I recently read Ben MacIntyre’s latest book The Spy and the Traitor: The Greatest Espionage Story of the Cold War. I have read a number of his books and found them highly enjoyable, and this is no exception.  John Le Carre describes this as ‘The best true spy story I have ever read’ – he’s right, it’s a fascinating read. It describes the life of Oleg Gordievsky, who was a senior member of the KGB and was recruited by British intelligence to become a double agent.

Not only does it read like a thriller, but the author does a great job at describing the the cold war environment in the 1960s-1980s, and also what motivated Gordievsky to betray his country and the consequences for the world (for the better) of this betrayal. Highly recommended.