Historical

Red Traitor

Red Traitor

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  • Create Date：2021-08-23 09:51:11
  • Update Date：2025-09-06
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  • Author：Owen Matthews
  • ISBN：1787634973
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Summary

'This is Robert Harris storytelling territory and is told with equal panache and authenticity。 There could be no higher praise。' Daily Mail

Inspired by one the least known but most terrifying moments in modern history - when the fate of the world lay with a lone， nervous Soviet naval officer one hundred meters under the Caribbean sea - lies at the heart of this breathtaking new Cold War thriller from the author of the acclaimed Black Sun。

The year is 1962， and KGB Lieutenant Colonel Alexander Vasin is searching for ghosts: for evidence of the long-rumoured existence of an American spy embedded at the highest echelons of Soviet power。 But it's while on this wild goose chase， a high-stakes espionage race against a rival State agency， that Vasin first hears whispers of an ominous top-secret undertaking: Operation Anadyr。

As tensions flare between Nikita Khrushchev and President Kennedy over Russian missiles hidden in Cuba， four Soviet submarines - each carrying tactical ballistic missiles armed with thermonuclear warheads - are ordered to make a covert run at the U。S。 blockade in the Caribbean 。 。 。

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Reviews

Keith Currie ，

On the BrinkThe second Sasha Vasin Cold War thriller focuses on the Cuban Missile Crisis and a much more shadowy affair， Operation Anadyr， which involves the deployment of nuclear armed Soviet submarines in American waters。Vasin has been employed with finding a traitor among high-ranking Russian intelligence officers， a man passing secrets to the Americans。 He believes this work to be a wild-goose chase which he had himself initiated for his own reasons in the first book of the series。 But perha On the BrinkThe second Sasha Vasin Cold War thriller focuses on the Cuban Missile Crisis and a much more shadowy affair， Operation Anadyr， which involves the deployment of nuclear armed Soviet submarines in American waters。Vasin has been employed with finding a traitor among high-ranking Russian intelligence officers， a man passing secrets to the Americans。 He believes this work to be a wild-goose chase which he had himself initiated for his own reasons in the first book of the series。 But perhaps there really is a spy。 Perhaps the Americans are better informed about Soviet strengths and weakness than they should be。 And perhaps， too， there are Soviet Hawks who want nothing more than a military showdown with the capitalist foe。Vasin walks a deadly tightrope throughout。 He already has enemies and he manages to make more， Even his boss， KGB general Orlov， ultimately will find him dispensable， although he is more difficult to dispose of than expected。 Vasin， too， is more ruthless and cruel， and less idealistic this time round。 Perhaps only that way can he survive， but he sacrifices much of the reader’s sympathy in the use he makes of other， nobler， but weaker figures。A gripping， page-turner this， I look forward to Alexander Vasin’s next （albeit remote） outing。 。。。more

Morgan ，

I did not know about a previous book by this author in which KGB Lt。 Colonel Alexander Vasin was featured。“Red Traitor” is a look into the Cuban Missile Crisis of 1962 told， for the most part， from the perspective of Russian intelligence and naval personnel。It is a different kind of spy novel only because it is so closely knitted to truth rather than fiction。 Even some real names are used。Chapters that relate events playing out on the Russian subs in the Caribbean heading towards Cuba carrying n I did not know about a previous book by this author in which KGB Lt。 Colonel Alexander Vasin was featured。“Red Traitor” is a look into the Cuban Missile Crisis of 1962 told， for the most part， from the perspective of Russian intelligence and naval personnel。It is a different kind of spy novel only because it is so closely knitted to truth rather than fiction。 Even some real names are used。Chapters that relate events playing out on the Russian subs in the Caribbean heading towards Cuba carrying nuclear weapons is as tense as one can get without passing out in the claustrophobic confines of a submarine。It presents a taut and chilling look at how close the world really came to annihilation if not for the very clear head of Soviet Navy officer Arkhipov who saw what was possible and decided， at his own peril， to take extraordinary steps to abort it。I found the unfamiliar Russian names very hard to follow （through no fault of the author） and the only ones I got a real feel for was Vasin and Soviet Navy officer Vasily Arkhipov。 But that was enough。This is the kind of spy story that will take your breath away most especially because it portrays an event that really happened！The Author’s Note is especially informative and should not be missed。 。。。more

