Description

Book Synopsis

THE NO.1 SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER

An exciting Cold War story about a KGB double agent, by one of Britain''s greatest historians and the ultimate gift for anyone who loves a good spy thriller!

''The best true spy story I have ever read'' John le Carré
________________

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 world''s most important spy since the Second World War. Mercilessly gripping'' Sunday Times

''Extraordinary. His best book yet'' John Preston, Evening Standard

''A remarkable story of one man''s courage'' The Times, Book of the Week

Ben Macintyre, Sunday Times bestseller, August 2023



Trade Review

An incredible true life spy story...Every word ramps up the tension as you're drawn deeper into the danger

* Mail on Sunday *
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 * Daily Express *

The Spy and the Traitor

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    RRP £10.99 – you save £0.55 (5%)

    Order before 4pm today for delivery by Mon 22 Jun 2026.

    A Paperback / softback by Ben Macintyre

    7 in stock

      Trusted by thousands of customers. See 2,385+ Customer Reviews

      View other formats and editions of The Spy and the Traitor by Ben Macintyre

      Publisher: Penguin Books Ltd
      Publication Date: 30/05/2019
      ISBN13: 9780241972137, 978-0241972137
      ISBN10: 0241972132

      Description

      Book Synopsis

      THE NO.1 SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER

      An exciting Cold War story about a KGB double agent, by one of Britain''s greatest historians and the ultimate gift for anyone who loves a good spy thriller!

      ''The best true spy story I have ever read'' John le Carré
      ________________

      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 world''s most important spy since the Second World War. Mercilessly gripping'' Sunday Times

      ''Extraordinary. His best book yet'' John Preston, Evening Standard

      ''A remarkable story of one man''s courage'' The Times, Book of the Week

      Ben Macintyre, Sunday Times bestseller, August 2023



      Trade Review

      An incredible true life spy story...Every word ramps up the tension as you're drawn deeper into the danger

      * Mail on Sunday *
      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 * Daily Express *

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