The Spy and the Traitor: The Greatest Espionage Story of the Cold WarThe Spy and the Traitor: The Greatest Espionage Story of the Cold War
Score Modern
What it's about
Oleg Gordievsky was the son of KGB officers and a rising KGB officer himself when, in the 1970s, he secretly began working for British intelligence. For more than a decade he passed Moscow's secrets to MI6, including warnings that helped calm a nuclear scare in 1983. Then, on the verge of becoming the KGB's chief in London, he was abruptly called home to Moscow, and MI6 had to decide whether it could get him out.
Why it's worth reading
John le Carré called it the best true spy story he had ever read, and it was shortlisted for the Baillie Gifford Prize. Macintyre writes history with the pace of a thriller, and the final escape is as tense as anything in fiction.
You'll love it if you liked
Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy
The Looming Tower: Al Qaeda and the Road to 9/11
Nothing to Envy: Ordinary Lives in North KoreaGood to know
It's all true, drawn from interviews with Gordievsky and the officers who ran him. You don't need to know Cold War history to follow it.
By the numbers
- Readers99 out of 100 · counts 42%
- Critics24 out of 100 · counts 14%
- Bestseller35 out of 100 · counts 34% (its stronger lane)
- Buzz7 out of 100 · counts 10%
Critics and Bestseller are two ways to earn a place: a book's stronger one counts more. Buzz rewards recent bestseller weeks and prizes, so older books start at zero. The parts combine into the Must-Read Score, shown on a scale where the best book we found scores 99 and the last book to make the ranking scores 50.
Where it ranks
- #76 of the 198 history books we rank
- #82 of the 290 memoirs and biographies we rank
- #212 of the 1,573 modern books we rank
- #415 of the 2,816 books we rank
Why it made the list
Reads as
True story
If you like this, read next
Between the World and Me
The Emperor of All Maladies: A Biography of Cancer
Educated: A Memoir
American Prometheus: The Triumph and Tragedy of J. Robert Oppenheimer
Secondhand Time: The Last of the Soviets
The Dead Are Arising: The Life of Malcolm XExplore the best-of lists
All 36 best-of lists →
Quick answers
Is The Spy and the Traitor: The Greatest Espionage Story of the Cold War worth reading?
Yes. John le Carré called it the best true spy story he had ever read, and it was shortlisted for the Baillie Gifford Prize. It ranks #415 of the 2,816 books in our ranking, with a Must-Read Score of 79.5 (the best book we found scores 99).
What is The Spy and the Traitor: The Greatest Espionage Story of the Cold War about?
Oleg Gordievsky was the son of KGB officers and a rising KGB officer himself when, in the 1970s, he secretly began working for British intelligence. For more than a decade he passed Moscow's secrets to MI6, including warnings that helped calm a nuclear scare in 1983. Then, on the verge of becoming the KGB's chief in London, he was abruptly called home to Moscow, and MI6 had to decide whether it could get him out.
How long does it take to read The Spy and the Traitor: The Greatest Espionage Story of the Cold War?
About 10 hours (384 pages), or about 3 weeks at 30 minutes a day.
What should I read after The Spy and the Traitor: The Greatest Espionage Story of the Cold War?
If you liked it, try Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy by John le Carré, The Looming Tower: Al Qaeda and the Road to 9/11 by Lawrence Wright or Nothing to Envy: Ordinary Lives in North Korea by Barbara Demick.