The Spy and the Traitor
The Greatest Espionage Story of the Cold War
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The Spy and the Traitor
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Narrated by:
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Ben Macintyre
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By:
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Ben Macintyre
About this listen
Brought to you by Penguin.
*The No.1 Sunday Times Bestseller*
*Shortlisted for the 2018 Baillie Gifford Prize*
*Bill Gates' Top 5 Books for 2020*
'THE BEST TRUE SPY STORY I HAVE EVER READ' JOHN LE CARRÉ
A thrilling Cold War story about a KGB double agent, by one of Britain's greatest historians - now with a new afterword
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...
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What listeners say about The Spy and the Traitor
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- MR TW ASKEW
- 27-09-18
Simply outstanding
I have been an audible member for many years and this is the best book I have listened to ever
I was transfixed from start to finish with the remarkable story telling and compelling rendition.
If you listen to one audio book, this is the one.
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38 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Andrew
- 26-10-19
What a book! Stunning non-fiction
This truly is the greatest espionage story of the Cold War as claimed on the cover. The story is so incredible, it reads like fiction. It feels like this surely couldn't have actually happened. The author is clearly a master of this type of thing. It's the first book I've read by Ben MacIntyre but it won't be the last. If you're after a thriller, fiction or non-fiction, I cannot recommend this highly enough. Fantastic!
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Alan W
- 05-11-19
REMARKABLE
Those of us old enough to have witnessed this period of history will recognise the truth of these revelations,and applaud Oleg Gordievsky's courage and patience. His efforts were stupendous but unfortunately came at great cost to himself and his family. If this book had been written as fiction by any of our great 'thriller writers' it would simply be unbelievable. A timely reminder to some of our present politicians of what patriotism really is. A truly remarkable narrative and highly recommended
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- JJ
- 21-04-20
Totally captivating and thrilling
This is a fabulous book and amazingly it’s a true story. The author keeps the tension and the intrigue going right up until the end. I could not recommend this book highly enough and other spy thrillers have a great deal to live up to! As well as being a captivating thriller, it’s a stark reminder of how life used to be during the Cold War and how life has changed since. You must read this book and the epilogue which gives extra historical information about all of the players. Was sorry the book had to end!
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Amazon Customer
- 11-04-20
Incredible tale
Amazing story and a fascinating insight into the secret and thrilling world of secret intelligence
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Amazon Customer
- 31-08-21
Brilliant
As good as I've read. totally gripped by a most amazing story. must read
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Tracy
- 02-10-21
Extraordinary, gripping story
An incredible story of espionnage, ideals and bravery. Very powerful storytelling that brings to life historical events in a thrilling way, connecting the dots between some the most important turns of the cold war Era. But at the core, it's the story itself that is most outstanding, one of secrets, immense bravery, deep values, and of poignant sacrifice... one that changed the course of history behind the scenes.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Sebastian Evans
- 14-09-21
Just Brilliant
What a story! The first half was maybe a little slow. But honestly, the second half was incredible. To think this was going on 30 years ago!
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
- Iulian Iordachescu
- 28-12-19
Excellent book to listen to!
Everything in this audio book is awesome.It's like u never want to stop listening to this very interesting and mind blowing story.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- KD
- 11-12-19
Great book
This is a terrific and very interesting book, well read by the author, I believe.
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