Overall interesting book that sometimes dragged a little and in many ways i wish this book would have been a bit shorter so that it would have been a bit faster paced. All in all a good book but sadly not a great one.

Somehow this just wasn’t as interesting as I expected it to be. Although the author has obviously done extensive research, the mere recounting of facts doesn’t make for a gripping narrative and I found character delineation was lacking. Even though we learn much about Maxwell Knight here, I never really found I understood him and although I found out what he did I still couldn’t work out why he did it. There are a lot of characters in this account, some of whom only people the pages for a short time and it wasn’t always easy to keep track. I really felt that the various sub-plots detracted from the main narrative, and even though I can see they were perhaps all necessary, they didn’t make for an easy read. A worthwhile read, but not always an enjoyable one, with some unanswered questions and some puzzling incidents.

Fascinating espionage history

Henry Hemmings has put together the fascinated story of the legendary “M”. A complex individual who flirted with Fascism, an expert in animals and a pub landlord, but most famous for his espionage career.

Hemming weaves a story that’s as good as a novel. This isn’t a dry read, but an entertainingly put together story of the early days of British espionage against communist infiltration and it’s swing towards concentrating on fascism as Hitler rises to power.

Some great nuggets in here and well worth a read.

I received this book free from Netgalley and was not required to write a positive review.

Thanks Random House UK, Cornerstone and netgalley for this ARC.

A biography that reads like a octane spy thriller movie

I requested this biography from Netgalley on a moment impulse and I do not regret it one bit. I was pleasantly surprised how much I enjoyed learning about the Maxwell Knight and of his agents

Full Disclosure: I do not read a lot of non-fiction in general and this was my first Historical Biography in a very long time which means I am an amateur reader of these kinds of books. I cannot compare it with similar efforts or confirm the accuracy of the facts so my opinion is mainly based on the enjoyment factor.

What made me read M was that the famous Bond character seems to have been inspired by the spymaster and that Bridge of Lies screenwriter is planning to create a TV series based on this book which for me is a serious endorsement.

M starts with an incursion into Maxwell Knight’s childhood and his love for animals. Since he was a little boy he kept adopting a wide range of wild animals and showed an extraordinary talent to earn their trust and domesticize them. Later, he would use this talent to recruit and manage spy agents. His first job as a spymaster was for a private intelligence agency in 1923 where he was told to infiltrate the British Fascisti. What I found interesting was that back then Fascisti were not considered evil. The movement started in UK as an opposition to Communism which was considered to be the greatest threat back then. This was not the only revelation for me; the pages were full with interesting and unexpected ins and outs of the spy world and not only, such as the fact that Mussolini worked for the British Intelligence for a short while. In the mid 1920’s Maxwell plays a double role as a member of Fascisti and spymaster for the Mi-5. His main focus was to infiltrate his agents in Communist organizations and he used agents from different kind of background. In addition, he was the first to successfully recruit women agents. His many years with the Fascisti and the friendship he had with different members made him reluctant to investigate the movement when it was apparent that they became a threat. He manages to get past his personal (with some controversy) and is instrumental in eliminating the Fascist threat in the UK.

His sympathy for the Fascists, the lack of clear procedures and an appearance of amateurism makes it hard to believe he was really “the greatest spymaster”, as the title suggests. Still, without any doubt he possessed a rare talent to understand and gain respect of people which is key asset for a successful spymaster.

The writing was engaging, in an investigative tone and I was not bored for one second. The chapters are sprinkled with interesting trivia and compelling characters. I have to admit that the writing was uneven at times and some parts of M’s career were better developed than others. Sometimes the side stories of the agents were more interesting than the main plot. I also believe that it might not be the book of choice for a serious historian and I find it better suited for amateur readers interested in spy stories and the history of the WWII and the Cold War.

PS. I also found out that Maxwell Knight was John le Carré’s spymaster and that one of the characters in a Perfect Spy is inspired by M.

Thanks to Henry Hemming, Random House UK, Cornerstone, and Netgalley for this copy in exchange for an honest review.

