My Family and Other Spies

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Brought to you by Penguin.

The unforgettable memoir of life in a family like no other, and their extraordinary, eccentric part in half a century of espionage . . .

‘It has always been inculcated into me that no good could ever come of having anything to do with my father …’

As a boy, Alistair Wood lived within the (very high) walls of a Secret Intelligence Service – or MI6 – training camp, surrounded by some of the most senior - and colourful - characters in SIS history. After all, he was family. His mother was one of a handful of women to have operated behind the lines in post-war Berlin. His father, once one of Britain’s most highly-regarded intelligence officers, was an absent and perplexing figure, the reasons for his sudden departure from the Service still classified to this day. But Wood’s search for the truth took him on a journey more remarkable than even he had imagined.

My Family and Other Spies is a gripping exploration of an extraordinary, scarcely believable life, a globe-trotting spy story that spans a half century from the gathering storm before the Second World War to the fall of Communism, and a son’s reckoning with the secrets of the past.

"Simply stunning ... might be the best non-fiction book I’ve ever read about post-war SIS" - CHARLES BEAUMONT

© Alistair Wood 2025 (P) Penguin Audio 2025

Critics Review

This book is simply stunning. It might be the best non-fiction book I've ever read about post-war SIS, and Alistair's unique (an overused word, but in this sense, entirely justified) perspective allows him to draw back the curtain on one of the most secretive organisations in the world, in a way that nobody else has done, or could do. The story of JBW is picaresque, intriguing, dramatic and a window onto the frontlines of World War II and Cold War spying, offering insights I have never before seen on the printed page. It's also a moving personal story about a son's attempt to understand his father, and very funny in an understated, British way. This is a book that everyone interested in British Intelligence will devour, shaking their heads in disbelief at the extraordinary stories as they do so
Charles Beaumont

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