Brilliantly fluent.... [T]his biography first grips and then lingers long in the mind. It is a page-turner of the most empathetic kind. -- Rachel Cooke - The Guardian
Roland Philipps relates the complex narrative of Maclean's treason-and those of his colleagues-with tremendous aplomb, limpidity and acuity. -- William Boyd - New Statesman
Fascinating and page-turning. An exceptional story of espionage and betrayal, thrillingly told. I devoured it. -- Philippe Sands, author of East West Street
Philipps sets a great example by being punchy and hard-nosed in his handling of facts, but pliant, imaginative and humane in his understanding of motives and emotions. -- Richard Davenport-Hines - The Guardian
Excellent.... What fascinates Philipps is not what Maclean did but why he did it.... Philipps' real achievement is to show the toll this took on Maclean's conflicted psyche. -- Dominic Sandbrook - The Sunday Times (UK)
Fresh and thought-provoking throughout. -- Giles Udy - The Times (UK)
The definitive account of the life of a 'gifted' traitor.... [B]y drawing on a wealth of previously classified material, Philipps weaves a gripping tale of misplaced loyalty, intrigue and betrayal that is unlikely to be bettered. -- Daily Express
Donald Maclean was arguably the most valuable, and certainly the most troubled, of the Cambridge spies. Roland Philipps knows the world that formed him and has given us the fullest account we've yet had not only of his treason but of the conflicted man who committed it. -- Joseph Kanon, New York Times best-selling author of Defectors
From his riveting re-creation of the Cold War atmosphere to his in-depth exploration of such a brilliant, troubled, and duplicitous character, Roland Philipps has created a masterpiece. The rich renderings of secret assignations, smuggled documents, damning intelligence, and brilliant code-breaking will delight lovers of fiction and nonfiction alike. Picture Erik Larson meets John le Carre and you have only begun to scratch the surface of this absolutely gripping book. -- Brad Thor, #1 New York Times best-selling author of Use of Force
With A Spy Named Orphan, the last piece of this bizarre jigsaw falls into place. The outline story is familiar, but the amount of new detail here-on Maclean's personal, professional, and secret lives-exceeds all expectations. Roland Philipps has managed to make the new material come alive by relating it intimately to its historical context, of which he has a deep and sympathetic understanding. -- Sebastian Faulks, author of Birdsong
