I started this book while binge-watching "The Americans." I was hoping for a more realistic view of counter-intelligence, but this was perhaps too far a swing. It's pretty dry, and the author is really into the exact dates, and the full name and pedigree of each of the characters.
I returned it to the library after reading about 3/4.

easy to get into. told in a bit of a romanticized way. thoroughly enjoyable.

This is the true story of Kim Philby. He was a British intelligence officer working for MI6 yet he conned everyone who knew him a for years he was a Soviet spy.

It's an unbelievable story that is more gripping than many a work of fiction. It charts his double life from the 1930's, through the war years and throughout the cold War and looks at his relationship with his best friend and fellow MI6 officer Nicholas Elliott who after years of friendship found out he didn't know Philby at all as every secret they shared was reported back to his handlers at the KGB.

Brilliantly written and extensively researched it sheds light on the Cambridge spies focusing on Philby but also referring to Guy Burgess, Donald Maclean and Anthony Blunt names who are synonymous with treachery but here we get to dig deeper into the story and his motivation.

It'd staggering how he got away with so much for so long. His betrayal was long and he was responsible for the deaths of hundreds through the secrets he betrayed, yet he got away with it as he appeared to be an English gent with his Cambridge education. Ridiculously the class system that was present and in many ways still exists meant that many people wouldn't question his loyalty despite numerous times when questions should have been asked.

It's a recommended read and an eye opening account of relatively recent history. The final third or so of the book does as times seem to be a bit less structured but is still fascinating.

There is an afterword by John Le Carré the novelist who previously worked for MI6 and met Philby during his work as an intelligence officer. However this was disappointing and seemed unnecessary. It didn't add to the account and seemed like a series of random ramblings. However the main part of the book is a fascinating and compelling read.

This is about the biggest breach of British intelligence, the Soviet spy Kim Philby, who sold secrets from the 1930s until 1962.

A committed communist and upper-class Cambridge student, Philby, along with two friends, were recruited by the KGB. From before WWII to the Cold War, they undermined British anti-Soviet operations. From 1945 onward, these moves resulted in the deaths of likely hundreds of British and American agents worldwide.

Philby was a hard-drinking, secret-keeping wonder, lying to friends and family for decades in the service of the Soviet Union. The stories are too numerous to retell here, but they make an amazing story of duplicity and betrayal.

Ben MacIntyre is the perfect author for this story, having written about other true cases of espionage. His "Operation Mincemeat" and "The Spy and the Traitor" are two of my favorites.

This was pretty fascinating, but probably longer than it needed to be, and heavily sourced from other books that did much the same thing.

It was good, not as compelling as the Spy and the Traitor

I heard about this book and thought it sounded fascinating. Tales of agents, double agents, friendships and betrayals. The book is anything but dry - well-written and captivating.

Fascinating. Enthralling. Must-read if you have any interest in WWII/Cold-War spy business.