Skip ，

Very well researched novel， ostensibly about the Cuban Missile crisis in 1962 from the Russian perspective， with a solid bibliography。 There are two Russian generals （KGB and GRU）， who hate each other and want nothing more than to destroy each other。 The protagonist （Lt。 Colonel Vasin） works for one of them， and they are trying to confirm there is an American spy working for the other， by recruiting/blackmailing a Spanish born woman raised in Russia， who is close to Morozov。 The other plotline i Very well researched novel， ostensibly about the Cuban Missile crisis in 1962 from the Russian perspective， with a solid bibliography。 There are two Russian generals （KGB and GRU）， who hate each other and want nothing more than to destroy each other。 The protagonist （Lt。 Colonel Vasin） works for one of them， and they are trying to confirm there is an American spy working for the other， by recruiting/blackmailing a Spanish born woman raised in Russia， who is close to Morozov。 The other plotline is reminiscent of Tom Clancy's Red October， with four Russian submarines armed with a nuclear missile each， dispatched to run the U。S。 blockade around Cuba with orders to use this weapon to defend themselves。 On board one of the subs， there is major tension between the captain， the political officer and the mission commander， especially when the U。S。 Navy finds two of them and uses light force to being them to the surface。 Meanwhile， Vasin has to decide whether to pursue the mole as his KGB boss insists or try to save the motherland by alerting the U。S。 P。S。 I was annoyed to see this was the second book about Vasin， especially with the first one already on my TBR list。 。。。more

TC ，

Recommended。Review posted at Tzer Island book blog:https://www。tzerisland。com/bookblog/2。。。 Recommended。Review posted at Tzer Island book blog:https://www。tzerisland。com/bookblog/2。。。 。。。more

R。 Schneider ，

Fascinating historical "fiction" book， based on some very relevant "facts"。 My take after much consideration to the material presented in the author's epilogue which relates the story in the book with real events of the Cuban Missile Crisis of 1962 。。。 the book may be not far from the truth and is probably the best and most understood version of the truth available。 As Secretary of Defence Robert S。 McNamara has said （not exact quote） "The world was closer to nuclear war that even we feared at t Fascinating historical "fiction" book， based on some very relevant "facts"。 My take after much consideration to the material presented in the author's epilogue which relates the story in the book with real events of the Cuban Missile Crisis of 1962 。。。 the book may be not far from the truth and is probably the best and most understood version of the truth available。 As Secretary of Defence Robert S。 McNamara has said （not exact quote） "The world was closer to nuclear war that even we feared at the time"。 。。。more

Diogenes ，

A dystopian， morose thriller with a fictional view of history。 As replete with characters as a classic Russian novel ， many of whom fail to evoke sufficient empathy to care what happens to them。 Not nearly as satisfying as Mastthews' first novel。 A dystopian， morose thriller with a fictional view of history。 As replete with characters as a classic Russian novel ， many of whom fail to evoke sufficient empathy to care what happens to them。 Not nearly as satisfying as Mastthews' first novel。 。。。more

Lou ，

Red Traitor is Owen Matthews’ masterful new historical thriller featuring a blend of fact and fiction and a fictionalised account of the Cuban missile crisis （1962） from the Soviet perspective。 Summer 1962 in Moscow and Alexander Vasin is a Moscow homicide detective seconded to the Special Cases Directorate of the KGB。 With his reputation as a spy-catcher preceding him， he has been directed to find a high-ranking US mole within the Kremlin。 His suspect， Colonel Oleg Morozov of the GRU， is survei Red Traitor is Owen Matthews’ masterful new historical thriller featuring a blend of fact and fiction and a fictionalised account of the Cuban missile crisis （1962） from the Soviet perspective。 Summer 1962 in Moscow and Alexander Vasin is a Moscow homicide detective seconded to the Special Cases Directorate of the KGB。 With his reputation as a spy-catcher preceding him， he has been directed to find a high-ranking US mole within the Kremlin。 His suspect， Colonel Oleg Morozov of the GRU， is surveilled around the clock as he is believed to be passing secrets to the Americans， but won’t — or can’t — reveal a double life。 As Vasin learns to his cost， Morozov has redoubtable friends。 As the pressure on Vasin to expose Morozov becomes unbearable， he finds himself in the middle of a vicious knife fight between powerful Kremlin factions。 One group is alarmed by the decision to send Soviet atomic weapons to Cuba。 The other believes that a pre-emptive nuclear attack on the United States wouldn’t be the end of the world。 This is a riveting， enthralling and masterfully woven piece of historical espionage based on terrifying， little known real events。 It confirms Matthews as a major new talent and places Red Traitor among the finest crime thrillers of the year， in my opinion。 Impeccably researched Cold War fiction is no easy feat to write， and the author has got the balance exactly right between the build-up and historical backstory underpinning everything and the unfurling of a fast-paced plot complete with devious twists and wickedly misleading misdirection。 Ripe with palpable tension and interestingly told primarily from the Russian point of view， there is all you need here and more to satisfy the detail-orientated reader when it comes to espionage and geopolitical intrigue。 You quickly become completely immersed in the struggles of a dangerous era， and I found Matthews’ focus on the often-overlooked role of Soviet submarines， all equipped with nuclear missiles， that were heading to Cuba in the days leading up to the Cuban Missile Crisis in 1962， thoroughly absorbing。 All in all， this is a scintillating， insightful and entertaining novel about just how easily the course of history could've been different had the crisis ended in nuclear catastrophe。 Highly recommended。 。。。more

Tony Swinton ，

Thank you netgalley for a pre publication copy for an honest review The year is 1962 and the world is on a knife edge where the one who blinks first might press the button This book is highly recommended and well researched and gives so much history in a readable format

