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The Spy and the Traitor

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What to expect

THE NO.1 SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER

An exciting Cold War story about a KGB double agent, by one of Britain's greatest historians and the ultimate gift for anyone who loves a good spy thriller!

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 . . .

'The best true spy story I have ever read' John le Carré

'The world's most important spy since the Second World War. Mercilessly gripping' Sunday Times

'Extraordinary. His best book yet' John Preston, Evening Standard

'A remarkable story of one man's courage' The Times, Book of the Week

© Ben MacIntyre 2018 (P) Penguin Audio 2018

Critics Review

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 Carré liked it
Daily Express
Meticulously researched, splendidly told, immensely entertaining and often very moving
John le Carré 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'

User Reviews

Book 5.0
Narration 5.0
Author Ben Macintyre
Narrator Ben MacIntyre
Duration 14 hours and 33 minutes
Release Date
ISBN 9780241982754
Format Audiobook
Publisher Penguin Books Ltd
Genre Biography: historical, political and military, Cold wars and proxy conflicts, Espionage and secret services, Military history
Collections The Art Of War
Availability AU, GB, IE
Rating
5.0 (3 reviews)
Narration
5.0 (3 reviews)

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