Victoria's Spymasters


Book Description

Covering the lives and achievements of five English intelligence officers involved in wars at home and abroad between 1870 and 1918, this exceptionally researched book offers an insight into spying in the age of Victoria. Including material from little-known sources such as memoirs, old biographies and information from M15 and the police history archives, this book is a more detailed sequel to Wade's earlier work, Spies in the Empire. The book examines the social and political context of Victorian spying and the role of intelligence in the Anglo-Boer wars as well as case studies on five intriguing characters: William Melville, Sir John Ardagh, Reginald Wingate and Rudolf Slatin, and William Robertson. Responding to a dearth of books covering this topic, Wade both presents fascinating biographies of some of the most significant figures in the history of intelligence as well as a snapshot of a time in which the experts and amateurs who would eventually become M15 struggled against bias, denigration and confusion.




George Washington, Spymaster


Book Description

A biography of Revolutionary War general and first President of the United States, George Washington, focusing on his use of spies to gather intelligence that helped the colonies win the war.




Spying and the Crown


Book Description

A Daily Mail Book of the Year and a The Times and Sunday Times Best Book of 2021 'Monumental.. Authoritative and highly readable.' Ben Macintyre, The Times 'A fascinating history of royal espionage.' Sunday Times 'Excellent... Compelling' Guardian For the first time, Spying and the Crown uncovers the remarkable relationship between the Royal Family and the intelligence community, from the reign of Queen Victoria to the death of Princess Diana. In an enthralling narrative, Richard J. Aldrich and Rory Cormac show how the British secret services grew out of persistent attempts to assassinate Victoria and then operated on a private and informal basis, drawing on close personal relationships between senior spies, the aristocracy, and the monarchy. This reached its zenith after the murder of the Romanovs and the Russian revolution when, fearing a similar revolt in Britain, King George V considered using private networks to provide intelligence on the loyalty of the armed forces - and of the broader population. In 1936, the dramatic abdication of Edward VIII formed a turning point in this relationship. What originally started as family feuding over a romantic liaison with the American divorcee Wallis Simpson, escalated into a national security crisis. Fearing the couple's Nazi sympathies as well as domestic instability, British spies turned their attention to the King. During the Second World War, his successor, King George VI gradually restored trust between the secret world and House of Windsor. Thereafter, Queen Elizabeth II regularly enacted her constitutional right to advise and warn, raising her eyebrow knowingly at prime ministers and spymasters alike. Based on original research and new evidence, Spying and the Crown presents the British monarchy in an entirely new light and reveals how far their majesties still call the shots in a hidden world. Previously published as The Secret Royals.




Spies and Sparrows


Book Description

In the wake of the Second World War and the realisation that the Soviet Union had set up extensive espionage networks around the world, Australia responded by establishing its own spy-hunting agency: ASIO. By the 1950s its counterespionage activities were increasingly supplemented by attempts at countersubversion — identifying individuals and organisations suspected of activities that threatened national security. In doing so, it crossed the boundary from being a professional agency that collected, evaluated and transmitted intelligence, to a sometimes politicised but always shadowy presence, monitoring not just communists but also peace activists, scientists, academics, journalists and writers. The human cost of ASIO’s monitoring of domestic dissenters is difficult to measure. It is only through recovering the hidden histories of personal damage inflicted by ASIO on both lawful protesters and, in some cases, its own agents, that the extent can be revealed. By interrogating the roles of eight individuals intimately involved in the conduct of the Cold War, and drawing on many years of research, Phillip Deery’s Spies and Sparrows: ASIO and the Cold War shines a powerful new light on the history of ASIO and raises important and enduring questions about the nature and impact of a state’s surveillance of its citizens.




Spymaster


Book Description

The dramatic story of a man who stood at the center of British intelligence operations, the ultimate spymaster of World War II: Thomas Kendrick Thomas Kendrick (1881-1972) was central to the British Secret Service from its beginnings through to the Second World War. Under the guise of "British Passport Officer," he ran spy networks across Europe, facilitated the escape of Austrian Jews, and later went on to set up the "M Room," a listening operation which elicited information of the same significance and scope as Bletchley Park. Yet the work of Kendrick, and its full significance, remained largely unknown. Helen Fry draws on extensive original research to tell the story of this remarkable British intelligence officer. Kendrick's life sheds light on the development of MI6 itself--he was one of the few men to serve Britain across three wars, two of which while working for the British Secret Service. Fry explores the private and public sides of Kendrick, revealing him to be the epitome of the "English gent"--easily able to charm those around him and scrupulously secretive.




