Andrew Cook - Ace of Spies: The True Story of Sidney Reilly - epub

Sidney Reilly influenced world history through acts of extraordinary courage and sheer audacity. He was a master spy, a brilliant con man, a charmer, and a cad who lived on his wits and thrived on danger, using women shamelessly and killing where necessary—and unnecessary. Sidney Reilly is one of the most fascinating spies of the 20th century, yet he remains one of the most enigmatic. Introducing new evidence gathered from an extraordinary range of sources, Andrew Cook tells the full story of Sidney Reilly’s life. He proves conclusively who Reilly was, where he came from, and the truth behind his most daring exploits.

Review

“Cook brilliantly cuts through the webs of lies that Reilly spun” -- BBC History Magazine

“Ian Fleming’s inspiration” -- The Times

“Successfully deconstructs many of the myths which have gathered around the remarkable life of Sidney Reilly” -- Christopher Andrew

“The figure who emerges … is more a confidence trickster, murderer and serial womaniser than a British hero.” -- The Guardian

From the Publisher

Sidney Reilly influenced world history through acts of extraordinary courage and sheer audacity. He performed great services for the British government. He was a master spy, a brilliant con man, a charmer, and a cad who lived on his wits and thrived on danger, using women shamelessly and killing where necessary—and unnecessary. Sidney Reilly is one of the most fascinating spies of the twentieth century, yet he remains one of the most enigmatic—until now. Introducing new evidence gathered from an extraordinary range of sources, Andrew Cook tells the full story of Sidney Reilly’s life. He proves conclusively who Reilly was, where he came from and the truth behind his most daring exploits.

Andrew Cook worked for many years as a foreign affairs and defense specialist, and was aide to George Robertson and John Spellar. He has spent the last ten years researching Reilly’s life—an extraordinary detective story in itself—interviewing descendants of people who feature in Reilly’s story and scrutinizing over 2,000 closed or unpublished documents in 14 different countries. His next book, M: MI5’s First Spymaster, will be published by Tempus.