Try free for 30 days
-
Spymaster
- Startling Cold War Revelations of a Soviet KGB Chief
- Narrated by: Bronson Pinchot
- Length: 8 hrs and 27 mins
Failed to add items
Add to basket failed.
Add to Wish List failed.
Remove from Wish List failed.
Follow podcast failed
Unfollow podcast failed
Buy Now for $27.99
No valid payment method on file.
We are sorry. We are not allowed to sell this product with the selected payment method
Listeners also picked
-
The First Victory
- The Second World War and the East Africa Campaign
- By: Andrew Stewart
- Narrated by: Michael Page
- Length: 9 hrs and 49 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Surprisingly neglected in accounts of Allied wartime triumphs, in 1941 British and Commonwealth forces completed a stunning and important victory in East Africa against an overwhelmingly superior Italian opponent. A hastily formed British-led force, never larger than 70,000 strong, advanced along two fronts to defeat nearly 300,000 Italian and colonial troops.
-
The Real Odessa
- By: Uki Goñi
- Narrated by: Pat Grimes
- Length: 16 hrs and 6 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
As Russian forces closed in on Berlin and Hitler’s premiership drew to a close, many Nazi officials fled Germany. In this startling, meticulously researched account, acclaimed journalist Uki Goñi unravels the complex network that led them to Argentina. Relying on international support—in Scandinavia, Switzerland, and Italy—and the enthusiasm of the Vatican and President Juan Perón, Goñi shows how this ratline allowed Adolf Eichmann—the architect of the Final Solution—Josef Mengele, Eric Priebke, and many more, into the country.
-
Red Sorrow
- A Memoir
- By: Nanchu
- Narrated by: Corrie James
- Length: 9 hrs and 28 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
At the outbreak of the Cultural Revolution, 13-year-old Nanchu watched Red Guards burst into her home and arrest her parents, whom they tortured and jailed. She was left to fend for herself and her younger brother on the streets of Shanghai, enduring poverty and near-starvation. As she grew older she herself became a Red Guard and was sent down to the largest work camp in China. There she faced primitive conditions, predatory officials, a viper's nest of party jealousies, and near-fatal injury before she finally won admittance to Madame Mao's university in Shanghai.
-
A Rift in the Earth
- Art, Memory, and the Fight for a Vietnam War Memorial
- By: James Reston Jr.
- Narrated by: Jeff Cummings
- Length: 6 hrs and 52 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
A Rift in the Earth tells the remarkable story of the ferocious "art war" that raged between 1979 and 1984 over what kind of memorial should be built to honor the men and women who died in the Vietnam War. The story intertwines art, politics, historical memory, patriotism, racism, and a fascinating set of characters, from those who fought in the conflict and those who resisted it to politicians at the highest level.
-
-
A touching story
- By Hiro on 10-12-2017
-
Nightcap at Dawn
- American Soldiers' Counterinsurgency in Iraq
- By: J.B. Walker
- Narrated by: Armando Duran
- Length: 19 hrs and 31 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
A group of U.S. soldiers emailed their observations and experiences from Iraq and their candid opinions on fighting an insurgency. This book is the result. This startling collection of emails is a thoughtful and compelling narrative that carries the reader from the alleys and city streets to the homes of long-suffering Iraqis, and from the soldiers’ concrete bunkers to the “majestic” army base.
-
Reading Behind Bars
- A True Story of Literature, Law, and Life as a Prison Librarian
- By: Jill Grunenwald
- Narrated by: Courtney Patterson
- Length: 9 hrs and 10 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In December 2008, twentysomething Jill Grunenwald graduated with her master’s degree in library science, ready to start living her dream of becoming a librarian. But the economy had a different idea. As the Great Recession reared its ugly head, jobs were scarce. After some searching, however, Jill was lucky enough to snag one of the few librarian gigs left in her home state of Ohio. The catch? The job was behind bars as the prison librarian at a men’s minimum-security prison. Talk about baptism by fire.
-
The First Victory
- The Second World War and the East Africa Campaign
- By: Andrew Stewart
- Narrated by: Michael Page
- Length: 9 hrs and 49 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Surprisingly neglected in accounts of Allied wartime triumphs, in 1941 British and Commonwealth forces completed a stunning and important victory in East Africa against an overwhelmingly superior Italian opponent. A hastily formed British-led force, never larger than 70,000 strong, advanced along two fronts to defeat nearly 300,000 Italian and colonial troops.
-
The Real Odessa
- By: Uki Goñi
- Narrated by: Pat Grimes
- Length: 16 hrs and 6 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
As Russian forces closed in on Berlin and Hitler’s premiership drew to a close, many Nazi officials fled Germany. In this startling, meticulously researched account, acclaimed journalist Uki Goñi unravels the complex network that led them to Argentina. Relying on international support—in Scandinavia, Switzerland, and Italy—and the enthusiasm of the Vatican and President Juan Perón, Goñi shows how this ratline allowed Adolf Eichmann—the architect of the Final Solution—Josef Mengele, Eric Priebke, and many more, into the country.