Henry Hemming presents a unique portrait of the man reputed to be part of the inspiration for the famous "M" in Ian Fleming's James Bond. Charles Henry Maxwell Knight began as a boy whose main interest was in animals, gathering a small, exotic menagerie of pets, an interest (and a habit) he would maintain all his life. Indeed, in his final years he would even work with David Attenborough. He would also write several (poor) pulp spy novels and a number of works on animals. He was briefly a pub landlord. But his main contribution was his long association with various intelligence agencies both private and official. Eventually he would run his own spy ring, the so-called "M-Division of MI5, which would provide vital intelligence for the British Government during the Second World War and the Cold War. Perhaps the most interesting aspect of his life and work was his relationship with the fascist activist William Joyce, better known as the infamous Lord Haw-Haw.

It was a complex relationship, Joyce's first wife was even Knight's former fiancée. Part friendship, part trust, part suspicion, part grudging respect. Indeed, it illuminates one of the most difficult-to-assess aspects of M's career, his long and close involvement with the British fascist movements. Maxwell Knight cut his teeth infiltrating the British Fascisti (BF), an early right-wing organisation that emerged between the wars, and really before there was any clear fascist ideology or idea of what fascist even meant aside from opposition to the spectre of a worldwide communist revolution. Maxwell Knight was certainly more suspicious of communist groups than proto-fascist groups, a fact that was true of many of his contemporaries even after Hitler became Chancellor of Germany. The history of British Fascism is difficult to pin down. It is certainly true to say that the ideals of the BF bore little resemblance to the fascism which would later claw its way across Europe, indeed the original BF would reflect a proposal to join Mosley's more recognisable Blackshirts.
By the time Moseley (with funding from Mussolini) was pursuing his ultimately doomed attempts to create a worthwhile Fascist party in Britain the establishment was growing increasingly uneasy with their movements and, in particular, their relationship with the Fascist parties in Italy and Germany. As the focus switched from communist to fascism M-division garnered intelligence by infiltrating potential fifth-column fascist groups. This switch in official policy makes it easy to assume that Knight had no real connection with the far right but this would be a gross simplification. A potential sympathy with the far right doesn't make M unique, or even unusual, among his contemporaries but while Hemming tentatively touches on the personal leanings of his leading man, hinting at some measure of genuine sympathy he doesn't tackle this issue with any particular focus or insight. The present climate in which alt-right represent a newly "socially acceptable" face of modern fascism even tentative apologism is a little unpalatable and the failure to deal directly with this issue is a considerable weakness in Hemming's work.

His focus is also unclear in other areas. Though Knight's early career was as a spy himself his main contribution was in recruiting and managing his own spy ring, placing him often on the periphery of the action. Knight becomes less and less the focus as his Hemming delves into the lives of his spies, particularly Olga Gray. His role and character become indistinct and hers (as well as those of her fellow spies) is never quite given the attention it deserves resulting in a feeling of superficiality that isn't entirely deserved. There is some impressive scholarship here and Hemming's research appears thorough and exhaustive, presenting the identities of several of M's agents for the first time. Unfortunately, there are certainly many "may have been"s and qualifiers that make the whole project uncertain and tentative. Definitely readable and Hemming's experience as a screen writer very clear with a keen eye for a powerful scene and an apt quote but it is also uneven and not entirely convincing. Perhaps not for the serious historian but it is an evocative, if flawed, glimpse into the life of an enigmatic character.

Anything related to Spies I’m in! Anything True and fact based too! Detective Maxwell has a full live action life and it’s worth a read. Henry Hemming brings this person to life again and how how clearly written and such a great research derived in how intriguing and catchy this books is. A big praise to him on this book and the good news is that we will see more about Knight on the new TV series soon.

This was an unexpected treat. A beautifully written and forensically researched account of on of M15's great spymasters, Maxwell Knight. He was a wonderful British eccentric and true polymath who also became a noted writer and broadcaster and an animal collector.

He overcame a mixed, confused and conflicted political background and specialised in infiltrating hard left and right groups in the confused years leading up to World War 11 and gleaned much vital information. He had a gift for recruiting and running agents and the book outlines many of the espionage coups he was responsible for as well as his friendship with William Joyce.

I learned much and was royally entertained.