Smith Michael. The Anatomy of a Traitor: A History of Espionage and Betrayal

Aurum Press, 2017. — 320 p.Could you betray your country? Not only turn your back on your friends, family, everything you have ever known but actively seek to destroy it? The Anatomy of a Traitor focuses on the critical moment in a spy’s life: that split-second when they decide to embrace a double life; to cheat and hide and hurt; to risk disgrace – even death – without any guarantee of being rewarded or even recognised. Each chapter will centre on a different type of spy, including famous cases such as the Cambridge Five and Litvinenko and new and unknown stories, following the path they took that lead, finally, to their treachery. Were they propelled by personal convictions? Blackmailed and left without a choice? Too desperate for money to think about the consequences? It will offer a compelling psychological portrait of these men and women, homing unerringly on the fault-lines and shady corners of their characters, their weaknesses and their strengths, the lies they tell other people, and the lies they always end up telling themselves.