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Stalin’s Apostles
- Author
- Antonia Senior
- Narrator
- Michael Fenner
- Publisher
- Hodder & Stoughton
- Publish Date
- 9 April 2026
- Run Time
- 14 hours 38 minutes
- Format
- Audiobook
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What to expect
*Orwell Prize for Political Writing Finalist 2026*
'Shocking. Gripping. Unputdownable. You thought you knew the Cambridge Five? Think again!' - DAMIEN LEWIS
'A definitive work on one of the 20th century's most treacherous conspiracies.' - TIM WEINER
'A spellbinding tale of espionage, friendship, and betrayal. Brilliant.' - PAUL VIDICH
'Beautifully written and utterly compelling.' - SAUL DAVID
'A powerful narrative' - HELEN FRY
Using recently declassified files, Stalin's Apostles explores as never before the treachery of five British men who spied for the Soviet Union: Donald Maclean, Guy Burgess, Kim Philby, John Cairncross and Keeper of the Queen's Pictures Anthony Blunt, all radicalised while at Cambridge University in the 1930s. Their supply of British and US intelligence gave Stalin an inside track on US and British strategy at a critical period in history. For more than twenty years there was barely a secret, barely a decision made, that Stalin did not know about, thanks to his Cambridge spies. The Five became tools in Stalin's imperial scheme, responsible directly and indirectly for the death of thousands of people fighting against Soviet domination.
Shielded for so long by the British Establishment, four of the five were never prosecuted for their crimes. And in time another dictator emerged as ruthless as Stalin, but with an even greater desire to establish a Russian Empire that would threaten Western democracy. The legacy of the Cambridge Five is not only in the graveyards of eastern Europe, but at the heart of Putin's Kremlin.
Critics Review
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A history of the Cambridge spies that is as good as anything I have read . . . magnificent.
The Times
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A racy, spirited, vernacular book based on shrewd research . . . original and invigorating.
TLS
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A fine piece of work . . . The real strength of the book, which draws on archives not visited by Cambridge Five writers, is to show how the betrayals affected the real world.
The Cipher Brief
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Carefully researched and well-written, rich in anecdotes and insights . . . valuable, thought-provoking.
Literary Review
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This brilliantly told story of treachery at the heart of the British establishment during World War Two and its aftermath reveals for the first time the tragic cost for millions of people and its impact on reshaping the world. Harrowing yet compulsively relevant today, it's a page-turner.
Adam Zamoyski
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Shocking. Gripping. Unputdownable. You thought you knew the Cambridge Five? Think again!
Their level of treachery beggars belief, yet the British establishment's incompetence and cover-up is equally unbelievable.Damien Lewis
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Meticulously researched, this is a fascinating analysis.
Nigel West
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Beautifully written and utterly compelling, Stalin's Apostles is a brilliant reassessment of the Cambridge Five whose naive faith in communism is tellingly juxtaposed with the brutal reality of Stalin's rule. Their betrayals had serious consequences for the West, as Senior makes clear, yet they lived out their days in Soviet exile with few regrets. A cautionary tale by a rising star of non-fiction.
Saul David
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Understanding why the Cambridge spies really betrayed their country has eluded historians for decades. Senior's new book is impressive in its scope of ground-breaking research and depth of historical context to unpack the motivations of these enigmatic men. A powerful narrative.
Helen Fry
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A brilliant book. Deep research and dazzling writing make Stalin's Apostles an appallingly entertaining read. A definitive work on one of the 20th century's most treacherous conspiracies.
Tim Weiner
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Antonia Senior has done that rare thing, written an account of the Cambridge Five with an historian's fidelity to fact and a novelist's eye for character. Her meticulous research and elegant writing bring to life the story of class-conscious Englishmen whose youthful embrace of Communism led to the twentieth century's most audacious spy network. It's a spellbinding tale of espionage, friendship, and betrayal. Brilliant.
Paul Vidich
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Outstanding . . . A darkly fascinating account of an infamous spy ring.
Kirkus
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Details
- Author
- Antonia Senior
- Narrator
- Michael Fenner
- Duration
- 14 hours 38 minutes
- Release Date
- 9 April 2026
- ISBN
- 9781399727938
- Format
- Audiobook
- Publisher
- Hodder & Stoughton
- Genre
- Biography and non-fiction prose, Biography: historical, political and military, Cold wars and proxy conflicts
Synopsis
THE ENTHRALLING TRUE STORY OF BRITAIN'S MOST TREACHEROUS SPY RING - FEATURING NEVER-BEFORE-SEEN RESEARCH.*Orwell Prize for Political Writing Finalist 2026*'Shocking. Gripping. Unputdownable. You thought you knew the Cambridge Five? Think again!' - DAMIEN LEWIS'A definitive work on one of the 20th century's most treacherous conspiracies.' - TIM WEINER'A spellbinding tale of espionage, friendship, and betrayal. Brilliant.' - PAUL VIDICH'Beautifully written and utterly compelling.' - SAUL DAVID'A powerful narrative' - HELEN FRYUsing recently declassified files, Stalin's Apostles explores as never before the treachery of five British men who spied for the Soviet Union: Donald Maclean, Guy Burgess, Kim Philby, John Cairncross and Keeper of the Queen's Pictures Anthony Blunt, all radicalised while at Cambridge University in the 1930s. Their supply of British and US intelligence gave Stalin an inside track on US and British strategy at a critical period in history. For more than twenty years there was barely a secret, barely a decision made, that Stalin did not know about, thanks to his Cambridge spies. The Five became tools in Stalin's imperial scheme, responsible directly and indirectly for the death of thousands of people fighting against Soviet domination.Shielded for so long by the British Establishment, four of the five were never prosecuted for their crimes. And in time another dictator emerged as ruthless as Stalin, but with an even greater desire to establish a Russian Empire that would threaten Western democracy. The legacy of the Cambridge Five is not only in the graveyards of eastern Europe, but at the heart of Putin's Kremlin.
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