A summer (spy) reading list

A Spy Among Friends: Philby and the Great Betrayal by Ben Macintyre

The story of the most notorious British defector and Soviet mole in history.

Written by best-selling author Ben Macintyre, this book draws on the information about this case made public through files released from MI5 to The National Archives (a process that began in 1997). Head down to the exhibition to see some of these files, including Kim Philby's typed confession – released in January this year.

The Defence of the Realm: The Authorized History of MI5 by Christopher Andrew

A key reference to our exhibition curators, this remarkable book is the first and only authorised history of the Security Service.

Written by Cambridge University historian Professor Christopher Andrew to mark the Security Service's centenary in 2009, Andrew was given 'virtually unrestricted access' to the Security Service's archives and 'no restriction' was placed on the judgements he made.

Karla's Choice by Nick Harkaway

One for the John le Carré fans.

Written by the author’s son and acclaimed novelist, Nick Harkaway, this spy thriller is set in the decade between the authors two iconic novels The Spy Who Came in from the Cold and Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy.

The book taps into insatiable appetites for stories of Cold War espionage, a period in history that comprises the largest section of our exhibition – featuring double agents, atom spies, defections, and intriguing gadgets.

Her Secret Service: The Forgotten Women of British Intelligence by Claire Hubbard-Hall

Our current exhibition highlights the historically-overlooked role played by women since the inception of the Secret Service, be that Edith Lomax – an early head of MI5's registry, double agent Elvira Chaudoir, or Stella Rimington – Director General of MI5 from 1992–96.

If you are interested in the richer details of the contributions and experiences of the women of MI5, be sure to grab a copy of this groundbreaking new book, which brings to life the true stories of encoding orders, decrypting enemy messages, penning propaganda and infiltrating organisations.

Slow Horses by Mick Herron

Seen the hit series? Now read the book. This masterful fictional series follows the escapades of a ragtag bunch of MI5 spies sidelined for their previous screwups.

While this has made for sensational TV and produced an army of fans, our experts have sifted through the MI5 files released to The National Archives to date, and no documents attest to the existence of such a department…

Bonus read – Spydle: An Addictive Espionage Puzzle Book

A perfect time killer for those waits in airport terminals or long car journeys (if you are not designated driver).

Drawn from our very own archive and spanning over 500 years of espionage history, these fiendish puzzles are based on real codes and conundrums.