Author:James B. Donovan
The gripping first-hand account of the events that inspired the major film Bridge of Spies, starring Tom Hanks, by the man at the centre of them all - James B. Donovan.
Also featuring a foreword by Jason Matthews.
With the Cold War at its height, the capture and trial of Colonel Abel, the Soviets' most capable and effective spy, revealed the chilling depths of the KGB's penetration of the West.
But when an American U-2 spy plane was shot down over Russia and its CIA pilot, Gary Powers, captured, both men's fates hung in the balance.
With East and West staring each other down across the Iron Curtain the stakes couldn't have been higher. And at the heart of it all, from Abel's arrest to his exchange with Powers on Berlin's infamous 'Bridge of Spies', was James B. Donovan.
Strangers on the Bridge is the only inside account of the greatest spy story of the era and a real-life espionage classic.
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Reviews of Strangers on a Bridge:
'Enthralling ... Engrossing ... Truly remarkable' New York Times
'As compelling as The Spy Who Came in from the Cold except it happens to be true' Life
'A top notch spy thriller' Time
Enthralling ... Engrossing ... Truly remarkable
—— New York TimesAs compelling as The Spy Who Came in from the Cold except it happens to be true
—— LifeA top notch spy thriller
—— TimeAn original and inventive approach to tackling empire ... This is a book which is experienced through the life on the streets, in the buildings and across the physical layout of large urban centres, where jostled men and women of different races and creeds ... readable and engaging ... It is a work of great ambition ... impressive
—— Kwasi Kwarteng , StandpointA tantalising history... A panoramic survey of the witch craze that swept through Europe in the 16th and 17th centuries.
—— John Carey , Sunday TimesMoving and spirited.
—— Anne Somerset , Literary ReviewExcellent.
—— Thomas Quinn , Big IssueBorman provides a fascinating account of the circumstances surrounding the case.
—— Amanda Foreman , Mail on SundayThis is an entertaining piece of research that brings back to life three women who had the misfortune to live during a period that was terrified of the unknown and sought to tame that fear by turning it into a handful of dust.
—— Robert Douglas-Fairhurst , TelegraphAs a work on the horrific treatment of witches throughout history, in particular the 16th and 17th centuries, it is shocking and illuminating.
—— Caroline Jowett , Scottish Daily ExpressFascinating history of witchcraft in England… An immensely readable and never less than gripping account of a society in flux and the women who suffered to enable its stability.
—— Sara Keating , Sunday Business PostAbsorbing.
—— Robert Douglas-Fairhurst , Weekly TelegraphThis is history at its most disturbing, and yet also most interesting.
—— Steve Craggs , UK Regional PressTracy Borman tells this strange, compelling and ultimately inconclusive story.
—— Diane Purkiss , IndependentBorman’s enthusiasm and diligence keeps the history in place, while the central story, and the mysteries, lies and obfuscations that surround it, add a flavour of the detective novel.
—— Michael Noble , StarburstThe interest here lies in the accurate and plausible portrait of a whole society, from top to bottom… The details are fascinating
—— GuardianStangneth’s close readings prove richly illuminating
—— Lawrence Douglas , The Times Literary SupplementMs. Stangneth, acting more like an investigative journalist than an academic philosopher, does an excellent job in tracing the odyssey of these archival records, which are scattered across various continents . . . . With her well-written and impressively well-researched book, Ms. Stangneth not only adds many new, surprising details to our picture of Eichmann before the trial but also prepares the stage for follow-on research
—— Wall Street JournalExtraordinary . . . At each stage, the meticulous quality of [Stangneth’s] research and her distinctive moral outrage make the journey enthralling . . . Stangneth’s book has the flavor of a detective story . . . [A] fine, important book
—— The Daily BeastStangneth uses new documents to reconstruct the post-war lives of Nazis in exile, revealing an egotistical and skilled social manipulator.
—— Daily TelegraphHow [Stangneth] put all this complex information relative to Eichmann together in one book is astounding. Freshly sourced archives and statements are used throughout, building into a full depiction of Eichmann.
—— Reg Seward , NudgeIf your Nordic knowledge is limited to ABBA, snow and Vikings, read this book. Even if you are a seasoned traveller, or one of the "humbly proud" inhabitants, The Almost Nearly Perfect People will give you new perspectives and questions to mull over.
—— Anna Vesterinen , New Humanist