Dirty Tricks : A Cold War Thriller

by Chapman Pincher

Chapman Pincher was the British journalist who gained notoriety during the Cold War era for his relentless investigation into the extent of Soviet infiltration of the western world. He came to be feared by the government of the day for his exposure of bungling and ineptitude at the heart of the establishment. It was Pincher who was instrumental in the unmasking of the Cambridge five, the greatest spy scandal in British history. Having published some best-selling exposés, he turned his hand to novels. In Dirty Tricks he deploys all his familiarity with the murky world of MI5 and the CIA to dazzling effect. The action moves briskly between Washington, London and Moscow. Top CIA man, bachelor, horse breeder and American aristocrat John Falconer uncovers Soviet sympathies in the British Labour government. The American ambassador to London is a left wing Democrat, might she be conspiring with the British PM? Russian spies and KGB men commit murder and disruption. Smooth British MI5 boss Mark Quinn and his assistant Angela are not to be trusted. Originally published in 1980 this is a wonderful cold war novel, vastly entertaining and written right from the inside of the ‘special relationship’. It also serves as an invaluable glimpse into the political atmosphere at that time, and completely captures an iconic era in the history of espionage. Chapman Pincher was born in India in 1914 and educated at Darlington Grammar School and Kings College London. He worked for the Daily Express in London’s Fleet Street for over thirty years. Famed for his exposés, he is regarded as one of the finest investigative reporters of the twentieth century. He is the author of a number of books, both non-fiction and fiction, including the bestselling Their Trade is Treachery and Too Secret Too Long. He died in 2014 aged 100.

248 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 1980

About the author

Harry Chapman Pincher was an Indian-born British journalist, historian, and novelist whose writing mainly focused on espionage and related matters, after some early books on scientific subjects.

Harry Chapman Pincher was born in India in 1914 while his father was serving in the British Army. After moving to Great Britain, Chapman Pincher studied first at Darlington Grammar School and then King's College London before entering the teaching profession. He served in the Ministry of Supply during the Second World War and then embarked upon a lengthy and successful career in journalism, joining the Daily Express as a science and defence correspondent. Famed for his exposés, he was regarded as one of the finest investigative reporters of the twentieth century. Chapman Pincher penned a number of books both non-fiction and fiction and was the author of the notorious Their Trade is Treachery. Prior to his death he lived in West Berkshire with his wife, Billee.