Massive 620 page book! Pincher has compiled a slamming indictment against the head of MI5 Hollis and MI5 itself.

The only think to add is that there is so much smoke and mirrors in the spy game that I cannot tell how true all this is. That said, the evidence points at Hollis being a GRU spy, and that that was the opinion of several other agencies. Worth a read if you like spy books. ( )

I think my initial reaction to finishing this book is, "Ugh, it's finally done." That isn't to say that it was a bad book, but I certainly wouldn't recommend it to most people.

The subject matter was incredibly interesting. This was my first reading of anything in depth into the happenings of MI5 and certainly my first exposure to the insidious Soviet threat that they faced. Since Chapman Pincher had been a Fleet Street reporter during this time, he was able to provide a unique perspective on the information that he provided.

This book is also incredibly well researched, which is demonstrated by Pincher's relentless drive to proving his belief that MI5 director, Roger Hollis, had been a Soviet mole with disastrous consequences for Great Britain's counter-espionage efforts. Pincher is able to pull information from his prior publications, both as a reporter and in the several books he's written on this topic since his retirement. He also referenced documents declassified by the Russian government about their espionage effort, which further proved a lot of his speculation. Although, there is still no official confirmation that Hollis had been a spy for the Soviet government (a fact that MI5 would probably seek to hide at all costs anyway), Pincher does offer considerable circumstantial evidence that certainly suggests this case.

The "Ugh" part comes from Pincher's driven and somewhat repetitive style. There were definitely parts in the book where he restated information that had appeared earlier in the book. Also, I understand that Pincher's purpose in writing this book was to primarily reveal new information regarding the Hollis mystery from newly declassified KGB documents, it seemed very single-minded in showing how this information proves Pincher's case. I would probably have preferred a book that was focused more on the history of MI5's traitors rather then focused on proving Hollis's possible guilt.

In short, the book was not bad by any means, but it was not what I was really looking for when I picked it up. ( )

“Treachery: Betrayals, Blunders, and Cover-ups” is a painstakingly long account (679pp) of alleged spying of 27 year career of Roger Hollis, Head of British Intelligence (MI5). Makes a fair case the Brits missed it altogether. Some interesting stories embedded within, but often lost in the meandering narrative. I could only finish half of entire tome as I was in danger of the sheer weight of the volume breaking my nose as I dozed off on repeated nights. Recommended only for die hard spy buffs that love historical trivia AND are suffering from severe insomnia. ( )