Ace of Spies: The True Story of Sidney Reilly (Revealing History) [Paperback]

Andrew Cook (Author)

Book Description

Series: Revealing History | Publication Date: February 1, 2004

Sidney Reilly influenced world history through acts of extraordinary courage and sheer audacity. He was a master spy, a brilliant con man, a charmer, and a cad who lived on his wits and thrived on danger, using women shamelessly and killing where necessary—and unnecessary. Sidney Reilly is one of the most fascinating spies of the 20th century, yet he remains one of the most enigmatic. Introducing new evidence gathered from an extraordinary range of sources, Andrew Cook tells the full story of Sidney Reilly’s life. He proves conclusively who Reilly was, where he came from, and the truth behind his most daring exploits.

Editorial Reviews

Review

“Cook brilliantly cuts through the webs of lies that Reilly spun” -- BBC History Magazine

“Ian Fleming’s inspiration” -- The Times

“Successfully deconstructs many of the myths which have gathered around the remarkable life of Sidney Reilly” -- Christopher Andrew

“The figure who emerges … is more a confidence trickster, murderer and serial womaniser than a British hero.” -- The Guardian

From the Publisher

Sidney Reilly influenced world history through acts of extraordinary courage and sheer audacity. He performed great services for the British government. He was a master spy, a brilliant con man, a charmer, and a cad who lived on his wits and thrived on danger, using women shamelessly and killing where necessary—and unnecessary. Sidney Reilly is one of the most fascinating spies of the twentieth century, yet he remains one of the most enigmatic—until now. Introducing new evidence gathered from an extraordinary range of sources, Andrew Cook tells the full story of Sidney Reilly’s life. He proves conclusively who Reilly was, where he came from and the truth behind his most daring exploits.

Andrew Cook worked for many years as a foreign affairs and defense specialist, and was aide to George Robertson and John Spellar. He has spent the last ten years researching Reilly’s life—an extraordinary detective story in itself—interviewing descendants of people who feature in Reilly’s story and scrutinizing over 2,000 closed or unpublished documents in 14 different countries. His next book, M: MI5’s First Spymaster, will be published by Tempus.

Product Details

• Paperback: 368 pages
• Publisher: Tempus; 3rd edition (February 1, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0752429590
• ISBN-13: 978-0752429595
• Product Dimensions: 7.7 x 5.2 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #596,389 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

65 of 65 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars More Remarkable Than James Bond, August 7, 2006

By 

Notnadia (Currently upstairs.) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Ace of Spies: The True Story of Sidney Reilly (Revealing History) (Paperback)

Real-life British agent Sidney Reilly (he took an Irish professional name for the irony of the act) began life in nineteenth-century Russia, raised in a wealthy Christian household, but secretly the illegitimate son of his neurotic mother's Jewish doctor. Born Sigmund Gregorivich Rosenblum, "Reilly" traveled the world from the oil fields of Baku to the boiling kettle of Manchuria during the Russo-Japanese War, representing British interests and creating his own enduring legend. A risk-taker, a daredevil, a master of disguise and first-rate actor, the ruthlessly amoral Reilly, who spoke seven languages and appears to have had a photographic mind, faced death many times over and seemed utterly devoid of fear as he enjoyed success after success in his life of peril. Among the first secret agents of the modern stripe, Reilly routinely disobeyed orders from his superiors in London, men of the old school whose creed regarding espionage was that "gentleman do not open each other's mail." Reilly's career reads like fiction but is cold hard reality. He went undercover in Germany, just before the First World War in order to swipe German military plans vital to British security. He infiltrated ex-pat European society in the Far East to provide much-needed information to England's Japanese allies. But it was Reilly's forays into Russia itself at the time of the Bolshevik Revolution that stand above all else. Virulently anti-Communist, Reilly's plot to topple Lenin very nearly succeeded and his missions did in fact contribute greatly toward the destabilization of the nascent Soviet state. Lured back into the USSR the proverbial once too often, however, Reilly disappeared in 1924 after undertaking a mission to rescue friends held in Moscow prisons. For many years his exact fate was unknown, but this book reveals the end of this greatest of all spies, and shows that Reilly's final act was a tragedy befitting his reputation and legacy. Truly an amazing man whose life makes for an incredible biography.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars EXCELLENT BIOGRAPHY BUT A LITTLE TOO DETAILED FOR ME, February 19, 2011

By 

William R. Drake (Nevada City, CA USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Ace of Spies: The True Story of Sidney Reilly (Revealing History) (Paperback)

Andrew Cook's biography of Sidney Reilly seems to be the final word on this mysterious character, and it is a "must read" for anyone interested in the time period, personalities and themes on which the book focuses. It is clear that the writer did meticulous research, and the book appears to be much more accurate than the previous biographies of this famous international conman/spy. (Throughout his book, Cook corrects many inaccuracies by Robin Bruce Lockhart and other writers.)

The book contains over 850 footnotes. These footnotes are a testament to the author's 10 years of research and to his commitment to helping the reader gain a better grasp of events and personalities from more-or-less a century ago about which the author writes.

Overall, I found this well written history book/biography entertaining. However, in places, I found it too detailed for my liking. Interspersed among the text are copies of (or excerpts from) many letters, reports, etc. While they were good support material for the subjects being written about, they (the ones in English, of course) turned out to be more than I really wanted to read. And the text itself went into - for me - too much minutia at times.

Including all of the book's information was necessary to create the definitive story of an amazing life, so I give the book 5 stars for achieving this purpose. The author did an incredible job. And, although I enjoyed this book, I would have enjoyed it more if it had had less information. This is, of course, a matter of personal taste.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Life of Reilly, February 14, 2011

By 

Allen E. Bender "Aldo Bender" (Beverly Hills, CA USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Ace of Spies: The True Story of Sidney Reilly (Revealing History) (Paperback)

After seeing a episode of History Channel's "Vanishings" on Sidney Reilly, my interest was piqued and I am glad this book finally got a reprint, it was very difficult to track down and it does not disappoint. What a crazy life!