The Spy and the Traitor
#892 of 2,654 all-time
The Spy and the Traitor
Ben Macintyre
8 people recommended it in 4 threads, 2020–2025.
What people on Hacker News said
I had just come off a binge of spy novels written by John LeCarre and it was amazing to read the same exact sort of craziness, but in a real life situation.
It gave me a glimpse into the secret war at the time, the stuff that inspired James Bond, and the hardships and permanent threat faced by a spy trying to live several lives at once.
Agreed, this is probably the most gripping non-fiction I've ever read
The Spy and the Traitor: The Greatest Espionage Story of the Cold War" by Ben Macintyre is an amazing story, very well written.
Where it comes up
- Ask HN: Books about people who did hard things 2025 · 4 recommendations
- Good Books for a Lousy Year 2020 · 2 recommendations
- Ask HN: Books you read in 2022 and recommend for 2023 2022 · 1 recommendation
- Ask HN: What's the best book you read in 2021? 2021 · 1 recommendation