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An Impeccable Spy

Richard Sorge, Stalin’s Master Agent

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An Impeccable Spy

By: Owen Matthews
Narrated by: Mike Grady
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Bloomsbury presents An Impeccable Spy by Owen Matthews, read by Mike Grady.

SHORTLISTED FOR THE PUSHKIN HOUSE PRIZE

'The most formidable spy in history' IAN FLEMING
'His work was impeccable' KIM PHILBY
'The spy to end spies' JOHN LE CARRÉ

Born of a German father and a Russian mother, Richard Sorge moved in a world of shifting alliances and infinite possibility. In the years leading up to and during the Second World War, he became a fanatical communist – and the Soviet Union’s most formidable spy.

Combining charm with ruthless manipulation, he infiltrated and influenced the highest echelons of German, Chinese and Japanese society. His intelligence proved pivotal to the Soviet counter-offensive in the Battle of Moscow, which in turn determined the outcome of the war itself.

Drawing on a wealth of declassified Soviet archives, this is a major biography of one of the greatest spies who ever lived.©2019 Owen Matthews (P)2019 Bloomsbury Publishing PLC Freedom & Security Politics & Government Russia Espionage Soviet Union War Imperial Japan Military Imperialism
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Critic reviews

A fascinating biography ... Owen Matthews tells the story of Sorge’s extraordinary life with tremendous verve and expertise and a real talent for mise en scène ... The portrait of Sorge himself that emerges is richly authentic (William Boyd)
Gloriously readable … Every chapter of Matthews’s superbly researched biography reads like something from an Eric Ambler thriller (Dominic Sandbrook)
A superb biography … More than a hundred books have been written about him and this is undoubtedly the best: detailed, wry, sympathetic and occasionally oddly moving (Ben Macintyre)
A vividly told story, thoroughly researched and well-crafted ... I love a thrilling spy story, especially one as superbly narrated as this, full of Bond-like drama about Sorge’s brushes with death, his love of fast cars and women ... A highly relevant book for today
Magnificently written … An Impeccable Spy is packed with humour and insight and all served up with a rare lightness of touch … Ben Macintyre and John le Carré fans alike will find themselves very much at home (Oliver Bullough)
Vivid and revealing ... Within a few pages, it is clear that An Impeccable Spy is going to be a very good read ... Better than any previous biography (Christopher Andrew)
A gripping human story with the complexity of a political thriller … An excellent history, which sheds new light on Sorge and his work. Unless something significant turns up about him in the German Nazi-era intelligence archives, it is likely to be the definitive work on him in English
Brilliant ... A clear-eyed, deeply researched and finely-judged portrait (Saul David)
[An] impressive biography … Matthews captures all the drama of Sorge’s story … The complexities of Soviet, German and Japanese politics and infighting of the time are skilfully navigated and the personalities brought vividly to life. With this book as our evidence, we can say that Sorge was an impeccable spy, and also that Matthews is an impeccable biographer (Vin Arthey)
Riveting ... An eye-rubbing story
Anyone praised by John le Carré deserves a meticulously researched and atmospheric biography such as Own Matthews’ An Impeccable Spy (Terry Philpot)
Riveting … Owen Matthews sticks to the facts and gives a vivid portrayal of the man and his times … A cut above (John Green)
All stars
Most relevant
Spy stories are always exciting. I heard about Sorge in a podcast where a later russian spy praised Sorge, so I had to hear more.
You learn a lot about the war, from angles you dont usually hear about, and also don’t think about. The relationships between nations, human connections, chaos, and power of individuals to shape the world.
Charming, womanizing to the point of recklessness, heavy drinking, ruthless and terrifying, calculated, and a man who made even his enemies admit their admiration of him. One of the great ‘what could have been’ questions of spying during the second world war. Good book and good narrator, never lost track in staying engaging.

The Russian James Bond.

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This was an engaging read filled with a wealth of documents and files. The portrayal of Sorge's character was well-translated and insightful. I plan to revisit it for a deeper understanding and to capture more details.

Amazing book about great Spy of all times

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Some eye opening material about early Russian and German communism. A lesson in spying and great insight into Pre world war Japan and China.

An historical thriller, I loved it.

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This was the most informative and intriguing spy story I have read. A thrilling read.

A Gripping Tale

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While I had a few tiny quibbles with the writing of this book at times, overall it was very good for anyone interested in this genre. The narrator is one of my absolute favorite voices for calm, nighttime listening. Very few moments where the volume changes enough for me to be startled out of semi-nap on my bus ride home (one of my criteria for audiobooks!).

Great narrator voice, intriguing story

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