The book a spy among friends

Kim philby and the great betrayal macintyre, ben, le carre, john on. With exquisite detail and masterful control, macintyre unveils the dark and treacherous interior worlds in which spies live. Master storyteller ben macintyres most ambitious work to da. Kim philby was the most notorious british defector and soviet mole in history. Macintyres focus on friendship brings an intimacy to this book that is missing from the cardboard stereotypes that populate spy novels and conventional espionage historiesim not a lover of spy novels, yet i adored this book. I would have been happy had it been three times as long mail on sunday.

Those closest to himlike his fellow mi6 officer and best friend since childhood, nicholas elliot, and the cias head of counterintelligence, james jesus angleton. Ben macintyre is a writeratlarge for the times of london and the bestselling author of a spy among friends, double cross, operation mincemeat, agent zigzag. Ben macintyre s latest nonfiction thriller, a spy among friends, is about kim philby, the highlevel british spymaster who turned out to be a russian mole. In a spy among friends he weaves an absorbing tale of deceit and duplicity, of treason and betrayal. Macintyre s focus on friendship brings an intimacy to this book that is missing from the cardboard stereotypes that populate spy novels and conventional espionage historiesim not a lover of spy novels, yet i adored this book. Philbys two closest friends in the intelligence world, nicholas elliott of mi6 and james jesus angleton, the cia intelligence chief, thought they. Ben macintyres latest nonfiction thriller, a spy among friends, is about kim philby, the highlevel british spymaster who turned out to be a. And peter wrights spycatcher is in my library and the story behind the book s publishing is almost as good as the printed book. Boston globe macintyre is a superb writer, with an eye for the telling detail as fine as any novelistsa spy among friends is as suspenseful as any novel, too.

A spy among friends is not just an elegy, it is an unforgettable requiem observer gripping. Ben macintyres bottomlessly fascinating new book is an exploration of kim philbys friendships, particularly with nicholas elliott. John banvilles the blackeyed blonde written as benjamin black is published by mantle. Ben macintyres a spy among friends the new york times. A spy among friends by ben macintyre suspected of being a spy for a decade before his 1963 defection to moscow, kim philby escaped punishment with the help of a smooth manner and.

Ben macintyreis a writeratlarge forthe times of londonand the bestselling author ofa spy among friends, double cross, operation mincemeat, agent zigzag, androgue heroes, among other books. A spy among friends, a classic spookfest, is also a brilliant reconciliation of history and entertainment. To order a spy among friends or kim philby, each at. Here he tells the story of his book a spy among friends. Tinker tailor soldier spy was the first book i owned in hardback. Philby and the great betrayal by macintyre, ben isbn. Annie jacobsen, author of area 51 and operation paperclip. Ben macintyres account of kim philbys long friendship with the mi6 spy is a riveting read, writes robert mccrum. Told with heartpounding suspense and keen psychological insight, and based on personal papers and neverbeforeseen british intelligence files, a spy among friends is ben macintyre s best book yet, a highwater mark in cold war history telling. With the panache of a born storyteller, ben macintyre explores what drove kim philby, the charming master of duplicity. Agent, double agent, traitor and enigma, he betrayed every secret of allied.