A very nice "old school" spy thriller. Decent way from the writer to set a scene in history, and yet still make it so realistic. A dive into Soviet era Moscow is never easy, given how secretive and tight it was. You get a glimpse to the lives of "old traitors" and their mundane (or not) life in the USSR.
It was a bit predictable, but i did enjoy it. definitely recommended.

At first I thought this would be the typical CIA thriller of spies who double cross (or not) but despite the slightly wooden writing style and the initial sense of jumping all over the place, this became a more sophisticated exploration of power struggles within the secret services, and ethical dilemmas each agent undertakes - seeing one man murdered after he’d been promised release in exchange for another, Bennett cracks - this is not what she signed up for. Going outside the ranks she bumps into another operation when she is flagged by someone she knew; and Knox knows it too. Meanwhile we track a young agent who nearly gets blown away. People’s aims are well set out even if their personalities are not scintillating - the plot eventually coheres, and we can look to a vigorous upbeat ending.

I don’t read many spy thrillers these days as I found too many of them were becoming tales of dry, political manoeuvres with clever writing but not much by way of thrills. But A Loyal Traitor may well bring me back to books about the Cold War as this is an exciting, engaging and exceedingly well told story which I absolutely loved.

Tim Glister takes us inside MI5 where lead character Richard Knox works. Knox will cross paths with CIA agent Abey Bennett who appears in London in the company of someone Knox never expected to see again who will thrust Knox and Bennett into a high stakes adventure.

On the opposing side there are deadly threats being dispatched with an unknown mission to keep the readers guessing. A prototype Russian submarine is lurking off the English coastline. The Brits are aware there is something out there but they don’t appear able to get a good trace on it – the Ghost Submarine is causing real concern to MI5. Also a deadly assissin is making their way around Europe, taking out people identified as threats to Russia and the KGB agents. Both sides in this covert conflict are brilliantly represented and the readers get to see how West and East are moving their players around the story. You never quite know what’s going to unfold but Tim Glister makes it clear everything is building up to an explosive conclusion – it really didn’t disappoint.

The characters feel very much like they could just step off the page from the 1960s and the authenticity they bring to the blog story got me very invested in their success (and hope they survive the experience).

A Loyal Traitor is wonderfully paced, never felt unlikely or had me suspending disbelief which really helped my immersion in the story. More of these would be very welcome.

A Loyal Traitor is another impressive Cold War thriller by Tim Glister, set in the mid-60s featuring M15 agent Richard Knox who has returned from an uninspiring assignment to become involved in the security of a visiting Russian leader. Things however escalate very quickly.

Glister's version of the activities of the KGB sub-divisions reveal a disjointed, obviously secretive but also a ruthlessly competitive organisation. Relations between CIA and MI5 are also strained to breaking point in this reimagining of events.

This is a highly enjoyable and entertaining read with a few different locations, characters and threads to keep track of which provide the necessary material for the ultimate twist.

When I was at school in the 1960’s, books were categorised as Boys, Girls and free readers. This is an old fashioned boys book, in that the beginning is absolutely stuffed with details about Wars, places, people and the historical and political environment of those times that we knew as The Cold War. It seemed that the World was shaking itself apart, so many different elements were combining to make life difficult for all the people, the threat of conflict was very great. Russian submarines were seen in the English Channel, there were spies in London and Moscow, Political prisoners and exchanges happening in all corners of the globe, America was heavily involved in the Vietnam War, and rumours of torture and special ops were everywhere!! So, not too different from today, but there was less in the Press to read then news was censored.
Richard Knox has come back from Canada, a very disillusioned man. He is still regretful about losing an agent, Jack Williams, who was one of his best friends in an operation that went bad.
When he learns of an attack being planned for London, and hears rumours of an agent exchange being performed, Richard becomes involved in a way he never anticipated, and his feelings of loyalty and unquestioning obedience comes to challenge him. What is most important, friends or country?
A marvellous read, really fast paced action and strong, well formed characters. There are many time lines and plenty of overlapping and inter lapping plots that all come together in a very satisfying conclusion. Richards question is answered to our relief, and this makes us wonder what we would do under such circumstances. There is nothing that a thrilling car chase and copious use of guns cannot solve.!
The question of whether psychological torture should ever be applied in mentioned, but no definitive answer is given. It makes for harrowing reading in some places.
This will make a fantastic film, it is so well written and the characters really convey the feelings of those times. I really enjoyed this book once I got past the first few chapters, I found I preferred those that had greater personal insights and connections, human emotions of fear, abandonment and sheer bloody mindedness, you could relate to those experiences better than too many clinical explanation’s of who was doing what to whom and why. Perhaps I read too many Girls books at school!! I would certainly like to read the first book in the series, and I will look out for it.
Many thanks to Netgalley and the publishers Oneworldpublications, for my digital copy in exchange for my honest and unbiased review. I have rated this as a four star read. I will leave reviews to Goodreads and Amazon.

