'A superb biography ... More than a hundred books have been written about him and this is undoubtedly the best' Ben Macintyre
Owen Matthews studied Modern History at Oxford University before beginning his career as a journalist in Bosnia. He has written for the Moscow Times, The Times, the Spectator and the Independent. In 1997, he became a correspondent at Newsweek magazine in Moscow where he covered the second Chechen war, Afghanistan, Iraq and the conflict in Eastern Ukraine. His first book on Russian history, Stalin's Children, was translated into twenty-eight languages and shortlisted for The Guardian First Books Award and France's Prix Medicis.
A fascinating biography ... Owen Matthews tells the story of
Sorge's extraordinary life with tremendous verve and
expertise and a real talent for mise en scene ... The
portrait of Sorge himself that emerges is richly authentic --
William Boyd * New Statesman *
Gloriously readable ... Every chapter of Matthews's superbly
researched biography reads like something from an Eric Ambler
thriller -- Dominic Sandbrook * Sunday Times *
A superb biography ... More than a hundred books have
been written about him and this is undoubtedly the best:
detailed, wry, sympathetic and occasionally oddly moving -- Ben
Macintyre * The Times *
A vividly told story, thoroughly researched and well-crafted ...
I love a thrilling spy story, especially one as superbly
narrated as this, full of Bond-like drama about Sorge's brushes
with death, his love of fast cars and women ... A highly
relevant book for today * Financial Times *
Magnificently written ... An Impeccable Spy is
packed with humour and insight and all served up with a rare
lightness of touch ... Ben Macintyre and John le Carre fans alike
will find themselves very much at home -- Oliver Bullough *
Observer *
Vivid and revealing ... Within a few pages, it is clear that
An Impeccable Spy is going to be a very good read ... Better
than any previous biography -- Christopher Andrew * Literary Review
*
A gripping human story with the complexity of a political
thriller ... An excellent history, which sheds new light on
Sorge and his work. Unless something significant turns up about him
in the German Nazi-era intelligence archives, it is likely to be
the definitive work on him in English * Standpoint *
Brilliant ... A clear-eyed, deeply researched and
finely-judged portrait -- Saul David * Telegraph *
[An] impressive biography ... Matthews captures all the drama of
Sorge's story ... The complexities of Soviet, German and Japanese
politics and infighting of the time are skilfully navigated and the
personalities brought vividly to life. With this book as our
evidence, we can say that Sorge was an impeccable spy, and also
that Matthews is an impeccable biographer -- Vin Arthey *
Scotsman *
Riveting ... An eye-rubbing story * Spectator *
Anyone praised by John le Carre deserves a meticulously
researched and atmospheric biography such as Own Matthews'
An Impeccable Spy -- Terry Philpot * Tablet *
Riveting ... Owen Matthews sticks to the facts and gives a
vivid portrayal of the man and his times ... A cut above --
John Green * Morning Star *
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