A Spy Among Friends:A Mat Sense Review

My Thanks

First a thank you for Blogging for Books to give a shot at this Real Life thriller. Read the review and tell me what you think, click the link to know where to get it.

Just a Good Ole Boy

The Book:

A Spy Among Friends:Kim Philby and the Great Betrayal by Ben McIntyre with an afterword by John Le Carre, is the tale of the friendship and betrayal of the most famous of the double agents in the spy game. Philby reads like a sociopath, all manipulation no compassion, mind you I am not a psychiatrist and all that.

 Tools of The Trade:

However the real story on top of the spy hide and seek is the old boy network all twisted up in its purity. Being from the right school, right class and right place and you can go anywhere. All it required was the right booze in place as the lubrication.

Thus did Philby use those tools, to get himself in the door as a “Eton Lad”. During the lead up to world war two was the only doubt he had for the Communist cause when the Soviets cut a non-aggression pact with the Germans. He kept chugging along, and during the war, again made the right friends in the right places. One was the future top spy hunter in the CIA, James Jesus Angleton. The other was a top hunter in MI6 Nicholas Elliot.

Going to Ground:

Almost getting caught caused a  not so  minor stir and lead to the eyes of MI5 turning their glare on him. But again, friends covered for the right chap. The issues of inter-service rivalry, with MI5's working class vibe and MI6 James Bond upper crust song and dance clashing. This issue is one that various organizations have probably having since the dawn of time.

This continued until the game was up and Philby bolted from Lebanon, where Elliot had “A chat”, running to the Soviet Union. Where he later died, neither fish nor fowl. Too British to be a good communist and a traitor to Queen and Country.

My Thoughts:

The book is a fun read, informative, however I feel like the author has the problem of much of history texts in that hindsight is 20/20. I can imagine there was much face palming and internal reviews coming from on high. While its an interesting view into the world of the Spy, double agent, and traitor with their trials and tribulations. I feel like it got into the weeds. Relationships and who you know can be a vital tool in life. But its a tool that can lead to the Double Cross, blinding you to The Mole, the Judas, the Cassius in your midst.