Let’s get cooking, lets?
Cookbook / Whiskey Class
Yep, you learn that proper. Main our checklist of summer season reads is one which has taken over the #1 spot in Amazon’s whiskey and alcoholic spirits classes, A Spy Walked Into A Bar: A Practitioner’s Information to Cocktail Tradecraft by former senior CIA Officers Rob Dannenberg and Joseph P. Mullin Jr. Consider it as a real-life information to spies and their favourite cocktails. Primarily based on experiences from their clandestine operations backgrounds, Rob and Joe have collected, curated and perfected the cocktails that had been loved whereas celebrating milestone occasions throughout their CIA careers. From the drinks they ordered after efficiently recruiting belongings, to marking the top of a serious operation, this e-book options actual life tales and homegrown photographs by the authors themselves.
Novels
Applicable for summer season, is a brand new spy novel from Tess Gerritsen, The Summer time Friends: A Thriller. That is Tess’ second spy e-book, after her very profitable TV sequence a number of years in the past referred to as Rizzoli and Isles. Gerritsen talked with Cipher Temporary CEO & Writer Suzanne Kelly about her journey from the favored TV sequence to spy writer within the Cowl Tales podcast – that was simply after her first e-book, The Spy Coastwas launched. Veteran CIA officers Jay and Anne Gruner reviewed her newest e-book about 4 retired CIA officers dwelling in Maine. The Gruners inform us it’s a “gripping account of a posh set of murders, a attainable current kidnapping, and a secretary who was lacking for 50 years.” speaking about her earlier spy-themed e-book.
Former U.S. counterterrorism officer and cybersecurity government Neal Pollard broke the code on Ken Dekleva’s novel, The Russian Diplomat’s Spouse. In his assessment, Neal says whereas the e-book ostensibly is a spy novel set in Vienna, it’s actually a love story between two spies. Creator (and frequent Cipher Temporary contributor) Dekleva attracts on his expertise as a psychiatrist working for the State Division in most of the locales central to the e-book and his understanding of human motivation appears to deliver his tales to life. We all know as a result of we additionally interviewed the writer for the Cowl Tales Podcast.
Talking of Dekleva, we tapped his experience to assessment a number of books by different authors this 12 months. One worthy of particular point out is The Poet’s Sport: A Spy in Moscow by Paul Vidich. Dekleva calls the novel is a terrific examine a former CIA station chief in Moscow, now working as an investor in a non-public fairness market in Moscow. The chief was referred to as again to obligation although to exfiltrate a former agent who claims to have explosive kompromat relating to America’s president. Navigating between two perilous worlds, these of Moscow and Washington, the storyline appears to supply proof that the chilly conflict by no means actually ended.
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Going again even additional in time, Dekleva additionally reviewed Project in Saigon: A Chilly Battle Thriller by former senior CIA officer Invoice Rapp. In his assessment, Dekleva says that to really perceive the intelligence conflict in Vietnam, fiction might provide extra to the reader and Rapp’s novel is a most worthy learn.
Spy mastery is the theme of retired senior CIA officer Jim Lawler’s newest novel, The Traitors Story: A Novel of Treachery throughout the CIA. We turned to a different seasoned Company officer, and Cipher Temporary professional, Joe Augustyn, to assessment it. Augustyn instructed us: “Jim Lawler has written an intriguing and charming novel that ought to fulfill the urge for food of any spy novel fanatic. His character descriptions are spectacular, his data of the Company, its forms and its inside workings is deep, and his operational savvy is on show all through. Spectacular too is his understanding of the dynamics of private relationships, each skilled and private, which he calls the “metaphysics” of spying.” You may study extra about Lawler and his e-book from this Cowl Tales Podcast interview.
Non- Fiction
Whereas we now have reported on a ton of fantastic fiction over the previous six months, actual life tales, historical past and evaluation have performed an excellent bigger position in our protection. Among the many books we’d like to ask (or re-invite) to your consideration listed below are: Secret Servants of the Crown: The Forgotten Girls of British Intelligence by Claire Hubbard-Corridor and reviewed for us by Cipher Temporary professional Tim Willasey-Wilsey, a real-life former member of the British International Workplace. Willasey-Wilsey referred to as it a “marvelous e-book and a worthwhile addition to what’s recognized concerning the early days of the British secret providers.” We had been fortunate to have the writer be part of us on a Cipher Temporary Cowl Tales podcast as effectively, describing the untold tales of girls who silently served – together with Katleen Pettigrew who was the inspiration for Ian Fleming’s “Miss Moneypenny” within the James Bond novels.
For an American tackle unsung ladies in intelligence, there may be Propaganda Ladies: The Secret Battle of the Girls of the OSS by Lisa Rogak. The previous director of the CIA’s Workplace of Public Affairs, Tammy Kupperman Thorp reviewed the e-book that focuses on 4 ladies who performed vital roles within the Workplace of Strategic Service (OSS) affect campaigns throughout World Battle II. She writes that ladies members of the OSS had been in control of “black propaganda” primarily a “sequence of plausible lies designed to trigger the enemy troopers to lose coronary heart and in the end give up.”
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There may be additionally a very good learn on the market concerning the spouses and households of intelligence operatives who function effectively. For a captivating have a look at that life, try Story of a CIA Spouse: Married to the Craft by Rosie Mowatt-Larssen. Veteran journalist and contributing Cipher Temporary editor Elaine Shannon reviewed that one for us and lauds the writer’s “razor wit” and tales of life in quite a few abroad posts together with time in Moscow the place she helped slip KGB tails, serviced useless drops and lived a life that at occasions was the stuff of spy thrillers. For extra on Rosie – try her interview with us for the Cowl Tales podcast.