-
Red Sorrow
- A Memoir
- By: Nanchu
- Narrated by: Corrie James
- Length: 9 hrs and 28 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
At the outbreak of the Cultural Revolution, 13-year-old Nanchu watched Red Guards burst into her home and arrest her parents, whom they tortured and jailed. She was left to fend for herself and her younger brother on the streets of Shanghai, enduring poverty and near-starvation. As she grew older she herself became a Red Guard and was sent down to the largest work camp in China. There she faced primitive conditions, predatory officials, a viper's nest of party jealousies, and near-fatal injury before she finally won admittance to Madame Mao's university in Shanghai.
-
A Rift in the Earth
- Art, Memory, and the Fight for a Vietnam War Memorial
- By: James Reston Jr.
- Narrated by: Jeff Cummings
- Length: 6 hrs and 52 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
A Rift in the Earth tells the remarkable story of the ferocious "art war" that raged between 1979 and 1984 over what kind of memorial should be built to honor the men and women who died in the Vietnam War. The story intertwines art, politics, historical memory, patriotism, racism, and a fascinating set of characters, from those who fought in the conflict and those who resisted it to politicians at the highest level.
-
-
A touching story
- By Hiro on 10-12-2017
-
Nightcap at Dawn
- American Soldiers' Counterinsurgency in Iraq
- By: J.B. Walker
- Narrated by: Armando Duran
- Length: 19 hrs and 31 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
A group of U.S. soldiers emailed their observations and experiences from Iraq and their candid opinions on fighting an insurgency. This book is the result. This startling collection of emails is a thoughtful and compelling narrative that carries the reader from the alleys and city streets to the homes of long-suffering Iraqis, and from the soldiers’ concrete bunkers to the “majestic” army base.
-
Reading Behind Bars
- A True Story of Literature, Law, and Life as a Prison Librarian
- By: Jill Grunenwald
- Narrated by: Courtney Patterson
- Length: 9 hrs and 10 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In December 2008, twentysomething Jill Grunenwald graduated with her master’s degree in library science, ready to start living her dream of becoming a librarian. But the economy had a different idea. As the Great Recession reared its ugly head, jobs were scarce. After some searching, however, Jill was lucky enough to snag one of the few librarian gigs left in her home state of Ohio. The catch? The job was behind bars as the prison librarian at a men’s minimum-security prison. Talk about baptism by fire.
Editorial reviews
Spymaster is no ordinary account of Cold War espionage - banned by Putin, it offers an insider look at agent Sergey A. Kondrashev's involvement with the KGB. Kondrashev entrusted his close personal friend, ex-CIA officer Tennent H. Bagley, to publish these memoirs for a Western audience, and the stories of purges, revolutions, and defections are truly startling. Listeners will be surprised to discover that the deep, serious, and evocative vocal performance is from none other than Bronson Pinchot, better known as "Balki" from television's Perfect Strangers. Here, he proves his sincerity and versatility as a vocal actor, to great effect.
Publisher's Summary
From the dark days of World War II through the Cold War, Sergey A. Kondrashev was a major player in Russia’s notorious KGB espionage apparatus. Rising through its ranks through hard work and keen understanding of how the spy and political games are played, he “handled” American and British defectors, recruited Western operatives as double agents, served as a ranking officer at the East Berlin and Vienna KGB bureaus, and tackled special assignments from the Kremlin.
During a 1994 television program about former spymasters, Kondrashev met and began a close friendship with a former foe, ex–CIA officer Tennent H. “Pete” Bagley, whom the Russian asked to help write his memoirs.
Because Bagley knew so about much of Kondrashev’s career (they had been on opposite sides in several operations), his penetrating questions and insights reveal slices of never-revealed espionage history that rival anything found in the pages of Ian Fleming, Len Deighton, or John le Carr. This includes chilling tales of surviving Stalin’s purges while superiors and colleagues did not, of plotting to reveal the Berlin Tunnel, of quelling the Hungarian Revolution and “Prague Spring” independence movements, and of assisting in arranging the final disposition of the corpses of Adolf Hitler and Eva Braun. Kondrashev also details equally fascinating KGB propaganda and disinformation efforts that shaped Western attitudes throughout the Cold War.
Because publication of these memoirs was banned by Putin’s regime, Bagley promised Kondrashev to have them published in the West. They are now available to all who are fascinated by vivid tales of international intrigue.
More from the same
What listeners say about Spymaster
Average Customer RatingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Chip Henriss
- 22-07-2017
Interesting insights
This is a really good book if you are interested in the intelligence world during the Cold War. My only criticism is that the author continually points out crimes committed by the Soviet state and system but never points out his own issues that may have occurred during US and CIA crimes committed, for example, in Central America.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
1 person found this helpful