The Secret Agent's Bedside Reader: A Compendium of Spy Writing

by Michael Smith

Espionage fact and fiction collide in this thrilling compendium of spy writing, where some of the greatest spy stories ever told meet the genuine agent records and instructions that altered history.

Ian Fleming’s genre-defining genius and John le Carré’s iconic George Smiley are interspersed with real-life stories of derring-do inside Bolshevik Russia. Literary classics by Graham Greene and Somerset Maugham appear next to never-before-published reports from two of the Cambridge spies.

Fully updated with tales of agent-running from the first female Director-General of MI5, Dame Stella Rimington, and Andy McNab’s chilling account of a top-secret mission deep inside IRA territory, this compelling anthology is proof that truth really can be stranger than fiction.

With expert commentary, former intelligence officer Michael Smith takes us on a fascinating journey inside the mysterious world of British intelligence. The Secret Agent’s Bedside Reader is a must-read for every espionage enthusiast and aspiring agent.

Genres: History, Espionage, Short Stories

384 pages, Kindle Edition

First published September 30, 2014

About the author

There is more than one Michael Smith in the database.

Michael Smith is a British author and screenwriter who specializes in spies and espionage.

Source: Wikipedia.

Reviews

[Rrlgrrl · Rating 4 out of 5]

A decent bedside reader. Each of the "chapters" were really excerpts of other works, and they were short enough to be a read a few at a time. Some of the archival excerpts were dry to read, but those agents who went on to be literary figures had some very good vignettes. I liked the addition of fiction in the excerpts, so now I have more authors to look for in the thriller-spy fiction genre.

[Brian Harris · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting selection but would have preferred longer stories/accounts to understand more.

[Anna · Rating 3 out of 5]

Moderately interesting, but by its nature a fairly superficial read.

[Susanne · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting and worth the time. Usefully informative.