NEWS

Posted on 3 August, 2026

Ian Fleming’s wartime career at Naval Intelligence meant he moved in the same circles as many extraordinary and mysterious figures. For our August Book Club selection, we’ve chosen a novel inspired by one of the most remarkable espionage partnerships of the twentieth century, Edith and Kim (2022) by Charlotte Philby, the granddaughter of notorious double agent Kim Philby.

OVERVIEW

Set against the backdrop of the Second World War and its aftermath, Edith & Kim tells the story of Edith Tudor-Hart and Kim Philby, two people whose lives became entwined through espionage and betrayal.

Edith Tudor-Hart, an Austrian-born photographer living in Britain, appears at first to lead an unassuming life. Beneath the surface, however, she is committed to a clandestine cause, using her extensive social network to identify promising young recruits sympathetic to the Soviet Union.

One of those recruits is Harold “Kim” Philby, an ambitious and intelligent Cambridge graduate whose charm and social standing make him an ideal candidate for Soviet intelligence. As Philby’s career takes him deeper into the heart of Britain’s intelligence establishment, Edith watches from the margins, both proud of what she has set in motion and increasingly troubled by its consequences.

Moving across the shadowy world of wartime espionage, Charlotte Philby blends historical fact with fiction to explore one of history’s most consequential spy relationships and shed light on a fascinating yet often-forgotten woman.

WHY WE CHOSE IT

The world of James Bond has always existed somewhere between fantasy and reality. Ian Fleming transformed the secret world of intelligence into a landscape of exotic locations and larger-than-life adversaries, but the foundations of that world came from the real institutions and personalities of twentieth-century espionage.

The use of real events and historical figures is woven into the fabric of espionage fiction. Spy novels have always existed in conversation with politics, international affairs and real intelligence operations, blurring the line between fact and fiction. One name that appears again and again is Kim Philby.

One of the infamous Cambridge Five, Philby rose to become one of Britain’s most senior intelligence officers while secretly working for the Soviet Union. For decades, he passed some of Britain’s most closely guarded secrets to Moscow before his eventual defection in 1963 exposed one of the greatest betrayals in intelligence history.

Rather than focusing on Philby himself, Charlotte Philby turns her attention to Edith Tudor-Hart, the woman who introduced him to his Soviet recruiter, exploring the personal relationships that shaped one of the twentieth century’s defining espionage stories.

Ian Fleming was actually introduced to Philby in 1932 by their mutual friend Harold Alaric Jacob, and later gave him a small literary nod in Goldfinger: ‘Miss Philby is secretary of the Bank Women’s Hockey Team of England.’ While Philby’s story is very different from the adventures of James Bond, it belongs to the same intelligence world that inspired Fleming’s fiction.

Espionage has always been about more than secrets. It is about people. For fans of James Bond and Ian Fleming, Edith & Kim offers a fascinating glimpse at the history behind the fiction: the complicated human stories that helped shape the stories we read today.

THEMES TO CONSIDER

– The hidden figures of history – Kim Philby’s name is famous, but Edith Tudor-Hart’s story has remained far less familiar. Why do some people become central figures in history while others disappear?

– Truth and invention – Historical fiction must fill the gaps left by the archive. How does Charlotte Philby use imagination to explore the lives behind the known facts?

– The intelligence world behind Bond – How does the reality of espionage compare with the world created by Ian Fleming?

REVIEWS

William Boyd – ‘Completely fascinating. A sophisticated and brilliantly constructed fictional retelling of a crucial relationship in 20th century espionage history. A tremendous achievement.’

Charles Cumming – ‘A fascinating contribution to the literature of the Cambridge spies by a clever, nimble writer with some genuine skin in the game.’

Mick Herron – ‘Completely absorbing.’

Sarah Vaughan – ‘Blending SIS files and imagined letters from her grandfather, Philby shines a spotlight on Edith Tudor-Hart as activist, spy and often desperate single, working mother.’

New Statesman – ‘A dextrous writer who gives her tale a quickening, thrillerish propulsion.’ 

Literary Review – ‘Persuasive… involving… impressive.’ 

Sunday Times – ‘Atmospheric and rigorously researched… we’re slyly induced to fear that Edith (who is also juggling roles as a single mother and photographer) could be arrested or prevented from working, before realising that we’re rooting for a Stalinist enemy of Britain.’ 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Charlotte Philby is a critically acclaimed author of six novels. As a journalist, she worked for eight years as a newspaper reporter, editor and columnist at the Independent, where she was shortlisted for the Cudlipp Prize for investigative reporting. She is a former contributing editor and features writer at Marie Claire, and has written for publications including the Sunday Times, New Statesman and Financial Times. 

She is the granddaughter of Kim Philby whose life she reimagines in Edith & Kim.

Alongside Edith & Kim, her novels include Part of the Family, A Double Life and The End of Summer.

We hope you’ll join us as we explore another compelling work of espionage fiction. Stay tuned for more content and please share your thoughts with us if you read along!