The Spy Who
These are stories you were never meant to hear. The invisible but vital work of the world’s intelligence services: secret operatives playing to very different rules. The Spy Who, hosted by Indira Varma, Raza Jaffrey and Emilia Fox, takes you deep inside that shadow world to meet spies who risked everything in the national interest – or, sometimes, their own. Audible subscribers can listen to all episodes of The Spy Who ad-free right now. Join Audible today by downloading the Audible app.
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Recent Episodes
Summary Preview
In this final episode of The Spy Who series on Mata Hari, host Charlie Hickson interviews Julie Wheelwright, author of 'The Fatal Lover: Mata Hari and the Myth of Women in Espionage.' They explore the complexities of Mata Hari's life, from her traumatic childhood and abusive marriage to her reinvention as an exotic dancer and eventual role as a spy during World War I. Wheelwright shares newly discovered evidence from British archives that sheds light on Mata Hari's activities in Madrid and challenges previous theories about her execution, while arguing against portraying her simply as either a femme fatale or a victim.
- Julie Wheelwright's Discovery of Mata Hari
- Mata Hari's Tumultuous Early Life
The Spy Who Was Mata Hari | Quicksand | 3
Oct 27, 2026Summary Preview
This episode tells the tragic story of Mata Hari's downfall, from her attempts to spy for France to her arrest, trial, and execution. Trapped between French and German intelligence services, she becomes a scapegoat for French military failures during WWI. The episode reveals how thin the evidence against her actually was, and how she was convicted based on fabricated claims that her spying caused 50,000 deaths—a figure with no basis in reality.
- The Trap is Set in Madrid
- Playing Both Sides
Listen Now— Over My Dead Body: Operation Sideswipe
Oct 26, 2026Summary Preview
This episode tells the story of trucker Jamie Maurice who was involved in what seemed like a staged accident on the I-10 in New Orleans in 2017. After being sideswiped by a pickup truck and receiving a ticket despite suspecting something was wrong, Jamie's instincts proved correct. The incident was part of a larger insurance fraud scheme involving multiple staged accidents targeting truck drivers, orchestrated by personal injury lawyer Vanessa Moda, a former Hollywood stuntwoman who had worked on films like Friday the 13th and Dawn of the Planet of the Apes.
- The Suspicious Accident on the I-10
- Strange Behavior and Red Flags
The Spy Who Was Mata Hari | Femme Fatale | 2
Oct 20, 2026Summary Preview
This episode chronicles the World War I espionage saga of Mata Hari, the famous exotic dancer who became entangled with both British and French intelligence. After being flagged as a German spy by British officer Stephen Dillon in 1915, she attracted the suspicion of French intelligence chief Georges Ladoux, who recruited her as a supposed French agent while actually attempting to trap her. The episode follows her relationships with various military officers, particularly Russian Captain Vadim Maslov, and her increasingly dangerous position between competing intelligence services.
- British Suspicions and Initial Detention
- French Intelligence Takes Notice
Listen Now: Audible True Crime – Ghost Story
Oct 13, 2026Summary Preview
This episode of Ghost Story follows journalist Tristan Redman as he investigates a compelling mystery connecting paranormal experiences in his childhood bedroom to the unsolved murder of his wife's great-grandmother next door. The narrative weaves together three unconnected families who all reported strange occurrences in the same Victorian house in London, culminating in the shocking revelation that Kate's great-grandmother was murdered by gunshots to the face in the adjacent property—potentially explaining the faceless woman haunting Tristan's old room.
- Introduction to the Ghost Story Mystery
- Strange Occurrences in the Victorian House
Summary Preview
This episode chronicles the transformation of Margarita Zeller into the legendary exotic dancer Mata Hari, from her troubled early life in the Netherlands through failed marriage, domestic abuse, and eventual reinvention as a celebrated performer in Paris. By 1915, as World War I rages, financial desperation leads her to accept money from German intelligence, setting in motion the events that would ultimately lead to her imprisonment and trial as an accused spy.
