Macintyre’s A Spy Among Friends is aptly titled, as the story of Kim Philby and his spying career shows the reader a look at Britain’s MI6 network of good old boys working hard and playing just as hard in an attempt to ply secrets from adversarial countries and prevent sensitive information from flowing in the opposite directions. Adeptly written and including details showing extensive research, Macintyre weaves a tale of agents, double-agents, and traitors, deceptions, and treachery. Especially enlightening is the MI6 network that relied on relationships so much that a man like Kim Philby could be feeding information to the Russians for decades without being detected. Even as the evidence mounts against Philby, his charm and deceit was accepted as truth, as the alternatives were so much more unpalatable. Lives lost, secrets handed over to adversaries, and false information sent to the MI6 establishment are all placed in context to show the extent of Philby’s treachery.
A Spy Among Friends is well-written with a style that takes the reader through the intricacies of the MI6 spy network in an easy to read and entertaining style. Interviews with the main players in the story help to hold everything together in a smooth, compelling sequence. The truth revealed could be fiction if it weren’t so thoroughly researched. This is an uncommon look into the spying networks of Britain, the United States, Germany, and Russia/ Soviet Union.
Philby emerges as a character who is hard to explain. He was clearly a charming individual, a compelling man, but so duplicitious in his dealings with his work associates and his family. How someone could so compartmentalize his life as Philby did is difficult to comprehend. Yet, that was the man. Impossible to pin down, so charmingly unwilling to reveal much about himself, and yet allowed to manage such sensitive information in Britain’s intelligence community.
This story is well worth a read. A lesser author could have crafted the same story in a duller format, but Macintyre does a great job assembling the story in a compelling style. He places the reader with Philby and his associates as the events unfold. Fascinating, yet disturbing in its revelation of the extensive damage done by Philby, it’s a must-read for anyone who wants a look into the rarely understood network of intelligence gathering around the world.
This book was provided by Blogging for Books for this review.