BOOK REVIEW: THE SPY AND THE TRAITOR BY BEN MACINTYRE

I N C L U D E S  A F F I L I A T E  L I N K S

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Title: The Spy and the Traitor: The Greatest Espionage Story of the Cold War
Author: Ben Macintyre
Published: 2019
Language: English
Pages: 370
Rating: 5/5

Summary:

This is the true story of one KGB agent who grew up in the Soviet Union and grew to see his nation's communism as corrupt and criminal, and therefore decided to become a double agent for the British, supplying them with information of what life was really like behind the Iron Curtain, a job culminating in being called back to Moscow and having to escape his own country.

Review:

Wow, this book was fantastic!

I had pretty high hopes for this one and it really came through; this was fascinating, well written and riveting. I had expected excitement too, but this was absolutely nerve-wracking towards the end and I was on the edge of my seat, biting my nails in anticipation for how it was all going to turn out. It's rare that I get this sucked into a nonfiction book, but this one got me.

I don't think I've ever truly thought about how interesting this part of history really is and I felt like this really brought us back in time and gave us an idea of what life was like in the 70's and 80's in both Britain and the Soviet Union and how incredibly tense the Cold War got at times. There's also something fantastic in getting to peek into the secret world of espionage and the lives of spies.

I thought this whole book was fascinating and I enjoyed every single page, but I really was surprised by how absolutely thrilling it got at the end. If you're going to read this, I would not recommend starting the final part unless you know you'll have time to finish it, because you will not want to put it down.

Overall, one of the absolute best nonfiction books I've read this year and maybe even of the most exciting ones I've ever encountered. Really educational and fun, which is the best combination. 

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