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Redwood: The Untold Story of the Cold War's Most Extraordinary Spy
From the New York Times bestselling author of The Spy and the Traitor comes the remarkable, untold story of how one spy thwarted a Soviet plot to take over Iran at the height of the Cold War—and changed the course of history.
1982. The height of political and religious turmoil in Tehran. The Iranian hostage crisis had concluded—the 52 Americans held captive for 444 days inside the U.S. embassy were finally free—and just three years earlier, Moscow had successfully invaded Afghanistan, propping up the communist government in Kabul. The battleground of the Cold War had swung to the Middle East, and the U.S. found itself at the precarious tipping point of a conflict with the Soviets that could erupt into violence any day. In the midst of this tension, the USSR was planning their next stage a military coup against the Ayatollah Khomeini and take over Iran, tipping the balance of the war in Moscow’s favor.
Enter three Howard Hart, a swashbuckling American adventurer and CIA station chief in Tehran; Ian McCredie, a recent Cambridge graduate and undercover British spy; and Vladimir Kuzichkin, a mysterious KGB officer disillusioned with communism, desperate for help, and towering at 6 feet 5 inches—codename Redwood.
On a quiet night in early 1981, in the shadows of a clandestine safehouse, Kuzichkin promised to betray his country if McCredie could find him a cure that Soviet medicine could not. Thus began a pivotal friendship between spies. In time, Kuzichkin exposed the Soviet coup in Iran, along with the names of communist plotters, details of their safehouses, and the source of their money and arms shipments. In the end, Redwood’s treachery led to a 10,000 suspected communists arrested, 1,000 of them executed, their leaders’ forced confessions televised. Together, Hart, McCredie, and Kuzichkin had prevented nuclear Armageddon—but left a calamity in their wake.
Drawing on never-before-seen material and a firsthand account from Ian McCredie himself, Redwood is a blazing tale of loyalty, manipulation, and the extraordinary global consequences of one double agent’s defection.
1982. The height of political and religious turmoil in Tehran. The Iranian hostage crisis had concluded—the 52 Americans held captive for 444 days inside the U.S. embassy were finally free—and just three years earlier, Moscow had successfully invaded Afghanistan, propping up the communist government in Kabul. The battleground of the Cold War had swung to the Middle East, and the U.S. found itself at the precarious tipping point of a conflict with the Soviets that could erupt into violence any day. In the midst of this tension, the USSR was planning their next stage a military coup against the Ayatollah Khomeini and take over Iran, tipping the balance of the war in Moscow’s favor.
Enter three Howard Hart, a swashbuckling American adventurer and CIA station chief in Tehran; Ian McCredie, a recent Cambridge graduate and undercover British spy; and Vladimir Kuzichkin, a mysterious KGB officer disillusioned with communism, desperate for help, and towering at 6 feet 5 inches—codename Redwood.
On a quiet night in early 1981, in the shadows of a clandestine safehouse, Kuzichkin promised to betray his country if McCredie could find him a cure that Soviet medicine could not. Thus began a pivotal friendship between spies. In time, Kuzichkin exposed the Soviet coup in Iran, along with the names of communist plotters, details of their safehouses, and the source of their money and arms shipments. In the end, Redwood’s treachery led to a 10,000 suspected communists arrested, 1,000 of them executed, their leaders’ forced confessions televised. Together, Hart, McCredie, and Kuzichkin had prevented nuclear Armageddon—but left a calamity in their wake.
Drawing on never-before-seen material and a firsthand account from Ian McCredie himself, Redwood is a blazing tale of loyalty, manipulation, and the extraordinary global consequences of one double agent’s defection.
407 pages, Kindle Edition
First published September 15, 2026
About the author
Ben Macintyre
44 books4,629 followersBen Macintyre is a writer-at-large for The Times (U.K.) and the bestselling author of The Spy and the Traitor, A Spy Among Friends, Double Cross, Operation Mincemeat, Agent Zigzag, and Rogue Heroes, among other books. Macintyre has also written and presented BBC documentaries of his work.
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
Quite simply, if Ben Macintyre's name is on the book, I am going to love it. Redwood is no different. In telling the story of a KGB agent who decides to switch sides, Macintyre has once again found a tale that is not well-known, but has such far-reaching effects that I am thoroughly confused how I didn't hear about this before. Redwood is no ordinary spy. He was well placed in the KGB to have mountains of intelligence which could change the tide in post-revolution Iran.
What I love about Macintyre's books is that he knows full well that the human story is always the most important part of the narrative. However, you still need to build out the world around him. You can't understand the pressure Redwood is under unless you know what his defection would mean. I have read plenty of books that promise little-known stories where the main character "changed the world." When it comes to Redwood, this is not hyperbole.
Macintyre has to thread the needle of making you care about Redwood while also understanding the complexity of post-Revolution Iran. I can't even begin to explain how bewildering this time and place in history was. You have the supporters of the exiled shah, the ayatollah (who at this point was trying to pretend he wasn't a total despot), the communists, and then everyone else. The U.S. is no longer in country, but the U.K. is and it becomes important how they are able to be there. I haven't even scratched the surface, but luckily I didn't write this book.
Special attention should be paid to the fact that Macintyre is hilarious. There are small asides now and again with winking commentary to relieve the pressure of everything else going on. It adds another touch of humanity to recognize the humor in even the darkest times of humanity. This story could not have been told better.
(This book was provided as an advanced reader copy by Crown Publishing.)
What I love about Macintyre's books is that he knows full well that the human story is always the most important part of the narrative. However, you still need to build out the world around him. You can't understand the pressure Redwood is under unless you know what his defection would mean. I have read plenty of books that promise little-known stories where the main character "changed the world." When it comes to Redwood, this is not hyperbole.
Macintyre has to thread the needle of making you care about Redwood while also understanding the complexity of post-Revolution Iran. I can't even begin to explain how bewildering this time and place in history was. You have the supporters of the exiled shah, the ayatollah (who at this point was trying to pretend he wasn't a total despot), the communists, and then everyone else. The U.S. is no longer in country, but the U.K. is and it becomes important how they are able to be there. I haven't even scratched the surface, but luckily I didn't write this book.
Special attention should be paid to the fact that Macintyre is hilarious. There are small asides now and again with winking commentary to relieve the pressure of everything else going on. It adds another touch of humanity to recognize the humor in even the darkest times of humanity. This story could not have been told better.
(This book was provided as an advanced reader copy by Crown Publishing.)
June 11, 2026
Another excellent, thoroughly interesting and well researched book from Ben Mac!
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
Ben MacIntyre did a talk on Tuesday at the Emmanuel Centre about Redwood, after which I purchased the book. As ever, MacIntyre has written a well researched and pacy book, which I could not put down. I think he does an excellent job of including details about the day to day lives of his “characters”, which can be an enjoyable respite from detailed political machinations. I learnt a lot and enjoyed this book- which is all one can really ask for.
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
Two spies whose lives eventually intertwine, in a high-stakes, cold-war caper with right touch of British awkwardness and derring-do. Washed down with vodka.
How Macintyre finds (and is allowed to tells) these stories, should be a book itself!
How Macintyre finds (and is allowed to tells) these stories, should be a book itself!
September 16, 2026
fascinating story about a KGB agent defecting to the UK in a torrid period in Tehran.
September 17, 2026
A gripping tale of Cold War spies and how decisions made in secret can affect the whole power dynamics.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews