OM publishes acclaimed spy memoir

The Malvernian Society is delighted to share news of the recent success of OM Alistair Wood (1.71–75), whose gripping memoir, My Family and Other Spies, was published earlier this month.

Released on 8th May, the book has already captured widespread attention across the national media. It has been named Book of the Month by Hatchards, received rave reviews, and has been chosen as The Sunday Times Book of the Week.

The memoir offers an extraordinary account of Alistair’s upbringing and heritage. Raised within the high-security confines of an MI6 training camp, Alistair was surrounded by some of the most senior and colourful figures in British intelligence. His mother was one of the few women to have operated behind the lines in post-war Berlin, while his father – a once highly-regarded intelligence officer – remains a mysterious figure, with the reasons for his departure from the Service still officially classified.

My Family and Other Spies is part spy story, part family reckoning – a sweeping narrative that spans the Second World War to the fall of Communism. It chronicles Wood’s personal quest to uncover long-buried family secrets, taking the reader on a globe-trotting journey into the shadowy world of espionage.

Since his days at Malvern, Alistair has spent most of his career as a writer, beginning in the golden era of British advertising as a copywriter at leading international agencies. His work has taken him across the world, including stints in the USA, Southeast Asia, and Korea. He also fondly recalls his time representing OM football and cricket clubs, with what he describes as “a varying degree of success”.

Now based just a stone’s throw from Lord’s Cricket Ground, Alistair notes that he still regularly bumps into fellow OMs during summer Test matches.

Despite high demand – the book has reportedly sold out in many Waterstones branches – signed copies have been available at Hatchards and Daunt Books, as well as independent retailers and Amazon. An audiobook version is available, with the paperback and international editions due later this year.

For more on My Family and Other Spies, visit the Amazon listing here.