Agent M: The Lives and Spies of MI5's Maxwell Knight - Hardcover

Hemming, Henry

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1610396847 ISBN 13: 9781610396844

Publisher: Public Affairs, 2017

Synopsis

Based on recently declassified MI5 files, this is the story of one of Britains greatest intelligence operators, Maxwell Knight (1900-1968) or M. From 1923, when he was recruited for MI5 by Sir George Makgill, the book follows Knights career through infiltrating Communist and Fascist movements in Britain during the 1920s and 1930s, the Second World War and the Cold War, and examines his particular talent for recruiting and training special agents.

About this title

Review

"This in-depth introduction illuminates a largely forgotten man of antidemocratic tendencies who played a key role in keeping Britain secure and democratic for much of the interwar and early postwar periods."--Publishers Weekly


"The dramatic story of the remarkable British spymaster...Many spy stories are page-turners, but [Henry Hemming] proves that the story of one man can be equally thrilling. Hemming has uncovered a man determined not to be known and in so doing, has provided us with delightful reading."

-Kirkus Reviews

"Crammed with cracking stories and founded on sound research, Henry Hemming's biography of Maxwell Knight-'M'-stands comparison with the bestselling books of Ben Macintyre."

-Adam Sisman, author of John Le Carré

"Absolute proof that assiduous digging in the archives can produce scoops. This is intelligence research at its best, especially in the identification of hitherto anonymous agents. Definitely a great contribution to the literature."

- Nigel West, author of MI5

"Espionage writing at its best."

-Charles Cumming, author of A Divided Spy

"I raced through Henry Hemming's book, constantly having to remind myself that it wasn't a work of fiction. It really has everything you'd want from a great espionage story: incredible agents risking their lives; the highest possible stakes, with the safety of the world hanging in the balance; and at its heart a complicated, mercurial spy master in Maxwell Knight spinning an ever more intricate web."

-Matt Charman, Oscar-nominated screenwriter of Bridge of Spies

Book Description

Revealed in full for the first time, the extraordinary life of Maxwell Knight, MI5’s greatest spymaster

About this edition

• Publisher: Public Affairs
• Publication date: 2017
• ISBN 10: 1610396847
• ISBN 13: 9781610396844
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 354