- The Condemned Woman in Saint-Lazare Prison
- A Scandalous Past and Failed Marriage
Summary Preview
Former CIA case officer David Tyson shares his firsthand account of being part of Team Alpha, one of the first American teams inserted into Afghanistan after 9/11. He details his journey from linguist and translator to field operative, his work with warlord Abdul Rashid Dostum, and the harrowing Battle of Kala'i Janghi where his partner Mike Spann was killed during a prisoner uprising. Tyson also discusses the long-term impact of combat, the eventual Taliban takeover, and his nonprofit work helping Afghan allies through Badger 6.
- From Academic to CIA Officer
- Working with Massoud and Pre-9/11 Afghanistan
Summary Preview
This episode chronicles the chaotic prison uprising at Kalijangi fortress in Afghanistan following the Taliban's surrender of Kunduz. After CIA officer Mike Spann is killed and his colleague David Tyson escapes, British SBS forces and US Green Berets battle hundreds of Al-Qaeda fighters who have seized weapons and barricaded themselves inside the fortress. The episode follows the multi-day siege involving misfired bombs, AC-130 gunship strikes, and ultimately flooding the basement to force the final surrender, while exploring the personal trauma experienced by those involved and the broader implications for America's war in Afghanistan.
- British SBS Forces Respond to Prison Break at Kalijangi
- David Tyson's Harrowing Escape from the Fortress
Listen Now: My Mom’s Murder
Sep 28, 2026Summary Preview
Lauren Malloy hosts this deeply personal podcast investigating her mother's death, which she believed for 30 years was from natural causes. In June 2020, a mysterious Facebook message from a woman claiming to be her mother's best friend reveals a shocking truth: her mother was murdered, and no one ever investigated it. This episode introduces Lauren's journey from accepting the official story of her mother's death from heart disease to uncovering evidence that suggests something far more sinister occurred when she was just 18 months old.
- The Phone Call That Changed Everything
- Life Before the Truth
The Spy Who Rode with Warlords | Afghan Math | 2
Sep 22, 2026Summary Preview
This episode chronicles a pivotal moment in the early Afghanistan war - the fall of Mazar-e-Sharif to CIA Team Alpha and Northern Alliance forces in November 2001, followed by a deadly Al-Qaeda prisoner uprising at Kalijangi Fort. The story follows CIA officers David Tyson and Mike Spann as they navigate complex Afghan politics, interrogate captured fighters, and face a violent ambush that results in the first American combat death of the war.
- The Fall of Mazar-e-Sharif
- The Prisoner Surrender Deal
Summary Preview
This episode chronicles the deployment of CIA Team Alpha into Afghanistan following the 9/11 attacks, focusing on CIA officer David Tyson and the agency's mission to overthrow the Taliban by partnering with Northern Alliance warlords. The team faces treacherous terrain, complex warlord politics, and deadly combat as they attempt to pave the way for America's invasion of Afghanistan.
- The CIA Takes Lead on the War Response
- Tyson's Pre-9/11 Mission to the Lion of Panjshir
The Spy Who Almost Stopped 9/11 | A US Military Interrogator on Getting Terrorists to Talk | 4
Sep 08, 2026Summary Preview
Charlie Higson interviews Tony Camerino, a former Air Force helicopter pilot turned special agent and military interrogator who worked alongside Ali Soufan. Camerino discusses his experiences conducting over 1,300 interrogations in Iraq, his vocal opposition to torture and enhanced interrogation techniques, and how rapport-based methods led to finding Abu Musab al-Zarqawi. He critiques the failure of American leadership to maintain moral standards post-9/11, particularly after Abu Ghraib, and shares how treating detainees humanely proved far more effective than coercion in obtaining actionable intelligence.
- From Helicopter Pilot to Special Agent
- The Impact of 9/11 on Military Intelligence
Summary Preview
This episode examines the FBI-CIA tensions following 9/11, focusing on FBI agent Ali Sofan's interrogations of high-value Al-Qaeda detainees. The episode reveals how Sofan's rapport-based interrogation methods yielded actionable intelligence, while the CIA's enhanced interrogation program produced minimal results. The narrative exposes how interagency rivalry and the CIA's withholding of information both before and after 9/11 led to missed opportunities to prevent terrorist attacks, culminating in Sofan's testimony before the 9/11 Commission.
