The thrilling true story of Richard Sorge – the man John le Carré called ‘the spy to end spies’, and whose actions turned the tide of the Second World War
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 Médicis.
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 scène. Shanghai in the 1930s and prewar
Tokyo, Sorge’s stamping grounds, come vividly alive in these pages
and the portrait of Sorge himself that emerges is richly
authentic
*New Statesman*
Gloriously readable … Every chapter of Matthews’s superbly
researched biography reads like something from an Eric Ambler
thriller
*Sunday Times*
A superb biography … Alive to Sorge’s human flaws as much as to his
professional competence, and with a salutary vein of anger running
through it … More than a hundred books have been written about him
and this is undoubtedly the best: detailed, wry, sympathetic and
occasionally oddly moving
*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 Carré fans alike will find themselves very
much at home
*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
*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
*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
*Scotsman*
Riveting ... An eye-rubbing story
*Spectator*
Anyone praised by John le Carré deserves a meticulously researched
and atmospheric biography such as Own Matthews’ An Impeccable
Spy
*Tablet*
Riveting … Owen Matthews sticks to the facts and gives a vivid
portrayal of the man and his times … A cut above
*Morning Star*
It’s an incredible story and Matthews tells it very well
*Daily Telegraph*
Owen Matthews tells this story well, with an eye for anecdote and
character, and with the help of a vast range of sources … For those
who wonder whether individuals can make a difference to history,
the case of Richard Sorge will always supply a kind of answer
*Times Literary Supplement*
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