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To Catch a Spy

How the spycatcher affair brought MI5 in from the cold

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To Catch a Spy

By: Tim Tate
Narrated by: Tim Tate
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The Spycatcher affair remains one of the most intriguing moments in the history of British intelligence and a pivotal point in the public's relationship with the murky world of espionage and security. It lifted the lid on alleged Soviet infiltration of British services and revealed a culture of law-breaking, bugging and burgling. But how much do we know about the story behind the scandal?

In To Catch a Spy, Tim Tate reveals the astonishing true story of the British government's attempts to silence whistleblower Peter Wright and hide the truth about Britain's intelligence services and political elites. It's a story of state-sanctioned cover-up plots; of the government lying to Parliament and courts around the world; and of stories leaked with the intention to mislead and deceive.

This is a tale of high treason and low farce. Drawing on thousands of pages of previously unpublished court transcripts, the contents of secret British government files, and original interviews with many of the key players in the Spycatcher trials, it draws back the curtain on a hidden world. A world where spies, politicians and Britain's most senior civil servants conspired to ride roughshod over the law, prevented the public from hearing about their actions and mounted a cynical conspiracy to deceive the world. It is the story of Peter Wright's ruthless and often lawless obsession to uncover Russian spies, both real and imagined, his belated determination to reveal the truth and the lengths to which the British government would go to silence him.©2024 Tim Tate (P)2024 W.F. Howes Ltd Espionage Europe Military Politics & Government True Crime World Russia Government Law
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I really enjoyed this, having read Spycatcher, some of Chapman Pincher's books, Gordievsky's autobiography and similar. There is no hiding the threads of animosity running through the work but it's hard to say that detracts much, if at all, from the truthfulness or accuracy, and by the end you realise that the author is right to feel frustrated and angry at the ongoing dishonesty, malpractice and illegality of the Cabinet Office and of some of our ministers. This is a really informative book, setting out the events in a quite broad and comprehensive narrative and by the end you feel you've had as good an insight into it as is possible without being a spook or a civil servant. The author reads his own work really nicely and it's a pleasure to listen. I'll be seeking out more of his books and audiobooks.

Very interesting book and nicely read

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Great detail, expertly read, engaging content with lots of food for thought. Very enjoyable if you like intrigue! Fabulous!

Expertly researched never boring!

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Travels from Peter Wright’s WWII history through to 2023 official secrets access via Burgess, Philby & Blunt (learnt so much about him I didn’t know), the MI5 Wilson plot & of course the 1980s Spycatcher trials. Le Carre fans will recognise much & gave me new insight into Thatcher & Armstrong.

Fascinating exploration of Spycatcher affair

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Drawing on a wide range of sources and meticulously researched, this is a fascinating deep dive on both the details of the case and its lasting impact on UK's security services. Immensely enjoyable and full of interesting details. Highly recommended

The author's narration is also top notch

Fascinating history of the Spycatcher case

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A much needed telling of the hidden details of Thatcher's stubborn campaign to stop Peter Wright publishing his memoir about his long career in Britain's Secret Service - MI5.

This excellently researched book covers the institutional failures and bound eyes turned, and how the unofficial status of MI5 caused it to make decisions that ultimately lead to the establishment of parliamentary oversight it so long fought off.

It uses the Spycatcher scandal as the way to show the reader how arcane, ridiculous and self defeating the management and control of was, and his this caused the British state to force it to become a part of the Home Office with full legal standing.

What's surprising is the basic reason for Wrights stubborn insistence on publishing was an administrative failure to pay his full pension entitlement.

Fascinating events surrounding the Spycatcher affair

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