A pacy, character-driven history of the KGB's deepest cover spies in the West, a system that took decades to unravel

'Absolutely fascinating' Andrew Marr

AN ECONOMIST BOOK OF THE YEAR 2025
AN i PAPER BOOK OF THE YEAR 2025

'A brilliant historical investigation that's as gripping as a Le Carré novel' Tom Burgis

'Shaun Walker skilfully shows how Russia's modern-day election meddling is rooted in the subterfuge and trickery of the bad old days. This is a fascinating read.' Oliver Bullough

'A gripping history critical to understanding many of Russia's influence operations today.' Catherine Belton

'Sinister, clandestine and deadly - this is essential history, and it is happening now.' Simon Sebag Montefiore

'A riveting spy thriller, which doubles as a secret history of Russia.' Peter Pomerantsev

In 2010, two decades after the Cold War had ended, ten Russian spies were arrested in America, having hidden their true identities from their friends, neighbours and even their children. They were part of a spy programme that had begun nearly a century earlier, when the revolutionary Bolshevik government began sending Soviet citizens abroad to pose as foreign aristocrats, merchants and students. These deep-cover missions - some remarkable feats of espionage, others high-profile failures - could last for decades.

Drawing on hundreds of hours of interviews, as well as newly discovered archival material, Shaun Walker brings this history to life in a page-turning tour de force that goes to the heart of what became the most ambitious espionage programme in history. As Moscow continues to infiltrate illegals across the globe, The Illegals shines new light on the long arc of the Soviet experiment and its messy aftermath - and on how that hidden history shaped Russia and the West.