This book is a must read for all of us who remember the spy scandals of the 50s through to the 80s that seem to have filled our newspaper headlines of the day. Now that many classified papers have been released, we have new revelations that that allow us to see what really went on behind the wall of secrecy of MI5, MI6 and No 10 Downing St. All the main protagonists have passed on but the activities of both the Security Services and Soviet agents and tell amazing stories. Now include the machinations of the Thatcher Government trying to silence the former MI5 Officer Peter Wright from publishing his memoires and you have a book of facts that is truly ‘stranger than fiction’.

I remember it all but Tate's book is mindblowing fleshing out the facts we thought we knew and giving us the not only sheer stubborness of the Government of the day but its incompetence and even criminality. Their attempts to beat and even crucify one man, Peter Wright, and his tiny legal team of Australians brings belated shame on those here in the UK that were involved. I'm going back to reading 'Spycatcher' again.
A highly recommended read.
My thanks to Icon Books and NetGalley for this arc in exchange for an unbiased and honest review.

I'm old enough to remember when former spook Peter Wright's book Spycatcher ,and the British Government's attempts to stop its publication,were headline news for weeks. MI5's existence was not even acknowledged at the time . Wright's revelations of incompetence and outright criminality were bad enough,his assertions about it being riddled with Soviet agents were something the Government definitely didn't want aired.
While Wright's book told a fascinating and enlightening story the Governments attempts to keep it from the public gaze ,as told in Tim Tate's excellent book,is just as mindblowing.
While protecting the reputations of known traitors the Thatcher government used smears, planted newspaper stories , veiled threats. obfuscation and one of Britain's top legal minds perjuring himself in an ever more desperate attempt to hide the awful truth and dodge accountability from the British public.

This is an excellent book that covers both Wright's ,explosive at the time, exposures and the ever more desperate and expensive measures that the pig-headed Thatcher authorised even when the book she was trying to block was selling millions and available to anyone who wanted to read it. Tim Tate also gives great insights into the characters and personalities of those involved ,the flawed but determined to reveal the truth Peter Wright,equally as stubborn as his nemesis in Downing Street, the small team of Australian lawyers who took down some of Britain's top legal minds in scenes John Grisham would have been proud of and the urbane Bugatti driving Victor Rothschild whose status and establishment links trumped his treachery .

A great read and an insight into times when the old boys club ran a rogue organisation supposedly looking after the security of this country ,an old boys club riddled with traitors.

This is a fascinating but deeply disturbing account of how the British government, establishment and secret services desperately tried to silence Peter Wright and prevent publication of his “Spy Catcher” memoir.

The level of detail is forensic and the author relies on previously unpublished court transcripts and documents to reveal the extent of the duplicity and attempted cover ups that took place.

I dimly remember the case but this book brought it sharply back to life and deserves a wide readership.