The Spy with No Name

By: Jeff Maysh

Narrated by: Graham Vick

For fans of John le Carré and Robert Ludlum, The Spy with No Name is the unbelievable true story of Erwin van Haarlem, a Cold War secret agent whose stolen identity broke the heart of an innocent woman - who thought she'd found her long-lost son.

In 1977, Johanna van Haarlem, 52, finally tracked down the son she had abandoned as a baby, during the Second World War. She was delighted that he had grown into a charming Dutch waiter in London. But Erwin van Haarlem was actually a dangerous Communist spy who had stolen her son's identity to uncover British and American military secrets.

In this true-life spy thriller, award-winning journalist Jeff Maysh tracks down the former spy in Prague, who tells his remarkable story. Maysh skillfully reconstructs one of the most unusual cases in espionage history, as Erwin van Haarlem maintains his top secret mission for 11 years...while pretending to be a stranger's son. Enter a world of betrayal, secret codes, invisible ink, and mysterious radio messages, where nobody is beyond suspicion.

Jeff Maysh investigates unusual true crimes and urban legends. His deeply immersive stories have appeared in publications including The Atlantic, Playboy, and Smithsonian.

©2016 Jeff Maysh (P)2017 Audible, Inc.

Great spy story

I enjoy true spy books/podcasts and this story was amazing.
The only downside is the Eastern Europe names.

Enjoyable Listen

I enjoyed listening to The Spy with No Name, in part because it’s based on a true story and in part, due to the narration. I highly suggest, if you want an intriguing short story, to listen to The Spy with No Name.

Good

She sure started something, I am sad the way women are treated and even today.. I only hope one day we will all be equal.

A good story about being a spy in the cold war.

The store is an good read that keeps you reading. hard to put down.

excellent and amazing story. fits a thriller movie

The story is amazing and unbelievable. the only thing is that its way too short and rushed, it could have been gone deeper and gave more depth to the main characters and focused more on their stories.

When this will be made into a movie, I believe it will be better than the book.
but nonetheless, this book is fantastic and so is the narration!

beautiful story

an idearing ,heart warming. exciting story. I wonder if this is or based on a true story.

interesting story

There were a couple of jumps that I felt could have been explained better. but the reading was good - good speed and tone

The Unknown Czech Spy

This is a Cold War short story about a Czech spy operating in London. It’s a little disjointed in the first part of the story, but it smooths out towards the middle. It gives a small glimpse of the tension between the Soviet Union and the West before the collapse of the Soviet Union. The story starts out on a tragic note and ends up sad for almost all of the characters. The story is too short to really provide any new tradecraft techniques. The main purpose is to highlight this one spy in particular.

Short but very entertaining

Narration is well done. I enjoyed listening to it. You end up wondering how many others who have been or are now so employed walk the streets, having given their lives in the service of their countries.

ehhh...

felt like it was a waste of money. was hoping for more action. I guess it maybe more interesting if you are a cold war buff.