Dustin Lovell ，

“There was not a moment of Vasin’s waking or sleeping days。。。where Vasin was not surrounded by reminders of the power of Lieutenant General Yury Orlov。 He felt as trapped as a dragonfly in glass。”Set in 1962， less than a year after the events of Black Sun in which KGB investigator Alexander Vasin narrowly averted a nuclear disaster， Red Traitor by Owen Matthews follows Major Vasin as his successful rise in the KGB has meant just so much more scrutiny from among its ranks。 Following the threads （ “There was not a moment of Vasin’s waking or sleeping days。。。where Vasin was not surrounded by reminders of the power of Lieutenant General Yury Orlov。 He felt as trapped as a dragonfly in glass。”Set in 1962， less than a year after the events of Black Sun in which KGB investigator Alexander Vasin narrowly averted a nuclear disaster， Red Traitor by Owen Matthews follows Major Vasin as his successful rise in the KGB has meant just so much more scrutiny from among its ranks。 Following the threads （real and invented） established at the end of Black Sun， Vasin must maneuver GRU Colonel Oleg Morozov into revealing himself as a possible American spy while the Cuban Missile Crisis unfolds in the Caribbean， all the while keeping himself abreast of the machinations of his own boss， General Yuri Orlov。 The Moscow-based espionage plot that makes up half of the novel incorporates many of the themes， suspense， and gambits that made Black Sun excellent。 “‘That’s how our glorious Soviet Motherland works。 Punish the innocent， leave the guilty at their posts。’”To the investigative spy plot of Moscow， Matthews adds another plotline following submariner Vasily Arkhipov， who a year previous was among the only survivors of the K-19 submarine nuclear reactor accident that left most of his crew dead and him with a promotion。 Selected for his prowess of surviving the traumatic ordeal of K-19， which has left him cautious of all things nuclear， Arkhipov is given fleet command of a secret group of submarines sent to run the US blockade of Cuba and， if threatened or cornered， to use the “secret weapon” of a nuke carried by each submarine。 Paralleling Vasin’s “integrity vs party line” conflict from Black Sun， Arkhipov must avoid running afoul of the Party， embodied in his rival Captain Savitsky， while shrewdly trying to disobey orders and prevent nuclear war。 “In politics， there are things you do for show and things you do that really matter。 The R-12 deployment？ That matters。”Though its deuteragonists never meet， Red Traitor moves back and forth between them to form a plot that is suspenseful and multi-faceted。 Compared to Black Sun， which focused on the single location of secret nuclear facility Arzamas-16 to no less excellent effect， Red Traitor incorporates much more of the “historical” in the historical fiction， and the cinematic feel of the scene shifts—each foregrounded by place and date—shows Matthews deftly expanding his narrative style to meet the needs of his subject matter。 Drawn from Matthews’s non-fiction work and from accounts of those who lived through the ordeal， the frequent details of KGB and GRU spycraft and the detailed descriptions of life on Soviet diesel submarine B-59 form a consistent setting that conveys one easily into the characters’ experiences。 Though the scene-shifting form took a bit of getting used to， it ultimately made the dual-plot work well， especially nearing the book’s climax， and while the climax was not as cathartically hard-hitting as was Black Sun’s （possibly due to Red Traitor’s being more closely based on the history than the former book—and there， thankfully， NOT being a nuclear blast in the Caribbean）， the book’s ending prepared the way for the Vasin trilogy’s third installment superbly。“[An] idealist or a pragmatist， Sasha。。。What is your diagnosis of yourself， please？”If Black Sun was a novel about Vasin’s discovery of the immorality of the system in which he is a cog， Red Traitor is a novel about his trying to uphold his own already compromised principles against the guttural， impulsive， self-centered chaos embodied by his boss Orlov—whom he is now fully aware he could become without difficulty。 The book has many parallels， both within itself and with its predecessor: just as Vasin has his Orlov， Morozov has his boss Serov （no less unprincipled than Orlov）， and Arkhipov’s conflict very much resembles many of the issues experienced by Vasin in Black Sun。 All of these serve to reinforce the sense of oppressive， ever-watchful weight inherent in the Soviet system， where every success and favor comes with a hook （a consistent motif through the book）。Paradoxically， the frankness and irony with which Vasin and others admit the faults， if not malignity， of their system yield an air of dark humor to the book， even in its most tense moments。 Drawing on his mother’s Russian humor described in Stalin’s Children， Matthews captures and maintains the fact that the Russian people and the Russian Soviet system were not synonymous。 Another motif I found similarly endearing was the camaraderie of the sailors， whose easy manner， salutary superstition， and genuine friendship stood in stark contrast against the self-consciously forced comradeship of the book’s other relationships。Though I have not read many Cold-War-Era spy or submarine novels， Red Traitor was an excellent read。 I loved seeing Matthews’s utilizing elements from his non-fiction work for dramatic effect， as well as his expanding his novelistic style。 The Author’s Note， wherein Matthews lays out exactly how much of the book is historically based （a vast majority of it is）， was particularly fascinating; it made up for the less cathartic ending （again， the history predominates over the novelistic fiction elements， and I'm more than willing to read the book through that lens） and pushed my review from 4 to 5 Stars。 I plan to recommend the book to my history students， as well as to anyone else who asks。 *Disclaimer: I received advance copy of the book from the publisher for review* 。。。more

