Editor’s Note: If you like John LeCarre, you will love McIntyre since, as close as the great spymaster came with his fiction, this is non-fiction. The author builds a page turning story (particularly as the book progresses) from the life of Oleg Gordievsky considered by most as the most important Russian spy of the Cold War. As Kim Philby was Russia’s infamous plant in Britain’s MI6, Gordievsky was a British plant in the Kremlin and KGB’s Lubyanka. McIntyre’s account of Philby in “A Spy Among Friends” is good, this story is even better.
Editor’s note: This book affirms my own experience with good and bad habits over time. The author’s great strength is in his step-by-step how-to approach. He makes life-changing practices seem possible by breaking change down into edible pieces since, let’s face it: habits are elephants that can only be consumed one bite at a time.
Editor’s note: I chose this book while looking for fiction, a crime story in the bestseller section. What I found was so much more. It takes a few chapters to get used to Whitehead’s writing style (perhaps why he’s won two Pulitzer Prizes) but applying such literary skill to a quirky 1960s crime saga is delightful. Lead character Ray Carney is a bit like Walter White in Breaking Bad (good guy going bad) and following his life in three parts is fun.
Editor’s Note: I walked into a mom-and-pop bookshop in California recently. The owner asked about titles I liked, then handed me this book after some thought. It’s historical fiction drama about two young Russians caught in the siege of Leningrad (1941). (I found out later that Benioff is best known as screenwriter of “Game of Thrones”.) The story’s details can be rough at times, reflecting the true history of the siege but if you’re looking for a well-written page turner, this is it.
