Rating – 5/5
Brilliant ! No other word describes this book better. Oleg Gordievsky was a KGB agent who spied for the British MI6 during the Cold War. This book is the story about how Oleg started spying for the British , the impact of his revelations on steering the course of the Cold War and finally his exfiltration which is nothing short of a Hollywood climax.
People spy on their own country/ people for various reasons ranging from ideological, romantic, monetary or vengeance for a mistreatment but not every spy is able to achieve as much success as Oleg did (how much ever Spy movies want us to believe otherwise).
Ben Mcintyre is master storyteller when it comes to narrating stories from the Cold War or the World War. The research behind this book is phenomenal and it clearly shows. There is always the fear that while representing the facts, the story can get very impersonal and read like a report but it is a salute to the talent of the author that he has kept the human emotions at the forefront all through this book and hence it reads nothing short of a spy fiction thriller.
Anybody who is a fan of spy fiction and a cold war enthusiast needs to get their hands on this book to understand what happened and what could have happened if not for the men and women working behind the scenes.
prathamesh87 