An unforgettable memoir of life in a family like no other, and their extraordinary, eccentric part in half a century of espionage . . . As a boy, Alistair Wood lived within the walls of an MI6 training camp. After all, he was family. His mother was one of a handful of women to have operated behind the lines in post-war Berlin. His father, once one of Britain's most highly-regarded intelligence officers, was an absent and perplexing figure, the reasons for his sudden departure from the Service still classified to this day. My Family and Other Spies is a gripping exploration of an extraordinary family, a globe-trotting spy story spanning pre-Second World War to the fall of Communism, and a son's reckoning with the secrets of the past.

Details

ISBN13: 9780241726372
Format: Paperback / softback
Number of Pages: 384
Edition:
Publication Date: 05 Aug 2025
Publisher: Penguin Books Ltd
Publication City, Country: London, United Kingdom
Dimensions (cm): 23.2(H)x15.3(L)x2.9(W)469
Weight (gm): 469

Author Biography

As one of the only members of his family not to have been employed by the Secret Intelligence Service, Alistair Wood has enjoyed a reassuringly respectable (and successful) career in advertising, working in the UK, US, Korea, and South-East Asia. He lives in London.

Reviews

This book is simply stunning. It might be the best non-fiction book I’ve ever read about post-war SIS, and Alistair’s unique (an overused word, but in this sense, entirely justified) perspective allows him to draw back the curtain on one of the most secretive organisations in the world, in a way that nobody else has done, or could do. The story of JBW is picaresque, intriguing, dramatic and a window onto the frontlines of World War II and Cold War spying, offering insights I have never before seen on the printed page. It’s also a moving personal story about a son’s attempt to understand his father, and very funny in an understated, British way. This is a book that everyone interested in British Intelligence will devour, shaking their heads in disbelief at the extraordinary stories as they do so * Charles Beaumont *
A brilliant memoir * Daily Express *
My Family and Other Spies is a remarkable insight into British intelligence in the Cold War, eloquently told through the unlikely but compelling medium of a family memoir and with all the intrigue and suspense of a truly gripping espionage novel -- Alex Gerlis, bestselling author of Agent in Berlin and Every Spy A Traitor
A compelling personal journey to uncover the truth and an intimate view into one of Britain’s most secretive organisations * Helen Fry, author of Spymaster and MI9 *
A very English Mr and Mrs Smith… makes a fabulous romp… it’s a tale elegantly told * Observer *
The intriguing story of how the author peels back the cloak of mystery surrounding his father, a member of the Secret Intelligence Service – that’s MI6 to you and I. A very good book … strongly recommended -- Robert Lyman
An intriguing memoir * London Standard *
[A] fabulous romp of a book, part John le Carré and part Ealing comedy * Sunday Times *