Tim Glister returns with this superb espionage thriller, a sequel to Red Corona, featuring MI5 agent Richard Knox, feeling numb and disengaged with the tasks assigned to him by the MI5 Director-General James Holland as he returns from Canada. It's 1966, the dangerous Cold War era of paranoia and conspiracies, the Vietnam War is still raging, there is strong anti-communist fervour in the US, and the Soviets are looking to tip the balance of power in their favour by plotting and engaging in an audacious exercise in deception. Rhodesia under Ian Smith has declared its independence, leaving the UK unhappy. In the Caribbean the US military and CIA are involved in underhand black ops and torture, physical and psychological, actions which have CIA agent Abey Bennett questioning her trust and belief in them.

When Bennett turns up in London and meets Knox, she is accompanied by a ghost from his past, Jack Williams, a close friend and agent he had believed to have been dead for 7 years, leaving him with an enduring and inescapable sense of guilt. Where had Jack been and what on earth had happened to him? The man is psychologically damaged, with obvious signs of extreme torture evident on his body, volatile and fragile, claiming there is a threat but unable to remember details, his mind an utterly fragmented mess. When Knox learns of the CIA's mistreatment of him, a rift develops between him and Bennett. There is nothing Knox will not do to help Jack and help him heal, facts that will result in divided loyalties. There are assassins, abductions, secret KGB divisions, plots, machinations and rivalries, hidden submarines, and a summit in the UK with the USSR's Aleksei Kosygin that have MI5 worried.

Glister writes a complex and multilayered action packed 1960s espionage story, a story that he lays out piece by piece, like a jigsaw puzzle, where it takes some time to work out how it all fits and connects. Whilst this is a thrilling tale of espionage of its era, it is simultaneously a story of loyalty to country and towards friends and the consequences when the two meet head on, what happens then? We see this with Knox, and at the same time, his friend, Bennett, needs to resolve what she needs to do when she doesn't agree with the direction of her CIA bosses and the orders she is given. This is an outstanding read and sequel, so well written and plotted that I could see it making a wonderful movie. Highly recommended. Many thanks to the publisher for an ARC.
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An enthralling Cold War tale of plotted assassination with the discovery of a spy missing presumed dead reappearing in the Dominican Republic. After brutal interrogation by the CIA he is brought back to London. The story of whether he is still loyal to the crown or is a KGB plant is the essential storyline. Another assassin on the loose is an intriguing diversion and a chapter set in the Royal Opera House reminds one of the climax to the 39 steps. But that’s where the story really takes off with a rousing climax that ends with hints of maybe the tale isn’t over yet.Excellent!

A most enjoyable Cold War thriller set in the 1960s and, of course, involving the UK, America and Russia. Plots and counter plots have the main characters not only facing the question of loyalty to their own country but to each other though both personal and work association. This theme was taken by the author through the story to the very end of the book. While this to some may seem a fairly familiar one the characters were so well formed and both they and the story rose above the stereotypical.
A well balanced and written thriller of intrigue, action and style and, living close to Dungerness, it was good to be able to imagine the action of one of the scenes!
My thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for this chance to read an advances copy in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.

The plotting is intricate, there are several separate strands running in the early chapters which at first appear to be unconnected. Then around the halfway point the jigsaw pieces start to fit together and the reader starts to make sense of it all, although the endgame is not what it first appears to be. The reward for the reader sticking with it is tale of plots, counter plots, internal politicking and ultimately loyalty.

Real people are referred to but only to set the historical context rather than a full insertion into the storyline. Some of the brutal psychological torture practices of the time are included, such as the MKULTRA experimentation, as the superpowers battled to get an advantage, but without going into great detail.

The 1960s setting allows for a certain aesthetic style throughout which hasn’t been overplayed by too many contemporary cultural references. This is an era when the hero wears suits or roll neck sweaters, when smoking is still ‘cool’, the classic Jaguar is a must and it was still possible to drive around London with some purpose. t.

The writing is straightforward and pared back in the third person in the style of modern thrillers, rather than the dense prose of some espionage works. The pacing is quite breezy, it’s not a long novel and there is a lot of incident so it cannot get bogged down. The killings are dealt with dispassionately, after all these are professional killers, and the action scenes skilfully handled.

The characters are well drawn and don’t fall into the trap of being too stereotypical. The characterisations take the form of the interpersonal relationships, between Knox and Williams and Knox and Bennett. Knox cannot decide in whom to place his trust, his mentor Holland, his friend and colleague Williams or the dispassionate CIA agent Bennett. In the end the question that Knox faces becomes one of loyalty between colleagues or to one’s country the sort of choice we cannot be sure of our answer until we are placed in that predicament.

A Loyal Traitor is a tremendous espionage thriller with a nice balance of action and intrigue which cuts its own furrow and asks difficult questions.

I would like to thank Net Galley, the author and the publisher for allowing me access to a pdf review copy in exchange for a fair review.

A delve back into a really good old fashioned 1960's Cold War spy thriller, old fashioned enough not to contain swear words for a change and all the better for it. Espionage, plots and counter plots that could alter the whole east/west balance of power and which leaves the main players facing agonising choices for high stakes.
High octane, absorbing and brilliantly written.

A gripping story, and a great page-turner. I found the writing style a bit hard to get into at first, but it is definitely worth persevering. I will be looking out for more books from this author.

An enjoyable cold War tale with plots and counter plots, and disparate characters overlapping and interacting.

I really enjoyed this book, which takes the intrigue between nation states during the cold War and weaves a twisting plot leading to a nail biting conclusion.

A terrific yarn for spy thriller buffs everywhere.