1
of
1
The Writer and the Traitor
Brief Description
Robert Verkaik, bestselling author of The Traitor of Colditz, explores the enigmatic relationship between the internationally lauded novelist Graham Greene and Kim Philby, Britain's most hated traitor. The friendship between Graham Greene and Kim Philby is one of the most enigmatic of the twentieth century. Greene, the internationally...
Read More
Format: Paperback
$3400
$3999
Elsewhere:
Unit price
/
Unavailable
OVERNIGHT NZ-WIDE DELIVERY
Found a better price? Request a price match
The Writer and the Traitor
$3400
$3999
Elsewhere:
Unit price
/
Unavailable
Latest News
Vanya Insull (aka VJ Cooks) visits Book Hero
We were lucky to have a visit from popular foodie, home cook and baker Vanya...
Is the newest Jack Reacher one of the best?
Our favourite crime solving, bad guy beating nomad is back and Lizzy and Edd were...
Heartstopper's Alice Oseman visits Book Hero
We were so excited to have Alice come to visit Hero HQ, as huge fans...
Shirl and Lizzy Review The Starving Bride
Catherine Chidgey does it again with another incredible novel that will have people talking for...
New Releases to add to your TBR this week (19th October)
One of my favourite sci-fi authors has a new book that I cannot wait to...
See more
Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and
still learning, it may not be perfect - your
feedback is welcome!
Description
Robert Verkaik, bestselling author of The Traitor of Colditz, explores the enigmatic relationship between the internationally lauded novelist Graham Greene and Kim Philby, Britain's most hated traitor.
The friendship between Graham Greene and Kim Philby is one of the most enigmatic of the twentieth century. Greene, the internationally lauded novelist who wrestled with the themes of faith and betrayal in his work. Philby, the British intelligence-officer-turned-spy for the Soviets, and one of the most reviled men of his era.
The two men met as young MI6 officers, inseparable in war-torn London working together to defeat the Nazis.
But after Greene suddenly resigned just three weeks before D-Day, questions started to arise. He turned back to literature, using his experience in the intelligence services as a backdrop for his novels Our Man in Havana and The Third Man. Lurking within the pages lay suspicions of his friend, with characters and plots echoing Philby's life. Was Philby the real 'third man'? Did Greene's work contain coded messages and warnings of betrayal to M16?
In this revelatory book, bestselling author Robert Verkaik chronicles their relationship, spanning the defeat of Nazism and the end of the Cold War, right up until Philby's death in 1988. This is more than just a riveting tale of espionage; it is the story of an unusual friendship that survived against all odds. Ultimately, Greene and Philby explores the perplexing question that no-one yet has answered: why did Graham Greene remain loyal to Britain's most hated traitor?
Book Details
INFORMATION
ISBN: 9781035418558
Publisher: Hachette New Zealand Ltd
Book cover type: Paperback
Genre: History, Biography
Language version: ENG- English
Target audience: Adults
Format: Paperback
DIMENSIONS
Weight: 250g
Also by Robert Verkaik
View all-
20% offDefiant
In Defiant, Robert Verkaik presents a gripping and meticulously researched account of an often-overlooked aspect of the Battle of Britain. The narrative centres around the Boulton Paul Defiant, a two-seat gun-turret fighter that played a vital yet largely unacknowledged role in this crucial period of the Second World War. Verkaik's painstaking research uncovers the remarkable story of the Defiant and...Paperback$2400Usually:$2999Unit price /UnavailableIn StockShips today -
The Traitor of Arnhem
NOW WITH NEW MATERIAL - the first book to analyse government documents released in January 2025. 'Sensational' Daily Express 'A bombshell book' Daily Mail 'Mr. Verkaik relates the complex stories of Lindemans and Blunt with the economy and verve of a spy novelist' The Wall Street Journal 'Original, thought-provoking and exceedingly well written.' - Robert Kershaw, author of It Never...Paperback$2999Unit price /UnavailableIn StockShips today -
The Traitor of Colditz
THE GRIPPING SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER 'A vastly entertaining tale, bursting with astonishing stories and extraordinary characters ... A fascinating read' Sunday Telegraph 'Brilliant ... An amazing story, one I hadn't heard too much about' Dan Snow It is the depths of the Second World War. The Germans like to boast that there is 'no escape' from the infamous fortress that...Paperback$2999Unit price /UnavailableAvailableShips in 4-6 weeks -
Why You Won’t Get Rich
From the bottom to the top of our economy, capitalism is too blunt an instrument to tackle Britain's epidemic of inequality. Soaring rents, unfair taxation, and a growing gig economy have brought about unprecedented economic shame: Amazon warehouse workers living in tents, nurses turning to foodbanks, and London firemen commuting hundreds of miles to work. Even those higher up the...Paperback$3499Unit price /UnavailableAvailableShips in 4-6 weeks -
The Traitor of Colditz
'A vastly entertaining tale, bursting with astonishing stories and extraordinary characters ... A fascinating read' Sunday Telegraph 'Brilliant ... An amazing story, one I hadn't heard too much about' Dan Snow It is the depths of the Second World War. The Germans like to boast that there is 'no escape' from the infamous fortress that is Colditz. The elite British...PaperbackSold Out -
Why You Won’t Get Rich
In 2018, UN representatives spent two weeks in a single country investigating child poverty, concluding that it was 'not just a disgrace, but a social calamity and an economic disaster'. That country was the United Kingdom. Who are the new faces of poverty? The same people we applaud as heroes: policemen, nurses, and firefighters. While a select few have gotten...HardbackSold Out
More from History & Military
View all-
New ReleaseBehind Enemy Lines
