My Family and Other Spies

An extraordinary true story of growing up inside MI6, uncovering family secrets, and tracing a legacy of British espionage across half a century.

‘A fabulous romp of a book, part John le Carré, part Ealing comedy … compulsively readable’
SUNDAY TIMES

‘Tells the story of the author’s unique childhood and the extraordinary, shadowy lives of his mother and father’
SUNDAY TELEGRAPH

‘Truth is stranger than fiction …’
INDEPENDENT

‘Reads like a Cold War thriller written by John le Carré with an added injection of wry humour’
BBC SATURDAY LIVE
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"It has always been inculcated into me that no good could ever come of having anything to do with my father…"

As a boy, Alistair Wood lived within the (very high) walls of a Secret Intelligence Service – or MI6 – training camp, surrounded by some of the most senior - and colourful - characters in SIS history.

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.

But Wood’s search for the truth took him on a journey more remarkable than even he had imagined.

My Family and Other Spies is a gripping exploration of an extraordinary, scarcely believable life, a globe-trotting spy story that spans a half century from the gathering storm before the Second World War to the fall of Communism, and a son’s reckoning with the secrets of the past.


'Simply stunning ... might be the best non-fiction book I’ve ever read about post-war SIS' CHARLES BEAUMONT

‘A remarkable insight into British intelligence in the Cold War…with all the intrigue and suspense of a truly gripping espionage novel' ALEX GERLIS

“This is very entertaining … a fascinating biography” STEPHEN DORRIL, author of MI6: 50 Years of Special Operations

'A compelling personal journey to uncover the truth and an intimate view into one of Britain’s most secretive organisations' HELEN FRY
'The intriguing story of how the author peels back the cloak of mystery surrounding his father, a member of the Secret Intelligence Service. A very good book … strongly recommended' ROBERT LYMAN