The Spy and the Traitor cover art

The Spy and the Traitor

The Greatest Espionage Story of the Cold War

 Preview

Get 30 days of Premium Plus free

£8.99/month after 30-day free trial. Cancel monthly.
Try for £0.00
More purchase options
Buy Now for £12.99

Buy Now for £12.99

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*

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...

'THE BEST TRUE SPY STORY I HAVE EVER READ' JOHN LE CARRÉ

© Ben MacIntyre 2018 (P) Penguin Audio 2018

 20th Century Freedom & Security Military Modern Politicians Politics & Activism Politics & Government Russia Russian & Soviet World Espionage War Soviet Union Cold War Scary Thought-Provoking Imperialism

Critic reviews

An incredible true life spy story...Every word ramps up the tension as you're drawn deeper into the danger
If any spy writer were to put it in a novel, it would not be believed. But, blow by blow, trick by trick, it is all in Macintyre's book (Fredrick Forsyth)
He writes like a novelist. One of the last chapters is as tense as any thriller. No wonder le Carré liked it
Meticulously researched, splendidly told, immensely entertaining and often very moving (John le Carré on 'Agent Zigzag')
Impeccably researched, superbly told - by far the best book on the SAS in World War II (Antony Beevor on 'SAS')
Thrilling. Ben Macintyre is the ideal narrator
Thorough and highly entertaining. It would be nigh on impossible to praise it too highly
All stars
Most relevant
I finished this book in less than 48 hours and is simply amazing must listen too!

Amazing

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
An amazing story on many different levels. Other than the unmistakable; BBC style, extreme lefty, summary of the two main protagonists, I enjoyed the whole audiobook.

Most highly recommended!

Un-put-down-able

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Excellent audio abd the narrator was just perfect for this story. For lovers of Spy and Coldwar novels. All the more gripping is it is a true story!

What a rollercoaster ride!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Great in depth story of espionage during Cold War. Totally captivated throughout and the suspense was gripping. Brilliant story.

Brilliant

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
The incredible story of Oleg Gordievski is told here with an abundance of fascinating, exciting and often hilarious detail, very engaging read by the author.

A great espionage true story, vibrantly told

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
See more reviews