Listen and read

Step into an infinite world of stories

  • Listen and read as much as you want
  • Over 400 000+ titles
  • Bestsellers in 10+ Indian languages
  • Exclusive titles + Storytel Originals
  • Easy to cancel anytime
Subscribe now
Details page - Device banner - 894x1036
Cover for To Catch a Spy: How the spycatcher affair brought MI5 in from the cold

To Catch a Spy: How the spycatcher affair brought MI5 in from the cold

Duration
15H 50min
Language
English
Format
Category

True Crime

The Spycatcher affair remains one of the most intriguing moments in the history of British intelligence and a pivotal point in the public's relationship with the murky world of espionage and security. It lifted the lid on alleged Soviet infiltration of British services and revealed a culture of law-breaking, bugging and burgling. But how much do we know about the story behind the scandal?

In To Catch a Spy, Tim Tate reveals the astonishing true story of the British government's attempts to silence whistleblower Peter Wright and hide the truth about Britain's intelligence services and political elites. It's a story of state-sanctioned cover-up plots; of the government lying to Parliament and courts around the world; and of stories leaked with the intention to mislead and deceive.

This is a tale of high treason and low farce. Drawing on thousands of pages of previously unpublished court transcripts, the contents of secret British government files, and original interviews with many of the key players in the Spycatcher trials, it draws back the curtain on a hidden world. A world where spies, politicians and Britain's most senior civil servants conspired to ride roughshod over the law, prevented the public from hearing about their actions and mounted a cynical conspiracy to deceive the world. It is the story of Peter Wright's ruthless and often lawless obsession to uncover Russian spies, both real and imagined, his belated determination to reveal the truth and the lengths to which the British government would go to silence him.

© 2024 W. F. Howes Ltd (Audiobook): 9781004179107

Release date

Audiobook: 5 September 2024

Others also enjoyed ...