- Abu Zubaydah's Critical Condition and the Hospital Gambit
- Accidental Discovery: The 9/11 Mastermind Revealed
Summary Preview
FBI agent Ali Soufan's investigation into the USS Cole bombing uncovers critical intelligence about Al-Qaeda's network, including surveillance photos of future 9/11 hijackers that the CIA possessed but didn't share. The episode traces Soufan's work from interrogating Cole suspects in Yemen through the tragedy of 9/11, revealing how intelligence failures and inter-agency politics may have prevented the attacks from being stopped.
- The Malaysia Summit: A Missed Opportunity
- Breaking Fahad Al-Qasa: The Cole Interrogation
Listen Now: Audible True Crime
Aug 24, 2026Summary Preview
This episode chronicles the story of James Arthur Ray, a charismatic self-help guru whose extreme methods led to tragedy. The narrative follows Ginny Brown and her daughter Kirby as they attend Ray's Harmonic Wealth Weekend seminar in March 2009, where Ray's powerful stage presence and psychological manipulation tactics are on full display. Despite Ginny's professional concerns as a clinical social worker about Ray's public interrogation methods, Kirby becomes captivated by his teachings. The episode builds toward the devastating conclusion when Kirby attends Ray's Spiritual Warrior retreat in Sedona, Arizona later that year, spending her life savings on an experience that would ultimately cost her life.
- The Charismatic Guru and His Dangerous Promise
- The Harmonic Wealth Weekend Experience
Summary Preview
FBI counter-terrorism agent Ali Soufan emerges as America's leading expert on Al-Qaeda in the years before 9/11, tracking Osama bin Laden's network despite bureaucratic obstacles and inter-agency rivalries. This episode chronicles his journey from rookie agent to lead investigator on the USS Cole bombing, revealing how crucial intelligence was withheld and how Soufan fought both terrorists and his own government to uncover the truth about the looming threat.
- Hunting Khalid: The First Break in Pakistan
- The Rise of Bin Laden: A Rookie's Expertise
The Spy Who Became Stalin's Greatest | Playdates And A Glock: The Life of a Mom and Spy | 4
Aug 11, 2026Summary Preview
Former CIA officer Anne E. Butler shares her remarkable 27-year career balancing undercover intelligence work with raising five children. She discusses the realities of being a female case officer, using pregnancy as cover, recruiting spies while managing family life, and the unique challenges of maintaining secrecy from her own children until retirement.
- From Job Seeker to CIA Officer
- The Reality of Being a Female Case Officer
Summary Preview
This episode chronicles Soviet spy Ursula Kuczynski's infiltration of an American OSS operation during WWII and her eventual retirement from espionage in East Berlin. Through her agent network, she helped the Soviets capture American intelligence technology and atomic secrets, ultimately becoming one of the USSR's most successful spies before growing disillusioned with the communist system she served.
- Operation Joan Eleanor: Infiltrating American Intelligence
- The Joan Eleanor System Captured
Summary Preview
This episode follows Soviet spy Ursula Kaczynski's turbulent journey from China to Switzerland to Britain during the 1930s and 1940s. After being separated from her lover Johan Patra, she builds spy networks across Europe, faces a devastating betrayal by her beloved childhood nanny Olga, and ultimately recruits Klaus Fuchs—the physicist who would pass atomic bomb secrets to Moscow. The episode reveals how personal sacrifice, moral compromises, and unwavering ideological commitment defined Ursula's transformation into one of the Soviet Union's most effective spies.
- Heartbreak in Beijing and Return to Europe
- Promotion and Assignment to Switzerland
Listen Now: I Am Not Nicholas
Jul 21, 2026Summary Preview
This episode features journalist Jane McSorley introducing her podcast 'I Am Not Nicholas,' which chronicles her four-and-a-half-year investigation into a bizarre case of alleged identity fraud. The story begins when a man was arrested in a Glasgow COVID ward in January 2022, with authorities claiming he was American fugitive Nicholas Rossi wanted for rape in Utah, while the man insisted he was an Irish orphan named Arthur Knight. McSorley recounts her first encounter with this mysterious figure at an Edinburgh Sheriff Court bail hearing, where his theatrical appearance and disruptive courtroom behavior immediately signaled this would be an extraordinary story.
- Discovery of the Nicholas Rossi Story
- First Courtroom Encounter