Comrade Jim

'This charming book encompasses all those elements that help make a modern bestseller -- espionage, treachery, class warfare, politics, celebrity, drink, nostalgia and football.' Literary Review 'His book reads like a Boy's Own thriller and, if you don't follow any other advice I give you, pick this up in a good bookshop near you.' George Galloway, Scottish Daily Record 'Had this wonderful book been a work of fiction it may have been deemed too incredible for publication. It is a genre defying rollercoaster ride.' Sunday Tribune 'An extraordinary tale of cold war era football. This is a man who lived on history's front line, whose story shows what the 20th century's great political shifts meant to individuals.' Jonathan Wilson, FourFourTwo 'Best Book' 'This is a timely and engaging look back on a past that really is a foreign country.' Tom Davies, When Saturday Comes

Jim Riordan has been a double bassist, hotel porter, railway clerk, barman, postman, unbreakable tea-set salesman, award-winning children's author, spy and footballer, and is now Professor Emeritus in Russian Studies at the University of Surrey. He lives in Portsmouth with his family.