Started and gave up Betrayal in Berlin: George Blake, the Berlin Tunnel and the Greatest Conspiracy of the Cold War by Steve Vogel. About a British and American plot in 1950s Berlin to dig a large tunnel and tap into Soviet communication wires and how it was stopped by a communist spy/traitor. It was clearly well researched and very detailed, with a strong opening of Blake's time as a Korean prisoner of war. But it started to drag with all the biographical details of everyone involved and I just wasn't enjoying it enough to read nearly 500 pages or so. Not a bad history book but not for me.

I did start and quickly finish Fall: The Mystery of Robert Maxwell by John Preston

>4.5/5 despite the topic (corrupt businessmen) not being one I normally read I enjoyed it enough (read it in 2 days) that I am rounding up for Goodreads. Very good at describing Maxwell's rise to prominence, corruption, weirdness (bullying, gluttony, childishness etc) and eventual downfall. Quite a bit on his rivalry with Murdoch. While the topic of spying does come up from time to time it is not mentioned in any large amount of detail. It's the first book I've read about Maxwell and I thought it was great, but I have nothing to compare it to. In terms of Maxwell's death the author mostly rules out murder and puts it as sort of 50/50 accident vs suicide. The book mostly ends with Maxwell's death and the scandal of the pension theft being revealed. There is a brief aftermath for the various family and people involved, but almost nothing on Ghislaine as the book came out in 2020 before she was found guilty in 2021. The book is a bit broader in detail and scope rather than as in-depth as the author's A Very English Scandal about the 1970s Thorpe scandal.

Next up is Cry Havoc: The Arms Race and the Second World War 1931-1941 by Joe Maiolo which was suggested to me a while back on one of these weekly threads. Based on about 40 pages/2 chapters it does seem good so far. Has quite a bit on economic issues like domestic spending vs military spending and free market vs state planning (the first chapter is about the Soviets and the First Five Year Plan). Also has so far quite a bit about the internal factions and disputes over planning and spending like the Japanese civilian government vs the army vs the navy in the early 30s (the second chapter).