Spy thrillers are focused on the actions of spies and the geopolitical and military ramifications of their spycraft. The true story of cold war berlin s most audacious espionage operation ebook by. But of late, news reports have provided enough material for a silver age to start if authors take heed. Berlin city of spies cold war spy fiction by gary murray.
Cold war spy fiction book berlin city of spies by gary. It was a cold casethe unsolved double murder of two teenage girls. If this book was just about the head of the abwehr nazi germanys secret service, that would be more. The guardian even a reader not enamored of spy stories will have trouble putting this one down. Steve vogel goodreads author shelved 1 time as espionagenonfiction avg rating 4. During the cold war the cias premier agent in the soviet union was a highlevel intelligence officer named oleg penkovsky. First, you have to ask how the cold war affected the spy novel. Oleg gordievsky was the most significant british agent of the cold war the result is a dazzling nonfiction thriller and an intimate portrait of highstakes espionage. The house of one thousand eyes by michelle barker set in cold war era east germany during the 1980s, this story follows 17yearold lena altmann, who had lost her parents in a factory explosion and was living with her strict, partyobservant aunt. Find all the books, read about the author, and more. Amid practitioners comments to the effect that spy fiction is alive and well regardless of who the adversaries of intelligence services are, the words of tom nichols, a professor of national security affairs at the u. The greatest missions of the israeli michael barzohar. As the cold war tensions slightly eased by no means vanished as the 1960s rolled along, the espionage film skyrocketed to popularity with the introduction of the secret agent james bond. Amid practitioners comments to the effect that spy fiction is alive and well.
Betrayal in berlin is one of the best cold war non fiction espionage books i have read. Night soldiers is a portrait of the clash between nazi germany and the early soviet state as they struggled for influence in europe and the eastern bloc. Oleg gordievsky was the most significant british agent of the cold war the result is a dazzling non fiction thriller and an intimate portrait of highstakes espionage. But the subject is fascinating reading, at times more incredible than fiction, imo this was one of the most interesting aspects of the cold war. Highly professional russian spies, reminiscent of the cold war crop. Spy thrillers from the cold war need to make a comeback.
From the trusted writers of national geographic comes the littleknown true story of the spies that operated behind the scenes during the second world war. Top 10 books about spies history books the guardian. The 25 best movies about the cold war taste of cinema. Shop the dc international spy museums wide selection of spy gear, gadgets, equipment, kits, games, toys, books, clothing, gifts and accessories. Yes theres plenty of overlapthats why these books are so great. The cold war pocket manual presents a meticulously compiled selection of recently unclassified documents, fieldmanuals, briefing directives and intelligence primers that uncover the training and techniques required to function as a spy in the darkest periods of modern history. The spy who came in from the cold by john le carre, tinker, tailor, soldier, spy by john le carre, smileys people by john le. In bulgaria, soviet spies recruit a young man from named khristo stoianev. When it comes to spy stories, the truth is often strangerand more compellingthan fiction. In those days, many of the spy fiction writers had served in world war ii. For two years in the early 1960s he supplied the cia with highly classified information on soviet rocket strength and strat. Lies, spies, and a conspiracy to protect predators. Bloomberg opinion the golden age of the spy thriller ended with the cold war.
This wonderful book ends with the three most anticlimactic words in literatureto be continuedbut those are the only ones that disappoint. Spy fiction, a genre of literature involving espionage as an important context or plot device, emerged in the early twentieth century, inspired by rivalries and intrigues between the major powers, and the establishment of modern intelligence agencies. In real life, these state actors are back, and theres a greater variety of them than during the cold war. The cambridge five and philby in particular influenced a lot of famous espionage fiction such as john lecarres tinker tailer soldier spy. In 2011, the website collected the views of spy novel writers and qualified readers on the genres post cold war development. A thriller from the cold war times thats just one of the comparisons experts both in the us and russia are giving to the spy scandal currently unraveling in america. The cold war is revisited twenty years after its ending, with the use of new archives and memories of its contemporaries. The true story of the cias secret war on nuclear trafficking by catherine collins and douglas frantz 2011 in russia and the us, more than 1,800 nuclear warheads are. It was given new impetus by the development of fascism and communism in the leadup to world war ii, continued to develop during the cold war. Over the last 30 years, furst has established himself as the towering figure of historical spy fiction. Macintyre rogue heroes recounts the exploits of oleg gordievsky, the kgb agent turned british spy responsible for the single largest operational download in mi6 history, in this captiva. When it comes to reading nonfiction works on the cold war, john gaddis is a recognised historian of the epoque.
The untold story of the american spy who helped win world war ii by. Can anyone recommend some good nonfiction spy books. Betrayal in berlin with author steve vogel on episode 90 of the spybrary podcast, host shane whaley interviews steve vogel the author of betrayal in berlin the true story of the cold war s most audacious espionage operation. His 18th, our man in havana, is a black comedy set in cuba during the cold war.
The cold war nonfiction cold war nonfiction, so no le carre, etc. Berlin city of spies is espionage spy fiction with a mix of cold war, stasi, intelligence services, undercover agents, martial arts, berlin wall, checkpoint charlie, soviet union and much more. It tells the story of harry hubbard, son of a spy, whose own career in the cia charts the heady cold war days when the agency seemed to hold the worlds fate in its hands, in berlin, cuba, and then moscow. For 40 years littells spy novels, often bordering on the surreal and farcical, have told us more about the cold war mentality than most straight histories. See more ideas about spy novels, novels, books to read.
Traitors in the wind is available now in paperback and kindle formats. A books total score is based on multiple factors, including the number of people who have voted for it and how highly those voters ranked the book. Best espionage books nonfiction some of the best books about real life spies and espionage. The cold war spy pocket manual international spy museum. The greatest espionage story of the cold war by ben macintyrean extraordinary cold war spy story a screenwriter couldnt make up the brothers. We love all kinds of spy novels, and tomorrow well be looking at the years best political and spy thrillers. Sometimes, i had to stop and remind myself that i was not reading a len deighton or a brian freemantle novel but a true account of spy shenanigans in berlin. Much of the source material for this book was only recently declassified, and contains neverbeforeseen photographs and coded messages. Top 10 books about the cold war fiction the guardian. In short, western spy fiction needs state actors with strong non western or, better, antiwestern values to become exciting again. Spy novels need to come in from the cold war bloomberg. The greatest espionage story of the cold war kindle edition.