A Spy Among Friends: Kim Philby and the Great Betrayal by Macintyre, Ben (2014) Hardcover

very well written. Great story

This is my second Ben McIntyre historical novel. This one was just as enthralling as the last one, Agent Sonya. I actually just received The Spy and the Traitor from Amazon, which I plan on starting to read tonight.A spy among friends takes you deep within the organization of MI6 before, during, and after the war. Kim Philby was recruited by the Soviets in college, then quickly became outwardly a fascist sympathizer and even buddied up with the Franco regime during the Spanish Civil War, but underneath, he was always a communist at heart.Recruited into MI6 just before WW2, Philby rose up through the ranks of Britain's spy agency to become the highest level Soviet agent in the British government ever. The story of his rise and fall, and of the ruined lives of friends and family he leaves in his wake is tragic, and yet you can't stop reading.But the craziest thing about this story is that it is all true. This really happened. You will be especially shocked by the actions of MI6 once they inevitably discover Philby's subterfuge, I was in disbelief.

This was a gift for my wife although I understand that she thoroughly enjoyed it and found it to be a very fast moving and fascinating account of Philby's life and betrayal of his country. Very well written, as usual, by Ben Macintyre. Book received well within advertised timescale and in very good condition, protected by the usual excellent Amazon packaging.

An incredible story. I didn't feel much sympathy for Philby - he was a misguided traitor who escaped justice, as did his contemporary traitors. An excellent read.

My sister was really happy with the book; it complemented the studies she had done on spy networks. It arrived promptly and was well packaged.

There are many books on Philby but this one shows the absolute power of a group of people rather than the cause which they espouse. It took a person totally outside the group to analyze the facts

A first class read.Well written.Good value and arrived on time