Queen of Spies

'Queen of Spies fills a big gap... a richly entertaining biography' Richard Norton Taylor, Guardian

'Writing a biography of Daphne Park was never going to be easy and Paddy Hayes has done a very good job' Daily Telegraph

'A remarkable biography of a remarkable woman - providing real insight into MI6 of the Cold War' Gordon Corera, author MI6: Life and Death in the British Secret Service

'Daphne Park was truly the empress of British espionage. This book is a major contribution to understanding her fascinating career in MI6. Remarkably well-researched, it is required reading for anyone interested in the world of secret service' Professor Richard J Aldrich, author of GCQH: The Uncensored Story of Britain's Most Secret Intelligence Agency

'A thoroughly researched and enlightening account' Times Literary Supplement

'A wonderful new book that would make a great gift for anyone' Irish Daily Mail

'This book was entertaining and thrilling, yet also informative and thought-provoking. It has explored many aspects of history and displays Hayes' passion for the intelligence service. It has a wide appeal to anyone who enjoys history or simply a good story' Bookbag

'The only biography on Baroness Park and it fills a big gap. Hayes has produced an interesting and informative work' CIA Review of Books

'Hayes is open about his own speculations, given the still-classified nature of much of this material, but he successfully conveys the inspiring nature of Park's personal story and achievements, offering an informative account of the Cold War and the workings of the super secret SIS' Publishers Weekly

'A fascinating and long-overdue biography' Washington Post

'The fascinating story of the evolution of the British Secret Intelligence Service (SIS) from World War II to the Cold War through the eyes of Daphne Park, one of its outstanding and most unusual operatives. He provides the reader with one of the most intimate narratives yet of how the modern SIS actually went about its business whether in Moscow, Hanoi, or the Congo' Sunday Leader

'An interesting and informative work' The Intelligencer

'Hayes's accomplished biography circumvents the scanty evidence by offering a broader portrait of the Secret Service itself, a badly compromised men's club in which the forthright Park still managed to succeed' Sunday Telegraph

'Only the second-ever biography published about a Cold War career officer in MI6' The Big Issue

'Dame Daphne's story leaves us wondering about reality as seen through the eyes of a spy; and about how far spy work affected that reality' Spectator

'Hayes deftly manages to chart her extraordinary life... that read like passages from a thriller' Country Life

'This is an excellent biography of a remarkable woman... Intelligence researcher Hayes opens the door on the fascinating life of one of England's greatest spies, Daphne Park... As exciting as any good spy thriller but it's all true' Kirkus Reviews