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A Spy Among Friends

Kim Philby and the Great Betrayal

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A Spy Among Friends

Written by: Ben Macintyre
Narrated by: John Lee
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About this listen

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • The epic true story of Kim Philby, the Cold War’s most infamous spy, from the “master storyteller” (San Francisco Chronicle) and author of Prisoners of the Castle.

Now an MGM+ series starring Damian Lewis, Guy Pearce, and Anna Maxwell Martin


“[A Spy Among Friends] reads like a story by Graham Greene, Ian Fleming, or John le Carré, leavened with a dollop of P. G. Wodehouse.”—Walter Isaacson, New York Times Book Review

Who was Kim Philby? Those closest to him—like his fellow MI6 officer and best friend since childhood, Nicholas Elliot, and the CIA’s head of counterintelligence, James Jesus Angleton—knew him as a loyal confidant and an unshakeable patriot. Philby was a brilliant and charming man who rose to head Britain’s counterintelligence against the Soviet Union. Together with Elliott and Angleton he stood on the front lines of the Cold War, holding Communism at bay. But he was secretly betraying them both: He was working for the Russians the entire time.

Every word uttered in confidence to Philby made its way to Moscow, sinking almost every important Anglo-American spy operation for twenty years and costing hundreds of lives. So how was this cunning double-agent finally exposed? In A Spy Among Friends, Ben Macintyre expertly weaves the heart-pounding tale of how Philby almost got away with it all—and what happened when he was finally unmasked.

Based on personal papers and never-before-seen British intelligence files and told with heart-pounding suspense and keen psychological insight, A Spy Among Friends is a fascinating portrait of a Cold War spy and the countrymen who remained willfully blind to his treachery.

ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR: The New York Times Book Review, The Washington Post, Entertainment Weekly, Shelf Awareness

©2014 Ben Macintyre (P)2014 Random House Audio
20th Century Great Britain Russia True Crime Espionage England Cold War Emotionally Gripping War Imperialism
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What the critics say

“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 fresh look at the grandest espionage drama of our era.”—Walter Isaacson, The New York Times Book Review

A Spy Among Friends is the latest in Ben Macintyre’s series on twentieth-century espionage. All are superb, and A Spy Among Friends is no exception. Macintyre gives the familiar story of Philby new life.”—Malcolm Gladwell,The New Yorker

“Macintyre does here what he does best—tell a heck of a good story. A Spy Among Friends is hands down the most entertaining book I’ve reviewed this year.”Boston Globe

What listeners say about A Spy Among Friends

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Brilliant!

Well researched, well told. Master story teller and narrator! Highly recommend! Fascinating story and characters during an interesting era

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Truth stranger than fiction

Being old enough to remember the real stories of this book, it was wonderful to recall what the media at the time freaked about. In many ways this is a tragic story, but given the paranoia inherent during the cold war it is a story worthy of Le Carré. Ben MacIntyre weaves the whole set of betrayals masterfully. Well done. Very nicely narrated by John Lee.

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Great read, fascinating story

Great read, fascinating story.
Solid story telling performance and history lesson. I couldn’t stop listening.

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Spycraft at its best

Kim Philby’s story has been told before, but there is still so much more- and this book serves it up by examining his relationships. It has been a few years since I’d read a biography on the spy at the top, so it wasn’t redundant to me. Recommended.

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Class corrupts

I've really been enjoying Ben Macintyre reading his own words in some of the other books so I was a little wary of a different narrator. I needn't have been as John Lee was excellent. I enjoyed his occasional American and Russian accents as well as his pace and his ability to convey irony and tragedy with empathy. A real bonus to have the Le Carré chapter at the end and, I suppose, a real sign of approval for Macintyre's work from the insiders. The British class system comes through strongly in this book as an enemy of the country (unfortunately still the case), perversely keeping Philby in post and very much used by him as a trump card; the old school tie etc. Strange that he would want a socialist future when he showed no signs of any left leaning tendencies for so many years and seemed to miss the fixtures and fittings of old Blighty when he finally got to Moscow. The ultimate confidence trickster. Can't say I warmed to either James Angleton or Nicholas Elliott.

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A very engaging read

I’ve really enjoyed the audiobook. This is a classic spy storyteller at its best. A brilliant combining of history and entertainment. Loved every minute of it, including the narration.

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Fascinating, entertaining

Philby’s story is the perfect example of the essential nature of espionage and the art of the spy. It also displays the naïveté of the spies who believed in him and the psychology of their deception. Also of the women who loved him. Beautifully read by John Lee.

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Could not put it down

Took a little to get into it, but after a few chapters I could not put it down! Well written and well read. Would highly recommend.

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