More than most Cold War thrillers, this true story offers genuine suspense—and genuine insight into Mitrokhin’s complex motivations ... His experience with the material lends weight to a thoroughly engrossing tale.
For the most part, Corera routinely impresses. Meticulously researched and elegantly written, The Spy in the Archive manages to be, by turns, illuminating and riveting.
Corera sensibly tries to broaden the story by setting it within the wider context of the Soviet Union’s history. That in turn offers some insights into Mitrokhin’s motivation ... What Corera conveys particularly well is Mitrokhin’s peculiarly Russian mindset ... The overdue and often striking memorial Mitrokhin merits.
Corera conveys the dedication and uncertainty Mitrokhin faced and the discipline to carry on ... Corera deftly tells Mitrokhin’s life story and illuminates the valuable intelligence he brought to the West in a compelling narrative about standing up for justice and against tyranny.
