The Writer and the Traitor

A wholly fascinating account of an extraordinary friendship. Robert Verkaik’s nuanced and insightful portraits of these two highly complicated individuals are brilliantly convincing – William Boyd
A superb spy book. This masterpiece of forensic research asks troubling new questions about two of Britain’s most mysterious and famously complex figures – Richard J Aldrich, author of GCHQ
Ever since first reading Graham Greene’s extraordinary foreword to my grandfather’s autobiography, My Silent War, I have been intrigued by the relationship between one of Britain’s most loved writers, and the real Third Man. In his vivid and rigorously researched new book, Robert Verkaik shines new light on one of the most fascinating friendships of the Cold War - proving that fact is stranger than fiction, and just as compelling – Charlotte Philby, author of Edith and Kim
The novelist’s eye of Kim Philby’s friend and MI6 colleague Graham Greene provides a new perspective on the treachery of Philby and the Cambridge spies … a richly entertaining tale – Professor Sir David Omand, former Director of GCHQ and author of How Spies Think
Robert Verkaik’s latest work is a highly gripping, beautifully crafted page-turner that combines the narrative flair of a bestselling thriller with the forensic precision of investigative journalism. The Writer and the Traitor draws the reader into a world of tension, pace, and intrigue, vividly animating the flaws, cunning, and irrepressible quirks of two of Britain’s most compelling spies – Richard Kerbaj, author of The Secret History of the Five Eyes
[An] elegant and forensic double portrait setting Greene, that sociologist of sin, alongside the Kremlin’s golden boy Philby, with the lengthening shadow of the cold war falling between them … both his subjects make for terrific copy … Part of the pleasure of Verkaik’s book is the vicarious glide through their parallel rake’s progresses – Pratinav Anil * Guardian *
Verkaik tells a good story, and tells it well – Pat Carty * Sunday Independent *
A terrific examination of two lives defined by espionage … a must-read for fans of Greene – Chris Connor * Spybrary *
A meticulous analysis * Country Life *
Verkaik’s fascinating non-fiction account of these 20th-century icons reads like a thriller * Daily Mirror *

Robert Verkaik is an author and award-winning journalist. He was the Home Affairs Editor of the Independent and the Security Editor of the Mail on Sunday. He is the author of Defiant: The Untold Story of the Battle of Britain, Posh Boys and Jihadi John: Making of a Terrorist, as well as the Sunday Times bestseller The Traitor of Colditz, and The Traitor of Arnhem. He is a non-practising barrister and lives in Surrey.

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