  1. The Invisible Spy: Churchill's Rockefeller Center Spy Ring and America’s First Secret Agent of World War II
    The Invisible Spy: Churchill's Rockefeller Center Spy Ring and America’s First Secret Agent of World War II Thomas Maier
  2. A Spy in Plain Sight: The Inside Story of the FBI and Robert Hanssen―America’s Most Damaging Russian Spy
    A Spy in Plain Sight: The Inside Story of the FBI and Robert Hanssen―America’s Most Damaging Russian Spy Lis Wiehl
  3. Den of Spies: The Untold Story of Reagan, Carter and the Treason that Stole the White House
    Den of Spies: The Untold Story of Reagan, Carter and the Treason that Stole the White House Craig Unger
  4. Venona: Decoding Soviet Espionage in America
    Venona: Decoding Soviet Espionage in America John Earl Haynes
  5. The Grey Men
    The Grey Men Ralph Hope
  6. Ghosts of Panama: A Strongman Out of Control, A Murdered Marine, and the Special Agents Caught in the Middle of an Invasion
    Ghosts of Panama: A Strongman Out of Control, A Murdered Marine, and the Special Agents Caught in the Middle of an Invasion Mark Harmon
  7. The Assassination of Robert F. Kennedy: Crime, Conspiracy and Cover-Up – A New Investigation
    The Assassination of Robert F. Kennedy: Crime, Conspiracy and Cover-Up – A New Investigation Brad Johnson
  8. The Spy Who Knew Too Much: An Ex-CIA Officer’s Quest Through a Legacy of Betrayal
    The Spy Who Knew Too Much: An Ex-CIA Officer’s Quest Through a Legacy of Betrayal Howard Blum
  9. Hollywood Double Agent: The True Tale of Boris Morros, Film Producer Turned Cold War Spy
    Hollywood Double Agent: The True Tale of Boris Morros, Film Producer Turned Cold War Spy Jonathan Gill
  10. Kennedy's Avenger: Assassination, Conspiracy, and the Forgotten Trial of Jack Ruby
    Kennedy's Avenger: Assassination, Conspiracy, and the Forgotten Trial of Jack Ruby David Fisher
  11. End of Days: The Assassination of John F. Kennedy
    End of Days: The Assassination of John F. Kennedy James L. Swanson
  12. The Nazis Next Door: How America Became a Safe Haven for Hitler’s Men
    The Nazis Next Door: How America Became a Safe Haven for Hitler’s Men Eric Lichtblau
  13. The Official CIA Manual of Trickery and Deception
    The Official CIA Manual of Trickery and Deception Robert Wallace
  14. The Prisoner: Behind Bars in Putin's Russia
    The Prisoner: Behind Bars in Putin's Russia Vladimir Pereverzin
  15. Wiseguys and the White House: Gangsters, Presidents, and the Deals They Made
    Wiseguys and the White House: Gangsters, Presidents, and the Deals They Made Eric Dezenhall
  16. Narcotopia: In Search of the Asian Drug Cartel that Outwitted the CIA
    Narcotopia: In Search of the Asian Drug Cartel that Outwitted the CIA Patrick Winn
  17. Secret Agent, Unsung Hero: The Valour of Bruce Dowding
    Secret Agent, Unsung Hero: The Valour of Bruce Dowding Ken Spillman
  18. Queen of Cuba: An FBI Agent's Insider Account of the Spy Who Evaded Detection for 17 Years
    Queen of Cuba: An FBI Agent's Insider Account of the Spy Who Evaded Detection for 17 Years Peter J. Lapp
  19. Soviet Union Spy Operations: KGB, CIA & Stasi: Learn Fast What It Takes To Be A Secret Service Agent
    Soviet Union Spy Operations: KGB, CIA & Stasi: Learn Fast What It Takes To Be A Secret Service Agent HISTORY FOREVER
  20. The Padre: The True Story of the Irish Priest who Armed the IRA with Gaddafi's Money
    The Padre: The True Story of the Irish Priest who Armed the IRA with Gaddafi's Money Jennifer O'Leary
  21. Hitmen for Hire: Exposing South Africa's Underworld
    Hitmen for Hire: Exposing South Africa's Underworld Mark Shaw
  22. Treason From Within: The Assassination of President John F. Kennedy
    Treason From Within: The Assassination of President John F. Kennedy Donald T Phillips
  23. Indochina Hand: Tales of a CIA Case Officer
    Indochina Hand: Tales of a CIA Case Officer Barry Michael Broman
  24. The Silk Route Spy: The True Story of an Indian Double Agent
    The Silk Route Spy: The True Story of an Indian Double Agent Dr Enakshi Sengupta
  25. KGB Man: The Cold War's Most Notorious Soviet Agent and the First to be Exchanged at the Bridge of Spies
    KGB Man: The Cold War's Most Notorious Soviet Agent and the First to be Exchanged at the Bridge of Spies Cecil Kuhne
  26. Reckless: Sex, Lies and JFK
    Reckless: Sex, Lies and JFK Douglas Thompson
  27. Never Mind, We'll Do It Ourselves: The Inside Story of How a Team of Renegades Broke Rules, Shattered Barriers, and Launched a Drone Warfare Revolution
    Never Mind, We'll Do It Ourselves: The Inside Story of How a Team of Renegades Broke Rules, Shattered Barriers, and Launched a Drone Warfare Revolution Alec Bierbauer
  28. The Strange Case of Dr. Schacht And Mr. Hitler: Freemasonry and the Nazi Swastika in the Third Reich
    The Strange Case of Dr. Schacht And Mr. Hitler: Freemasonry and the Nazi Swastika in the Third Reich Davis Truman
  29. First Into Action Again
    First Into Action Again Duncan Falconer
  30. Spy Watching: Intelligence Accountability in the United States
    Spy Watching: Intelligence Accountability in the United States Loch K. Johnson
  31. Chasing King's Killer: The Hunt for Martin Luther King, Jr.'s Assassin: The Hunt for Martin Luther King, Jr.'s Assassin
    Chasing King's Killer: The Hunt for Martin Luther King, Jr.'s Assassin: The Hunt for Martin Luther King, Jr.'s Assassin James L. Swanson
  32. In deepest secrecy: Dutch submarine espionage operations from 1968 to 1991
    In deepest secrecy: Dutch submarine espionage operations from 1968 to 1991 Jaime Karremann
  33. Spetsnaz: A History of the Soviet and Russian Special Forces
    Spetsnaz: A History of the Soviet and Russian Special Forces Tor Bukkvoll
  34. West Like Lightning: The Brief, Legendary Ride of the Pony Express
    West Like Lightning: The Brief, Legendary Ride of the Pony Express Jim DeFelice
  35. The Secrets of the Cold War – Spies, Propaganda, and Power: Covert Operations, Espionage, and the Battle for Global Influence
    The Secrets of the Cold War – Spies, Propaganda, and Power: Covert Operations, Espionage, and the Battle for Global Influence Logan Powell
  36. Last Team Out of Kabul: Surrounded by the Taliban
    Last Team Out of Kabul: Surrounded by the Taliban H. Collins
  37. Shadow Warrior: William Egan Colby And The CIA
    Shadow Warrior: William Egan Colby And The CIA Randall B. Woods
  38. Operation Mockingbird: The Controversial History of the CIA’s Efforts to Manipulate American Media Outlets
    Operation Mockingbird: The Controversial History of the CIA’s Efforts to Manipulate American Media Outlets Charles River Editors
  39. The Special Operations Executive and the Office of Strategic Services: The History of the British and American Intelligence Agencies during World War II
    The Special Operations Executive and the Office of Strategic Services: The History of the British and American Intelligence Agencies during World War II Charles River Editors
  40. A Few Bad Men: The True Story of US Marines Ambushed in Afghanistan and Betrayed in America
    A Few Bad Men: The True Story of US Marines Ambushed in Afghanistan and Betrayed in America Fred Galvin
  41. Vladimir Putin And The Kgb Spy Masters 3 Books In 1: Tsar Of The 21st Century, The Secret Police Of Russia & The Soviet Union's Fierce Cheka
    Vladimir Putin And The Kgb Spy Masters 3 Books In 1: Tsar Of The 21st Century, The Secret Police Of Russia & The Soviet Union's Fierce Cheka HISTORY FOREVER
  42. Conspiracy of One: The Definitive Book on the Kennedy Assassination
    Conspiracy of One: The Definitive Book on the Kennedy Assassination Jim Moore
  43. J. Edgar Hoover and Allen Dulles: The History of 20th Century America’s Most Controversial FBI and CIA Directors
    J. Edgar Hoover and Allen Dulles: The History of 20th Century America’s Most Controversial FBI and CIA Directors Charles River Editors
  44. KGB History: 100 Years Of Soviet Terror: The Secret Police Of Russia: Cheka, GPU, OGPU, NKVD, KGB, FSK & FSB
    KGB History: 100 Years Of Soviet Terror: The Secret Police Of Russia: Cheka, GPU, OGPU, NKVD, KGB, FSK & FSB HISTORY FOREVER