Book · 2014 · Philby, kim, 1912-1988
A Spy Among Friends Kim Philby And The Great Betrayal
Why people recommend it
A Spy Among Friends by Ben Macintyre is a gripping historical non-fiction account detailing the treason of British intelligence officer Kim Philby and his betrayal of his country alongside the notorious Cambridge Spy Ring. On The Book Review, Jennifer Szalai shared her enthusiasm for the title, noting that she had recently begun reading it and found it to be amazing after getting just fifty pages in. Host Pamela Paul also weighed in on the author's bibliography, expressing her personal preference for this particular work over other books by Macintyre. Additionally, Gilbert Cruz engaged with guests by referencing Macintyre's extensive catalogue of espionage narratives, including previous discussions about Philby and related double-cross operations. Across the podcast episodes, the speakers underscored Macintyre's exceptional ability to bring complex historical espionage to life with novelistic flair, making the book a standout recommendation for readers interested in intelligence history and real-life betrayal.
Who recommended it
- Gilbert Cruz Discussed
- Jennifer Szalai Recommended
- Pamela Paul Discussed
Gilbert Cruz — 2 mentions
“so readers know you from your many books a spy among friends being the most recent one about Kim filby double cross operation mince meet agent zigzag”
“the last time you were here on the podcast was to talk about I guess now four books ago a spy among friends”
Jennifer Szalai — 1 mention
“yes so a little bit ago I had started reading a spy among friends by Ben McIntyre which is about Kim filby and the Cambridge 5 and I got maybe about 50 pages in and it's amazing”
Pamela Paul — 1 mention
“um I I think that among the McIntyre books that I've read I I still prefer a spy among friends”
Also mentioned in the same episodes
Other mentions (1: passing, ad reads, own books)
“so he did agent zigzag and the man who would be king and the englishman's daughter and a spy among friends among other books”