The Spymistress


Book Description

Pledging her loyalty to the North at the risk of her life when her native Virginia secedes, Quaker-educated aristocrat Elizabeth Van Lew uses her innate skills for gathering military intelligence to help construct the Richmond underground and orchestrate escapes from the infamous Confederate Libby Prison.




The Spy Masters Thrillers


Book Description

Journey behind enemy lines in Second World War Europe with the The Spy Masters Thrillers. Includes all four books in the series; The Best of Our Spies, The Swiss Spy, Vienna Spies and The Berlin Spies. The Best of Our Spies: In the Pas de Calais, Nathalie Mercier, a young British Special Operations Executive secret agent working with the French Resistance, disappears. In London, her husband Owen Quinn, an officer with Royal Navy Intelligence, discovers the truth about her role in the Allies’ sophisticated deception at the heart of D-Day. Appalled but determined, Quinn sets off on a perilous hunt through France in search of his wife. Aided by the Resistance in his search, he makes good progress. But, caught up by the bitterness of the war and its insatiable appetite for revenge, he risks total destruction... The Swiss Spy: All spies have secrets, but Henry Hunter has more than most. After he is stopped by British Intelligence at Croydon airport on the eve of the Second World War, he discovers one more devastating than any before. From Switzerland he embarks on a series of increasingly perilous missions into Nazi Germany. In March, 1941, in Berlin, haunted by a dark episode from his past, he makes a fateful decision, resulting in a dramatic journey to the Swiss frontier and a shocking encounter... Vienna Spies: With the end of the Second World War in sight, the Allies begin to divide up the spoils and it proves to be a dangerous game. The British have become aware that, contrary to prior agreements, the Soviet Union is intent on controlling Austria once the war ends. Major Edgar is tasked with the job of establishing an espionage unit in Vienna to monitor the situation. He sends in two agents – Rolf Eder and Katharina Hoch – to track down Austria's most respected politician and bring him over to the British cause. But the feared Soviet spy Viktor Krasotkin is already in the war-torn city, embarking on exactly the same mission... The Berlin Spies: Berlin, 1945. SS recruits gather east of the city for an audacious yet ill-fated mission to bring about a Fourth Reich. Three decades later, a young British diplomat in East Berlin is compromised after falling into a honey-trap. He contacts Major Edgar, a veteran British spymaster, who is drawn into an unlikely alliance with his old adversary, Viktor Krasotkin. Soon they are plunged into a world of Nazi war criminals and double agents. With nobody to trust, they must rely on each other. But as Cold War tensions rise, the cracks begin to show. A masterclass in espionage fiction, these tense, tightly plotted novels are perfect for fans of John le Carré, Len Deighton and Jack Higgins. Praise for Alex Gerlis ‘A classic spy story, with twists and turns that keep you engrossed. Excellent.’ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Reader review ‘Brilliant... you cannot put it down. Spy thriller lovers must read this incredible story.’ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Reader review ‘The sense of time and place is second to none, and the characters are well drawn and very believable. A hugely satisfying and entertaining venture into the spy fiction genre.’ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Reader review ‘I couldn't put this down it grabbed my attention so well. Great attention to detail – like the Phillip Kerr or John Le Carre novels.’ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Reader review ‘Gerlis is always a superb read. He never fails to deliver a well researched spellbinder.’ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Reader review




Spymaster


Book Description

Scot Harvath must do whatever it takes to prevent the United States from being dragged into a deadly war in this heart-pounding thriller from the #1 "New York Times"-bestselling author Thor. Tall Premium Edition.




George Washington


Book Description

Presents the life of George Washington, focusing on the Revolutionary War years and his presidency.




A Woman of No Importance


Book Description

"A Woman of No Importance" is a play by Oscar Wilde, which became a phenomenon of its time. Like Wilde's other society plays, "A Woman of No Importance" satirizes the English upper-class society. The plot centers around the revelation of Mrs. Arbuthnot's long-concealed secret. As the events develop, the author casts light on the perversions in Victorian upper-class society's morals, hypocritical conventions, and general views and conduct.