Traitor for a Cause

by George Markstein

However it starts, defection is a dangerous and often deadly choice. Through his 'coming across', his confessions and his betrayals, the story of Nicolai Galov effects a chilling and all-too-real portrait of the undercover world in which East and West are locked in deadly battle.

186 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1979

About the author

George Markstein (29 August 1929 – 15 January 1987) was a German-born British journalist and subsequent writer of thrillers and teleplays.

Markstein was a military correspondence with the U.S. Forces in Europe after World War II, and become hooked on the study of espionage. He turned from documentary writing for television to drama, created the controversial The Prisoner series, and was the script editor (and co-writer of "Arrival," the first episode) of the series briefly appearing in its title sequence.

Markstein also wrote for or story-edited other television series, specialising in espionage stories, such as Danger Man, Callan, and Armchair Theatre, and jointly ran a successful literary agency for screenwriters.

He was co-winner of the British Writers Guild Award for the Best Original Screenplay for the feature film Robbery in 1967, and was Executive Story Editor for Thames Television during the 1970s.

Following a long illness, Markstein died of kidney failure in 1987.

Reviews

[Robi Banerjee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Is he a double agent? Is he not? Maybe he is. Maybe the Government's paranoid. One severe mindfuck of a cold-war book.

[Duncan McCurdie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great spy novel highlighting the sceptical world of spies, espionage and cold war political manoeuvring. Can spies ever be free from their clandestine worlds? Great thriller that feels genuine.