Mole

Rating:
Summary: Engrossing account of early Cold war shenanigans
Review: "Mole" was on the reading list for CIA applicants,* so i found it in the library & was hooked from page one. It is the account of the first Soviet agent to be turned by the CIA. It is the tale of a man in a perpetual state of fear & panic.

But if that's not satisfactory, there's the digressive account of the original model for James Bond: a Yugoslav by birth, assigned to spy on the Abwehr by the Soviets. In 1941, he arrives in America. His connection with Pearl Harbor & J. Edgar Hoover may leave you, like me, baffled forever: "How could they not know?

A book that unusual for the fact that it wasn't written to capitalize on current events. A very good account of the early post-WWII days in the espionage game.

*I didn't get the job.

Rating:
Summary: Engrossing account of early Cold war shenanigans
Review: "Mole" was on the reading list for CIA applicants,* so i found it in the library & was hooked from page one. It is the account of the first Soviet agent to be turned by the CIA. It is the tale of a man in a perpetual state of fear & panic.

But if that's not satisfactory, there's the digressive account of the original model for James Bond: a Yugoslav by birth, assigned to spy on the Abwehr by the Soviets. In 1941, he arrives in America. His connection with Pearl Harbor & J. Edgar Hoover may leave you, like me, baffled forever: "How could they not know?

A book that unusual for the fact that it wasn't written to capitalize on current events. A very good account of the early post-WWII days in the espionage game.

*I didn't get the job.

Rating:
Summary: Seemed Pretty Darn Real
Review: Felt like I was in on the spy case. Very interesting and will undoubtably be a standard reference for those interested in the world's second oldest profession for years to come.

Rating:
Summary: The real deal about espionage
Review: Much has been written about spies, spy-craft and espionage. Little has been written by those actively engaged in the business. William Hood, the nom de plume of a retired CIA officer, gives his story of the first Soviet agent recruited by American intelligence during the Cold War. It is a fascinating, true-life tale. I would recommend this book exclusively on this point, yet there is more to the book than this. It is also a detailed and highly personal account of how spycraft is practiced, the mental and psychological toll this takes, and the risks involved (for both agent and controller). Because of this, I highly recommend this book. I have never read anything like it.

I would add that Hood provides a wealth of books of a similar vein (ie. accounts from intelligence field officers) that may also be of interest. It is without doubt an engrossing and intriguing read.

Rating:
Summary: The real deal about espionage
Review: Much has been written about spies, spy-craft and espionage. Little has been written by those actively engaged in the business. William Hood, the nom de plume of a retired CIA officer, gives his story of the first Soviet agent recruited by American intelligence during the Cold War. It is a fascinating, true-life tale. I would recommend this book exclusively on this point, yet there is more to the book than this. It is also a detailed and highly personal account of how spycraft is practiced, the mental and psychological toll this takes, and the risks involved (for both agent and controller). Because of this, I highly recommend this book. I have never read anything like it.

I would add that Hood provides a wealth of books of a similar vein (ie. accounts from intelligence field officers) that may also be of interest. It is without doubt an engrossing and intriguing read.