Kathleen Gray ，

This is a terrific read！ The Soviets are moving nuclear weapons to Cuba。 The KGB is hunting for a traitor， possibly within the GRU。 The world has no idea how bad things could be but Captain Vasily Arkipov， a sub commander， does。 KGB Lt。 Colonel Aleksandr Vasiin has been backed into a corner by the evil General Orlov after he identified a man he shot as an American spy。 IS there a spy？ He starts working his way toward answers using Sofia Guzman， a GRU translator who was brought to the USSR as a c This is a terrific read！ The Soviets are moving nuclear weapons to Cuba。 The KGB is hunting for a traitor， possibly within the GRU。 The world has no idea how bad things could be but Captain Vasily Arkipov， a sub commander， does。 KGB Lt。 Colonel Aleksandr Vasiin has been backed into a corner by the evil General Orlov after he identified a man he shot as an American spy。 IS there a spy？ He starts working his way toward answers using Sofia Guzman， a GRU translator who was brought to the USSR as a child in the 1930s。 It's a complex novel- not one you can skim- because of the intricacies of the plot。 The characters are terrific （I was especially intrigued by Arkipov）。 Even though we know how things turned out with regard to the missiles， Matthews managed to keep the reader on tenterhooks because this is about those characters， not the geopolitical maneuvering。 This is much more sophisticated （and better researched） than many of the genre。 Thanks to netgalley for the ARC。 Highly recommend。 。。。more

John Derek ，

The year is 1962， and KGB Lieutenant Colonel Alexander Vasin is searching for ghosts。 For evidence of the long-rumoured existence of an American spy embedded at the highest echelons of Soviet power。 But while on this wild goose chase， a high-stakes espionage race against a rival State agency， that Vasin first hears whispers of an ominous top-secret undertaking: Operation Anadyr。And as Tensions flare between Nikita Khrushchev and President Kennedy over Russian missiles hidden in Cuba， four Soviet The year is 1962， and KGB Lieutenant Colonel Alexander Vasin is searching for ghosts。 For evidence of the long-rumoured existence of an American spy embedded at the highest echelons of Soviet power。 But while on this wild goose chase， a high-stakes espionage race against a rival State agency， that Vasin first hears whispers of an ominous top-secret undertaking: Operation Anadyr。And as Tensions flare between Nikita Khrushchev and President Kennedy over Russian missiles hidden in Cuba， four Soviet submarines - each carrying tactical ballistic missiles armed with thermonuclear warheads - are ordered to make a covert run at the U。S。 blockade in the Caribbean。To begin the review， I have listened to the narration of the book。 Mark Bramhall has done quite an exceptional job。 He has managed to get the Russian tone and vernacular pretty well nailed on， in my novice opinion。The book itself is an excellent read。 Anyone who is into spy thrillers will find it interesting to view things from the Eastern Block。The Cuban missile crisis was no joke。 It would have only taken one single catastrophic element to make World War 3 inevitable。 And as this book is based on an event that nearly did that actual thing， then Red Traitor had to be worth a read。 And so it proved。This was right out of a Len Deighton or John Le Carre locker。 Brilliantly conceived and well researched， with a well-thought-out plot。We have many books where we have in-house conflicts between MI5， MI6 and Special Branch in the UK， and CIA and FBI in the USA。 And we all know of the infamous spies in the camps。But it is not something you expect in the Soviet GRU， and even the thought of it makes the book a fascinating and intelligent work of fiction。The GRU is a closed book to most of us。 It is mostly hearsay and speculation。 So this storyline becomes even more of an attraction。The characters are almost like alien beings to us。 Because the life and times of USSR civilians and servicemen were not really open knowledge。 As one of the main protagonists， Colonel Alexander Vasin stands out as the quintessential Russian KGB agent。 And I could imagine him having dealings with Harry Palmer or George Smiley。 This narrative actually runs relatively close to the truth where the whole submarine situation is involved。 And so， you will probably guess where the novel will go。But if you were in it for the intrigue， subterfuge， and espionage， then you will not be disappointed。 The novel is pedestrian at times but speeds up when necessary， and it adds to the tension and suspense。I enjoyed this book immensely and would recommend it to anyone who likes Spy， Mystery Thrillers。Thank you NetGalley， Penguin Random House UK Audio and Owen Matthew， for allowing me the audio version of the book to review。 。。。more

