A Spy Among Friends - Ben Macintyre & John le Carré

A Spy Among Friends

By Ben Macintyre & John le Carré

  • Release Date: 2014-07-29
  • Genre: History
Score: 4.5
4.5
From 450 Ratings

Description

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • The epic true story of Kim Philby, the Cold War’s most infamous spy, from the “master storyteller” (San Francisco Chronicle) and author of Prisoners of the Castle.

Now an MGM+ series starring Damian Lewis, Guy Pearce, and Anna Maxwell Martin


“[A Spy Among Friends] reads like a story by Graham Greene, Ian Fleming, or John le Carré, leavened with a dollop of P. G. Wodehouse.”—Walter Isaacson, New York Times Book Review

Who was Kim Philby? Those closest to him—like his fellow MI6 officer and best friend since childhood, Nicholas Elliot, and the CIA’s head of counterintelligence, James Jesus Angleton—knew him as a loyal confidant and an unshakeable patriot. Philby was a brilliant and charming man who rose to head Britain’s counterintelligence against the Soviet Union. Together with Elliott and Angleton he stood on the front lines of the Cold War, holding Communism at bay. But he was secretly betraying them both: He was working for the Russians the entire time. 
 
Every word uttered in confidence to Philby made its way to Moscow, sinking almost every important Anglo-American spy operation for twenty years and costing hundreds of lives. So how was this cunning double-agent finally exposed? In A Spy Among Friends, Ben Macintyre expertly weaves the heart-pounding tale of how Philby almost got away with it all—and what happened when he was finally unmasked.
 
Based on personal papers and never-before-seen British intelligence files and told with heart-pounding suspense and keen psychological insight, A Spy Among Friends is a fascinating portrait of a Cold War spy and the countrymen who remained willfully blind to his treachery.
 
ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR: The New York Times Book Review, The Washington Post, Entertainment Weekly, Shelf Awareness

Reviews

  • Great book crappy Russian spy

    5
    By WazzuS
    The gal this guy had to not only spy for Russia but to include his family is disgusting
  • A spy among friends

    5
    By Maj RHM
    I very intriguing and a pleasure to read. Keeps you engaged from the first page.
  • Spy among friends

    5
    By Eldorado51
    Throughly engrossing read. Makes one wonder if our present intelligent community is still running on pink gin and dirty jokes.
  • Brilliant

    2
    By Liopertyu
    In this enthralling narrative depicting the almost ethereal, Judas-like dance of Kim Philby, the author weaves a magnificent web, akin to the one Philby himself wove, that will surely ensnare you. A masterclass in historical storytelling that simultaneously vindicates Nicolas Elliot and offers an unbiased view at the greatest intelligence story in modern history. This book should be read by anyone with even a passing interest in espionage or the intricacies of the Cold War. Absolutely brilliant.
  • Fascinating Story

    4
    By Emmet Aloysius
    I knew nothing of Kim Philby before reading this book, so the book was very informative on this world class spy and his close relationships with CIA & British Intelligence figures. It is hard to believe he got away with what he did so the story itself is fascinating. My one major complaint is that there are so many names in a 300+ page book your head will spin!...EAF
  • Great

    4
    By easteuropean
    A very interesting recount of the beginning and the depths of the Cold War

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