Blending extraordinary and illuminating historical tales of the British Secret Intelligence Service from over the years with a wide range of mind-twisting puzzles, Secret Agent Brainteasers will test your mental agility to discover: Do YOU have what it takes to be a spy?Long gone are the days when the tap on the shoulder was largely a result of social connections. Now the secret intelligence services have cast their nets wider, and it's your chance to join the ranks. Whether you have a linguistic flair, an instinct for technology, or good old common sense, pit your wits against some of the greatest minds of our time with ingenious brainteasers including secret languages, sabotage-themed brain bogglers, and hidden codes....

Starving residents, horrified by their own gaunt reflections, resort to bulking bread with wood shavings, consuming wallpaper paste, and even turning to their pets. Workers at the mass crematorium numb their horror with extra vodka rations. Yet, amid this suffering, the resilience of culture and hope shines through, with orchestras and theatres defiantly continuing their performances, a flicker of humanity against the backdrop of despair.This book not only chronicles the Siege of Leningrad but also traces the pivotal importance of Saint Petersburg across the centuries. From Peter the Great’s visionary founding of the city, through its revolutionary rebirth as Petrograd and its Soviet identity as Leningrad, to its renaissance as Saint Petersburg in the post-Soviet era, we explore the layers of history that shape this extraordinary place....