Book cover of Spies: The Rise and Fall of the KGB in America

Book description

An unprecedented expose of Soviet espionage in the United States during the 1930s and 40s

This stunning book, based on KGB archives that have never come to light before, provides the most complete account of Soviet espionage in America ever written. In 1993, former KGB officer Alexander Vassiliev was permitted…

When you buy books, we may earn a commission that helps keep our lights on (or join the rebellion as a member).

Why read it?

2 authors picked Spies as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?

This book is the most comprehensive account of KGB spying in America and two of its authors have studied the subject exhaustively for decades and the third author is a Soviet ex KGB agent with firsthand knowledge of and access to Soviet KGB files.

This is the bible and go-to book for any studied interest in the subject.

I treasure this book not only because I possess one of the few hardback copies inscribed by all three authors but also because I consider Spies the most authoritative book about KGB espionage operations in America during the 1930s and 40s. Without question, if I could own own only one book about Soviet espionage in America, this would be it!.  

I’ve known the principal author, John Haynes, for over thirty years. Though we do not always agree on who was or was not a Soviet spy, I have the utmost respect for his scholarship and encyclopedic knowledge of KGB operations.…

If you love Spies...

Book cover of These Blue Mountains

These Blue Mountains by Sarah Loudin Thomas,

A moving story of love, betrayal, and the enduring power of hope in the face of darkness.

German pianist Hedda Schlagel's world collapsed when her fiancé, Fritz, vanished after being sent to an enemy alien camp in the United States during the Great War. Fifteen years later, in 1932, Hedda…

Want books like Spies?

Our community of 13,000+ authors has personally recommended 100 books like Spies.

Browse books like Spies

Book cover of Venona: Decoding Soviet Espionage in America
Book cover of Perjury: The Hiss-Chambers Case
Book cover of The Rosenberg File

Share your top 3 reads of 2025!

And get a beautiful page showing off your 3 favorite reads.

1,395

readers submitted
so far, will you?

📚 If you like Spies, you might also like...

Book cover of Need to Know: World War II and the Rise of American Intelligence

Need to Know by Nicholas Reynolds,

The authoritative but accessible history of the birth of modern American intelligence in World War II that treats not just one but all of the various disciplines: spies, codebreakers, saboteurs.

Told in a relatable style that focuses on actual people, it was a New Yorker "Best of 2022" selection and…

Book cover of Tsunami

Tsunami by LeeAnn Pickrell,

On the morning of December 26, 2004, an undersea earthquake struck off the coast of Sumatra in the Indian Ocean. The resulting tsunami killed an estimated 230,000 people across fourteen countries, from Indonesia to Sri Lanka to Thailand to the Maldives to India and all the way to East Africa.…

5 book lists we think you will like!