Comments (27)

A Spy Among Friends

Kim Philby and the Great Betrayal
What did you think about this title?
1 to 25 of 27 items
Jul 19, 2023
“Macintyre has produced more than just a spy story. He has written a narrative about that most complex of topics, friendship. . . . When devouring this thriller, I had to keep reminding myself it was not a novel. . . . [Macintyre] takes a…
Dec 12, 2022sergeantbubbles rated this title 4 out of 5 stars
Fascinating and fearless, Kim Philby was the spy extraordinaire who pulled off a deception so outrageous it was unthinkable. Ben Macintyre is a master storyteller who chooses and researches his subject matter very well.
Dec 06, 2022dgladders rated this title 5 out of 5 stars
Excellent...
Aug 08, 2022vlad48 rated this title 4.5 out of 5 stars
Kim Philby was the notorious "inspiration" for John Le Carre's masterful "Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy" and it's fitting that the post-script to Ben Macintyre's absorbing non-fiction bestseller was written by JLC himself. As others have…
Mar 28, 2022Bookafterbook rated this title 4.5 out of 5 stars
This is an important history of how national intelligence and security services were shaken and forced into a new reality by the treason of one man, allowed to operate for 30 years within a very British environment of mens’ privilege and…
Dec 30, 2021ch3rnych3rny rated this title 5 out of 5 stars
This is most definitely a could-not-put-it-down book. A fascinating true story engagingly told and full of interesting details that never bog the story -or the people involved- down. Highly recommended.
Sep 06, 2021benallen105 rated this title 5 out of 5 stars
Brilliant and thoroughly gripping
Jan 27, 2019segalmi rated this title 5 out of 5 stars
Fascinating!
Oct 19, 2017Charlietwo rated this title 4.5 out of 5 stars
Required reading for all would-be members of the intelligence community in order to avoid the amateurish conduct of the British and American services in the 40's, 50's and 60's. An excellent history.
Sep 30, 2017Dalex_64 rated this title 5 out of 5 stars
A testament to the power of personality. He was so likable; he so just "fit" their social/cultural milieu. They just didn't want to believe that he was NOT one of them.
Apr 03, 2016DanglingConversations rated this title 4.5 out of 5 stars
Very intriguing. I will have to go back and read more Le Carre and Fleming in light of this amazing true story of WWII and cold war spying and the failure of the Old Boy's network to weed out some of the sociopaths who became double agents.
Mar 14, 2016
Greatest British spy or Greatest Cold War Traitor? True story.
rb3221
Oct 01, 2015rb3221 rated this title 3.5 out of 5 stars
Well written and a very good and riveting story that feels like a novel rather than non-fiction. Macintyre gives us a fascinating account of Philby's friendship with and eventual betrayal of his best friend, and fellow agent Nicholas…
Jul 10, 2015wac6 rated this title 3.5 out of 5 stars
A page turner! Hard to put down.
Mar 19, 2015zipread rated this title 4 out of 5 stars
A Spy Among Friends: Kim Philby and the Great Betrayal --- by --- Ben Macintyre. Kim Philby’s career stretched from the years before the Second World War to 1963. He started his career as a handler in Britain’s MI6 and then…
Mar 12, 2015
Well written
Mar 01, 2015BlueHippo rated this title 5 out of 5 stars
I could hardly put this book down. It's like sitting at a table over coffee while the author tells you the story. What a look into this clandestine world!
Feb 02, 2015wmstrach rated this title 5 out of 5 stars
Brilliantly written and so compelling I stood in Canadian Tire reading it while waiting for my husband to shop. What a brilliant but despicable person Philby was - how could he rationalize sending so many young men to certain death, not…
Jan 28, 2015Thecatlady rated this title 4 out of 5 stars
Very readable. The story is well known but taken from a different perspective. Thought provoking about the way power works in a society.
Jan 25, 2015johnlybg rated this title 5 out of 5 stars
Excellent book. Well written. Fascinating guide to cold war and WW2 spying. Recommend it highly. Couldn't put it down.
Dec 20, 2014Winnipeg1 rated this title 5 out of 5 stars
Another one of those 'Truth is Stranger ....' tales. Of course I don't know, but I expect the fallout from The Philby/Cambridge 5 spy ring is still felt today throughout the West. Maybe partly why all these agencies are hypervigilant, or…
mvkramer
Nov 02, 2014mvkramer rated this title 4 out of 5 stars
An intricate, real-life spy thriller that played out over three decades. The story is exceptionally interesting - personally, I was floored at how breathtakingly naive MI6 was in regards to Philby. Philby himself is despicable - an…
Sep 03, 2014
The revelation in 1963 that British MI6 agent Kim Philby had betrayed Britain to the Soviets for decades, rocked the Western intelligence community. In A Spy Among Friends, acclaimed journalist Ben Macintyre portrays Philby's extensive…
Sep 03, 2014
The revelation in 1963 that British MI6 agent Kim Philby had betrayed Britain to the Soviets for decades, rocked the Western intelligence community. In A Spy Among Friends, acclaimed journalist Ben Macintyre portrays Philby's extensive…
Sep 03, 2014
The revelation in 1963 that British MI6 agent Kim Philby had betrayed Britain to the Soviets for decades, rocked the Western intelligence community. In A Spy Among Friends, acclaimed journalist Ben Macintyre portrays Philby's extensive…