
24
Release Date
September 2018
Duration
13 hours 21 minutes
Summary
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.
Reviews
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Zahid F.

This was brilliantly written and perfectly narrated . A truly gripping non fiction book which people should read if they want to know what’s really going on in the world . I wouldn’t be surprised if something similar isn’t going on now in the midst of the Ukraine war.

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Anonymous

Fascinating!

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Russ S.

Well researched. Well written. Compelling content. Well narrated. Loved it.

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Dan M.

Hard to “put down” once started.

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Suzanne N.

well done! recommending this story to everyone I know

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Jose S.

The story was great. I wasn’t aware that this happened and we (Americans) were getting information from our allies from this high level source. It was a great listen

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Sandra C.

Intriguing and informative. Loved it.

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Maynard B.

Excellent on all counts.

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