The Greatest Traitor cover art

The Greatest Traitor

The Secret Lives of Agent George Blake

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The Greatest Traitor

By: Roger Hermiston
Narrated by: Michael Tudor Barnes
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About this listen

On 3 May 1961, after a trial conducted largely in secret, a man named George Blake was sentenced to an unprecedented 42 years in jail. By his own confession he was a Soviet spy, but the reasons for such a severe punishment were never revealed.

To the public, Blake was simply the greatest traitor of the Cold War. Yet his story touches not only the depths of treachery, but also the heights of heroism.

Drawing on hitherto unpublished records from his trial, new revelations about his dramatic jailbreak from Wormwood Scrubs, and original interviews with former spies, friends and the man himself this audiobook sheds new light on this most complex of characters and presents a fascinating shadow history of the Cold War.

©2013 Roger Hermiston (P)2013 Soundings Espionage Politicians Politics & Activism True Crime Exciting Soviet Union Imperialism Cold War

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I really enjoyed this book and because George Blake is still alive it is possible to see video of him on YouTube and to flesh out the full story. He seems to put himself into a different category to the other spies because he did not take payment. However I found Sean Bourke's description of Blake in Russia very telling.
He explains that Blake was a very different character than he was in the Scrubs and was patronising and supercilious. Had Bourke and co been played because they would have their uses to Blake in helping him escape? Blake's treachery is easier to understand because as he said, he never belonged and England wasn't his country so he felt no loyalty to it.

Fascinating story

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An excellent listen. Accomplished narrator. A life story and given Blakes narrative arc that is required. His thoughts and reasons for his actions are clear and easily understandable. A principled honourable man who was destined to be a British traitor. A communist hero. His final re-evaluation of the Soviet Union and communism are intelligent and even handed. Far super to most 'Brit Traitor' books

Extremely informative

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A very well researched book there is a lot I did not know about Blake.

Informative.

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I was drawn to this book by the narrator since Michael Tudor Barnes is one of the best narrators around. I was doubtful that the book would keep my interest for so many hours but I was clearly wrong. Blake had an extremely interesting life and I was gripped by the story from page 1 until the very end. An amazing life by Blake and a very enjoyable listen.

An extremely interesting book

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One of the best if you like spy stories. Being a spy seems so much easer then, as always the British are very gullable

Amazing story

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I absolutely loved this book, very well researched and written. The vocal performance was great he was captivating and refreshingly didn't fall into the trap of using almost racist voices. It is so good so good I'm writing my first review.

amazing

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I came across the story of George Blake after listening to Ben Macintyre’s excellent book A Spy Among Friends. The almost unbelievable story of another Cold War spy, this is a really engaging listen. Another great narration by Michael Tudor Barnes, well delivered and paced.

Engaging story about a lesser known Cold War spy

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Clear and concise an enjoyable listen.
I found the account fascinating.
Will look out for anything else by Roger.

Very Informative

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Blake undoubtedly caused deaths of many agents. His words "to betray you have to belong" cast an interesting perspective to whether he was a traitor to Britain or a foreign agent all along. Was his sentence too long or the others too short, my mind falls to the later. it was not a game, it caused death and misery so if you lose you should oat a penalty.

Interesting historical perspective well read

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Having just finished the highly enjoyable 'A Spy Among Friends' about Kim Philby, I wanted another book about the same era and subject matter so chose 'The Greatest Traitor' about George Blake. This is a very well written and researched account of Blake's life from his pre-war childhood in the Netherlands to his life today in suburban Russia. I had no idea that Blake had such a colourful life even before his notorious 1961 trial for spying for the Soviet Union. Like any good biography, I kept asking myself questions about Blake's motivation and kept trying to put myself in his shoes and, particularly of those who helped him escape from Wormwood Scrubs. I would thoroughly recommend this book to anyone interested in the period or just in a fascinating life story of an engaging but entirely flawed character. The book is well read by Michael Tudor Barnes, although his mastery of accents could have been better, in particular his Dutch approximation that had me wondering why there were so many Russians in the Netherlands in the 1930s!

All the detail in the right order

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