Ben Macintyre returns to Sevenoaks to discuss his new book 'Redwood'!

From the multi-million copy bestselling historian, the remarkable, unknown Cold War story of how one spy saved the world from nuclear war.

Date: Thursday 10 September

Time: 7pm

Venue: Walthamstow School, Senior Hall, Holly Bush Lane, Sevenoaks, TN13 3UL

Tickets: from £15

Ticket Only: £15

Book & Ticket: £25

Couples Ticket: £35 - includes 1 x copy of Redwood, and 2 General Admissions

‘Ben Macintyre has established himself as the pre-eminent historian of the secret world, his work opening doors most of us didn’t know were there. His books have set the gold standard for accurate historical reporting, but read like heart-pounding thrillers.’ Mick Herron

‘Macintyre writes with the diligence and insight of a journalist, and the panache of a born storyteller.’ John Banville, The Guardian

‘Macintyre has a knack for finding the most fascinating storylines in history’ David Grann

Redwood

The year is 1981.

Tehran is in violent turmoil in the wake of the Iranian Revolution. The Soviets are planning to overthrow the Ayatollah’s fledgling Islamist regime. If they do so, one response from America – unknown to the public – would be to use nuclear weapons.

Redwood is the story of how at the height of the Cold War, one mysterious double agent, whose intelligence reached the highest levels of British and American governments, cracked open the KGB, revealed the Kremlin’s secret plot and prevented Armageddon.

‘Redwood’ was the MI6 codename for this unsung, hitherto unknown hero of the Cold War, a highly-trained six-foot-four Russian intelligence officer who chose to expose the KGB’s deepest secrets. For Kuzichkin had a problem, a sexual secret, one that if revealed, would turn his life upside-down, and in a desperate situation, he reached out to MI6 – believing it to have the only solution. Soon facing exposure, he then demanded that the British try to smuggle him out of Iran in a high-stakes escape plan.

This is the gripping tale of one man’s courage, and its extraordinary unintended consequences that still shape our world today. It’s about a moving friendship between spies on opposite sides of the global conflict; about marriage, loyalty, betrayal and sexual dysfunction; and about how decisions made in secret can have huge, long-term ramifications.

Drawing on never-before-seen material from archives in multiple countries, and interviews with the participants including officers from MI6 and MI5, the KGB and CIA, Redwood combines the shadowy world of the Spy and the Traitor with the action of SAS: Rogue Heroes. It lifts the lid on an unknown and highly significant Cold War victory, on the machinations of history's Great Game, and on how espionage really works.

Without Redwood, our world would be very different – and might not exist at all.

Ben Macintyre

Ben Macintyre is the multimillion-copy bestselling author of books including The Siege, Colditz, The Spy and the Traitor, SAS: Rogue Heroes (all Sunday Times no. 1 bestsellers), Agent Zigzag, Operation Mincemeat and A Spy Among Friends. His most recent book, The Siege, the definitive history of the Iranian Embassy siege in London in 1980, was the best-selling history hardback of 2024.

He is a columnist and Associate Editor at The Times, and has worked as the newspaper’s correspondent in New York, Paris and Washington.

Several of his books have been made into films and television series, including Operation Mincemeat, A Spy Among Friends and SAS: Rogue Heroes, season three of which is currently in production. The Siege is being adapted for the screen by Slow Horses show runner Will Smith, who is teaming up with Patrick Spence, producer of Mr Bates vs The Post Office.

His books have sold more than 6.5 million copies across all editions around the world.

Some of the ticket options that don’t include the author’s book, or are specially priced for couples, are limited in number and can sell out quickly. Our aim is to try and bring the best and most interesting authors to our town. We are always trying to balance accessibility and affordability for our audiences, alongside requirements from publishers to sell enough books for events to be worthwhile enterprises for their authors.

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