The Spy and the Traitor

I’m an old fart.   I pretty much have everything I ever wanted, and that creates a problem for my family when birthdays and Christmas roll around.  But they know I’m a reader, they buy books for me, and they have my preferences dialed.   A recent gift was Ben MacIntyre’s The Spy and the Traitor.  I could say it was great, but that would be a massive understatement.  The Spy and the Traitor is riveting.  It is a book I stayed up until 2:00 a.m. reading.  It is that good.  And it’s a true story.

Oleg Gordievsky is a former Russian KGB colonel who was Britain’s highest placed espionage asset for 30 years.   I can’t say which parts of the story were more exciting…his espionage activities or his MI6 exfiltration from Soviet Russia when the KGB found out about him.  You might wonder how the KGB finally tumbled to him; the answer would be Aldrich Ames, the CIA traitor currently rotting out the rest of his days in an Indiana federal penintentiary (properly so, in my opinion).

Trust me on this: If you want a page turner, pick up a copy of The Spy and the Traitor.  You won’t be disappointed.

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