Archie Gibson's initiation into desert warfare almost proved to be his last. Barrelling through the sand dunes at the wheel of his truck, Gibson spied a searing flash of light up ahead, the signature of a feared German 88mm gun firing ... right at him. He leapt from his speeding vehicle just before it was torn apart and turned into...Paperback$3299Elsewhere:$3999Unit price /UnavailableIn StockShips today -
New ReleaseThe Cauldron
How did an elderly cleric overthrow the Shah of Iran and change the world?Why did Bin Laden attack the USA - and why did the USA destroy Saddam?How did Britain and France carve up the Middle East - and why did the Kurds never get their own state? THE ESSENTIAL GUIDE TO THE MAKING OF TODAY'S MIDDLE EAST: A SPELLBINDING...Hardback$4999Elsewhere:$6000Unit price /UnavailableIn StockShips today -
Saving Elli
One child. Two years in hiding. Three lives in mortal danger. In Nazi-occupied Amsterdam, near Anne Frank's house, another Jewish girl is hidden. Her name is Elli. Her father has been executed at Mauthausen concentration camp. Her mother is fleeing for her life. Elli is next. To save her, resistance couple Frits and Jo Hakkens must risk everything, concealing her...Paperback$3299Elsewhere:$3799Unit price /UnavailableIn StockShips today -
The Spy and the Traitor
The Spy and the Traitor by Ben Macintyre is a spellbinding Cold War thriller that unravels the true story of Oleg Gordievsky, a KGB double agent who risked everything to aid the British in the battle against Soviet oppression. In meticulously researched detail, Macintyre paints a vivid portrait of espionage, double-crossing, and unparalleled bravery, giving readers a riveting glimpse into...Paperback$2100Elsewhere:$2600Unit price /UnavailableIn StockShips today -
Suicidal Empathy
The bestselling author of The Parasitic Mind shows why empathy in politics leads to civilizational collapse. What happens when a society elevates victimhood to a virtue and decides that punishment is cruel? You get the disease Dr. Gad Saad calls suicidal empathy. And the West may be terminally infected. In his new book, Suicidal Empathy, Saad unleashes a blistering critique...Paperback$3099Elsewhere:$3799Unit price /UnavailableIn StockShips today -
12% offThe Wager
THE SUNDAY TIMES TOP TEN BESTSELLER LONGLISTED FOR THE 2023 BAILLIE GIFFORD PRIZE FOR NON-FICTION 'The beauty of The Wager unfurls like a great sail... one of the finest nonfiction books I've ever read' Guardian 'The greatest sea story ever told' Spectator 'I cannot think of anyone who would not love this book... It is an extraordinary true story, beautifully...Paperback$2100Elsewhere:$3999Unit price /UnavailableIn StockShips today -
Salt
Homer called it a divine substance. Plato described it as especially dear to the gods. As Mark Kurlansky so brilliantly relates here, salt has shaped civilisation from the beginning, and its story is a glittering, often surprising part of the history of mankind. Wars have been fought over salt and, while salt taxes secured empires across Europe and Asia, they...Paperback$3500Unit price /UnavailableIn StockShips today -
Man's Search For Meaning
Man's Search for Meaning by Viktor E. Frankl is a profound, thought-provoking memoir and psychological exploration that delves into the harrowing experiences of life in Nazi concentration camps, intertwined with the author’s groundbreaking theories on existential psychology. The book is a testament to the resilience of the human spirit, offering a beacon of hope and a roadmap for finding purpose...Paperback$1800Elsewhere:$2100Unit price /UnavailableIn StockShips today -
Discipline
Silence is complicity, but how do we confront the cost of speaking up? Sydney, May 2021. Ashraf is an academic whose career and personal life are in freefall. Hannah is a young journalist struggling to honour the voices of her community. When a Year 12 Al-Bayinnah College student is arrested for protesting a university's ties to an Israeli weapons manufacturer,...Paperback$4000Unit price /UnavailableIn StockShips today -
New Release
Biological War
There is an invisible weapon among us. By the time you know you are a victim, it has turned you into a killer. A blistering new non-fiction thriller from the Baillie Gifford shortlisted author of Nuclear War (200,000 copies sold). A lab accident, a bio-attack, a global pandemic, and the collapse of human society. In this essential new book, based...Paperback$3299Elsewhere:$4000Unit price /UnavailableIn StockShips today -
20% offThe Golden Menhir
Assurancetourix is entering the legendary Gallic bards' competition to win the golden menhir. But with the Romans keeping a close watch, Asterix and Obelix must protect him at all costs. Their mission? Keep him safe-no matter what... even if it means risking their own ears! First released as a book-disc in 1967, this adventure soon became a rare treasure, long...Hardback$2400Elsewhere:$3499Unit price /UnavailableIn StockShips today -
New ReleaseAll The Presidents' Wars
From a multiple New York Times bestselling author, here is an eye-opening history of the United States' war on terror across four presidential administrations. The year 2026 marks the twenty-fifth anniversary of 9/11, the most devastating attack on American soil since Pearl Harbor. Within days, the United States began to declare its war on terror: 'Either you are with us,...Paperback$4500Unit price /UnavailableIn StockShips today
Why buy from us?
Book Hero is not a chain store or big box retailer. We're an independent 100% NZ-owned business on a mission to help more Kiwis rediscover a love of books and reading!
Service & Delivery
Our warehouse in Auckland holds over 100,000 books, toys, board games and puzzles in-stock so you're not waiting for your order to arrive from overseas.
Auckland Bookstore
We're primarily an online store, but for your convenience you can pick up your order for free from our bookstore, which is right next door to our warehouse in Hobsonville.
Our Gifting Service
Books make wonderful thoughtful gifts and we're here to help with gift-wrapping and cards. We can even send your gift directly to your loved one.
History & Military lists from the team
Explore our curated lists from our heroes to find your next read!
