KIM AND JIM

An in-depth examination of the friendship and relationship of two key players in Cold War espionage

Admittedly, when yet another book covering the life of Kim Philby slides across our desk, we can’t help but roll our eyes. The shadow of Philby is large and his story fascinating – yet the literature on the subject is beyond vast. However, we’re pleased to say that Michael Holzman’s new book demonstrates it’s still possible to take an original approach to the story of Philby and his betrayal.

This approach is to narrate how Philby was the mentor to the CIA’S James Angleton before showing how that friendship turned sour, giving the story a more personal angle. Holzman chooses to cover both men’s lives in depth, discussing briefly their adolescence, careers as young men, espionage work and the effect of Philby’s betrayal. For the most part this is done in separate chapters, the narratives crossing

Author Michael Holzman Publisher Orion Books Price £20 Released Out now

over when the men’s lives did. This allows Holzman to compare and contrast Philby and Angleton, speculating as to why they chose the paths they did.

However, while this approach is interesting and key to how Holzman tells the story it can at times prove wandering, with perhaps one too many tangents. Additionally, in regards to the Philby portions of the book there is not much this reader had not heard before.

On the whole Holzman manages to bring a refreshing take on an old subject. While not always providing new information, by taking a much more personal approach to the two he is able to examine a familiar story from a different perspective.