Brian Miller ，

I read the previous book in the series and while I didn’t love it， I thought it was pretty good。 This book was written in the same vein from Russia’s point of view with the main character， Vasin， using his connections to find out what is happening in Latin America。 I did not really like this book。 The writing was good and the story was good but I just didn’t really care about any of the characters。 I got through the book but didn’t care what happened。 It will probably resonate more with other re I read the previous book in the series and while I didn’t love it， I thought it was pretty good。 This book was written in the same vein from Russia’s point of view with the main character， Vasin， using his connections to find out what is happening in Latin America。 I did not really like this book。 The writing was good and the story was good but I just didn’t really care about any of the characters。 I got through the book but didn’t care what happened。 It will probably resonate more with other readers but this story wasn’t for me。 。。。more

Paromjit ，

After Black Sun， Owen Matthews gives us a another cracking historical thriller， this time focusing on the Cuban Missile Crisis， set in 1962， an impressively researched blend of Cold War fact and fiction。 It sees the return of the now promoted Lieutenant Colonel Alexander Vasin facing the repercussions of previous events， with his failing marriage to Vera， and a son， Nikita， who has now joined the paths offered to the offspring of the Russian elite。 His boss， General Orlov's hooks in him are stro After Black Sun， Owen Matthews gives us a another cracking historical thriller， this time focusing on the Cuban Missile Crisis， set in 1962， an impressively researched blend of Cold War fact and fiction。 It sees the return of the now promoted Lieutenant Colonel Alexander Vasin facing the repercussions of previous events， with his failing marriage to Vera， and a son， Nikita， who has now joined the paths offered to the offspring of the Russian elite。 His boss， General Orlov's hooks in him are stronger， Vasin becoming a native of Orlov's shadowlands where lies and secrets are weapons to break human beings。 Here he hunts for evidence of a Soviet traitor， possibly mythical， believed to be Colonel Oleg Morozov in the military intelligence's GRU， headed by General Serov。 Orlov has every intention to use this to bring down his long term enemy Serov， both men sadistic monsters， big beasts who create their own realities， with Vasin caught up in the heart of their intrigue as he gets his hooks into the GRU's feisty， independently minded， Sofia Guzman to help him。 He begins to hear whispers of the secret Operation Anadyr， the more he learns， the more worried he becomes at the all too real possibilities of a nuclear war as tensions flare between the United States and Russia over Cuba。 Captain Vasily Arkhipov is on one of four covert submarines heading towards the Caribbean， each armed with ballistic missiles with thermonuclear warheads， the use of which is under personal command。 Matthews provides intricate details of the espionage and spycraft of the period， tuning into the escalating tensions and anxieties between the 2 superpowers led by President Kennedy and Nikita Khrushev， and within the two sides too。 If you are aware of this period of history， then you will know how it will all end， but despite knowing this， the author had me completely invested in his historical storytelling， and his characters。 I was particularly captivated by the complex and flawed Vasin who is willing to put his life on the line and the incredible determination and bravery of Arkhipov within the submarine's claustrophobic atmosphere and mounting conflicts。 Arkhipov's past history and trauma fuels his humanity in the face of the most challenging of circumstances。 This is a entertaining， compulsive， and engaging read， of how close the world came to nuclear war， and for those wanting to know more about the Cuban Missile Crisis， this is both informative and insightful。 Highly recommended。 Many thanks to the publisher for an ARC。 。。。more

Greville Waterman ，

This is the second Owen Matthews thriller that I have really enjoyed。 I have always been fascinated by the Cuban missile crisis of 1962 and this excellently written and researched book sheds further light and insight into that potentially cataclysmic time。 I loved the portrayal of Vasin and admired his nerve and ability。All in all this was an excellent thriller and highly recommended。

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Red Traitor

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Red Traitor&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Red Traitor&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0