The Sword and the Shield

Since this audiobook consists of "forbidden fruit" gleaned from secret Russian KGB files, the narrator's taciturn, sometimes whispering voice was well chosen to remind listeners they're hearing of stealth. Charles Stransky pronounces the plethora of Russian names with ease but has no Russian accent. There is no drama in this production, an interesting chronicle of famous events and how agents and double agents affected them. Because the details become a little pedantic at times, the publisher's choice to offer this abridgment allows casual historians to enjoy a six-hour sampler of a challenging work. J.A.H. (c) AudioFile 2001, Portland, Maine

Vasili Mitrokhin worked for years as a librarian/archivist for the KGB's First Chief Directorate (FCD), or foreign espionage branch. Disgusted with Communism, he began going through archives dating back to the 1920s, taking extensive notes and then smuggling them home. At home, he typed up his notes and hid them in containers buried beneath his dacha. In 1992 he defected to Britain, whose MI5 was able to smuggle out all of his notes from the country. The information contained in these notes is amazing. Although the KGB was oftentimes inept, its reputation for ruthlessness was deserved. The frightening part is the level of penetration the KGB achieved in the '30s and '40s in the U.S. government. Veteran reader Whitfield's reading is a nice match of text and narrator. As he keeps his reading on track and keeps the reader's attention, his even-tempered voice steadily moves from one revelation to the next. While this is by no means a work meant to entertain, it will not disappoint those who wish to hear what Mitrokhin has to tell. M.T.F. (c) AudioFile 2000, Portland, Maine