Spooks The Unofficial History of Mi5 from the First Atom Spy to 7/7, 1945-2009

The real history of MI5 during the era of the Cold War, the IRA & international terrorism. 'PO Box 500, London W2'; the nondescript address from behind which one of the world's most famous Secret Services hid: MI5. This book, based on previously secret sources, lifts the lid on Britain's Security Service. Despite an outstanding war record against German espionage, MI5 failed to prevent Soviet agents like Anthony Blunt penetrating the heart of the British establishment, including MI5 itself. The authors look in detail at MI5's role in the post-Cold War world; in particular, they consider its changing role as it took on the main responsibility in countering terrorist threats to Britain. Controversy has never been far away during MI5's battle against the IRA, which included sending deep penetration agents into the heart of Northern Ireland's terrorist organisations. And in the twenty-first century, MI5 has had to face the deadliest terrorist threat of all - from Al Qaeda. The book looks at MI5's attempts to prevent mass murder on the streets of Britain, including the failure to stop the 7/7 bombings in London in 2005.

Thomas Hennessey is Reader in History at Canterbury Christ Church University. He was an advisor to the award-winning BBC TV documentary Endgame in Ireland. He is a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society. He lives in London & Canterbury.

Claire Thomas is a historian who specialises in the early years of the Cold War. She is currently working on a history of Britain's involvement in the Korean War. She lives in Folkestone.