Defend the Realm: The Authorized History of MI5 Audiobook

" I wish "Defend the Realm" had been twice as long & even more detailed. I could not get enough & I can't want to read some of Professor Andrew's other works. "

" Incredibly detailed to the point where it becomes difficult to wade through it all. "

" A biblical-length examination of the secret service that leaves NO stone unturned. But its extraordinary page count does mean that it isn't an easy or light read. Be warned: this will take considerable stamina. "

" The research was very well done. I found it transfixing. "

" Germans, and French, and Americans, and Italians, and Irish, and Indians, and Malaysians, and more Irish, and, and, and English!! "

" Interesting read but occasionally a little heavy on the organisational details. "

" Brilliant man and amazing professor!! Easy read, informative, and a major plus it has funny anecdotes because this stuff can be very dry. "

" More of a administrative history rather than an operational history. Those parts that described their operations were really interesting - particularly the operations during WWII, the Cold War, and against the IRA. "

" It started in such a way I thought of keystone cops. Then every spy film had elements that were mentioned. I enjoyed Christopher Andrews amusing style of writing, he certainly helped to keep what could have become extremely dry from becoming so. "

" This is a fascinating insight into areas I did not know about. It colours in areas of history I knew about but gives a different perspective. Its more a project to get through. I dip in and out. "

" Heavy going but interesting in parts. "

" Looks daunting... it's a big book.... "

" Hard work but interesting. I originally started to read it to see how many people I knew were mentioned in it. 4 so far. Its not the sort of book you read at one go. I keep picking it up and putting it down. Still not actually finished it. "

" Very interesting history of MI5, Britain's internal security service. Can be a bit draggy at times for us yanks who are not familiar with all of the political players, but there is a lot of good stuff here. "

" Just looked at the pics! "

" This took an awful lot of work, but it certainly seemed complete. There were mentions of failures as well as successes, which leads me to trust in its accuracy. "

" This is a bulky book. More like a doorstop but readable. I'd have given it more stars but it was authorised by the organisation (MI5) that it discusses so I guess you have to ask whether it's really independent or a puff job. "

" A fascinating insight into MI5 and the history of intel. "

" Hard work but interesting. I originally started to read it to see how many people I knew were mentioned in it. 4 so far. Its not the sort of book you read at one go. I keep picking it up and putting it down. Still not actually finished it. "

" This is a fascinating insight into areas I did not know about. It colours in areas of history I knew about but gives a different perspective. Its more a project to get through. I dip in and out. "

" A biblical-length examination of the secret service that leaves NO stone unturned. But its extraordinary page count does mean that it isn't an easy or light read. Be warned: this will take considerable stamina. "

" Looks daunting... it's a big book.... "

" I wish "Defend the Realm" had been twice as long & even more detailed. I could not get enough & I can't want to read some of Professor Andrew's other works. "

" It started in such a way I thought of keystone cops. Then every spy film had elements that were mentioned. I enjoyed Christopher Andrews amusing style of writing, he certainly helped to keep what could have become extremely dry from becoming so. "

" Very interesting history of MI5, Britain's internal security service. Can be a bit draggy at times for us yanks who are not familiar with all of the political players, but there is a lot of good stuff here. "

" This took an awful lot of work, but it certainly seemed complete. There were mentions of failures as well as successes, which leads me to trust in its accuracy. <br/> <br/> "

" Very interesting study of the history of MI5--definitely a work that students of either British history or intelligence should read. "

" An excellent review, covering the entire history of the Security Service. Definitely worth the read for those who want a well developed perspective of MI5. "