We even have a number of books about motion in World Battle II that we’d advocate. Let’s begin with Nothing However Braveness: The 82nd Airborne’s Daring D-Day Mission and Their Heroic Cost Throughout the La Fière Bridge by James Donovan. We went to a topic professional to assessment that one – retired Military Main Common Jack Leide. The e-book tells of one of the crucial operationally vital however lesser-known tales of World Battle II. Leide praised the writer for offering “extremely insightful and complicated descriptions and actions of, not solely the allied and German army forces arrayed in opposition to one another, however how the operation affected most of the native French residents and resistance forces as effectively.”
For a far much less heroic view of a few of the occasions in that conflict, there may be The Traitor of Arnhem: The Untold Story of WWII’s Biggest Betrayal and the Second that Modified Historical past Endlessly by Robert Verkaik. Lately declassified British MI-5 paperwork assist animate this story of a strategic failure that delayed Allied victory within the conflict and got here at a steep human value. CIA veteran (and Cipher Temporary professional) Martin Peterson reviewed the e-book for us and writes that the writer makes a robust circumstantial case that Anthony Blunt, one among Russia’s British brokers, performed a significant position in passing intelligence to the Germans that broken the Allies probabilities of success.
For a narrative about operational and intelligence success, there’s Taking Halfway: Naval Warfare, Secret Codes and the Battle that Turned the Tide of World Battle II by Martin Dugard. Had the Battle of Halfway turned out in another way, Hawaii and the west coast of america stood susceptible to Japanese assault. The battle was gained by the U.S. although by a mix of steely management by Admiral Chester Nimitz, and sensible cryptological work led by a unusual Lieutenant Commander named Joe Rochefort. Usually, our go-to supply for e-book reviewers are gray-haired subject material specialists. For this one, we tried one thing completely different and gave the mission to Jack Montgomery, a U.S. Navy ensign at present serving on a Japan-based ship. Montgomery, whose grasp’s diploma thesis was on the Solomon Islands Marketing campaign, notes that the writer’s writing fashion with brief punchy sentences makes the e-book a fast, pleasing and informative learn. Dugard joined us for a Cowl Tales podcast not too long ago through which he defined how he developed his story-telling fashion and researched the e-book.
One other e-book positive to fascinate many Cipher Temporary readers is The Decided Spy: The Turbulent Life and Occasions of CIA Pioneer Frank Wisner by veteran journalist Doug Waller. Wisner’s story feels like fiction. Standout observe star in school, lawyer, revolutionary chief within the OSS throughout World Battle II, one of many founders of the CIA, writer of profitable and unsuccessful covert actions, outstanding participant within the Georgetown social set – however sufferer of what would now be referred to as bipolar dysfunction – an sickness that finally led to his taking of his personal life. Former senior CIA officer (and Cipher Temporary professional) Mike Sulick reviewed the e-book for us noting that the bio was lengthy overdue and “a useful contribution to understanding the rewards and pitfalls of covert motion as a instrument of American international coverage.” Waller joined us in a Cowl Tales podcast to share a few of the secrets and techniques of writing about this trailblazing determine of U.S. intelligence.
A trailblazer of a special sort was Main Common Jack Leide whose e-book, Skilled Braveness: My Journey in Navy Intelligence By Peace, Disaster and Battle, was featured in a January assessment. Leide has been inducted into 4 completely different army halls of fame. The tales he tells – and the teachings realized in Vietnam, in China throughout Tiananmen Sq., and as Central Command Director of Intelligence throughout Desert Defend and Desert Storm make it a worthwhile learn. He additionally kindly joined us for a Cipher Temporary Cowl Tales podcast the place he instructed us concerning the challenges of telling a demanding boss what they should know fairly than what they wish to hear.
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For a very completely different sort of e-book, there may be Zero Sum: The Arc of Worldwide Enterprise in Russia by Charles Hecker. It’s a have a look at the wild world of world commerce launched from Russia following the autumn of the Soviet Union. Cipher Temporary professional Nick Fishwick, a veteran of almost thirty years with the British International Workplace, reviewed it for us – calling it a “grizzly odyssey” and one “stuffed with crisp soundbites.” Hecker addresses the query of why the west was so mistaken in its evaluation of the publish hammer and sickle Russia.
Our tech savvy followers would possibly significantly be excited by Chasing Shadows: Cyber Espionage, Subversion, and the World Struggle for Democracy, by Ronald Deibert. Jean-Thomas Nicole, a coverage advisor with Public Security Canada and a frequent reviewer for us, says the e-book “provides an enlightening and terrifying glimpse into the ever-present and murky world of mercenary spy ware and digital transnational repression.”
To wrap up our summer season books e-newsletter, what could be extra applicable than a e-book about books? We’re referring to The Admiral’s Bookshelf, by retired Navy Admiral (and Cipher Temporary professional) James Stavridis. This spring, the admiral revealed his fifteenth e-book, and this one is about 25 books (a combination of fiction and non-fiction) that he credit with having helped information his profession and life. Former CIA officer (and writer himself) Jim Lawler reviewed it for us and praised the way in which Stavridis candidly discusses not solely his successes – but in addition his stumbles throughout his lengthy profession and the way the books on his bookshelf may help all of us keep away from some heartache and frustration. Suzanne hosted the Admiral on a Cowl Tales podcast the place he defined how leaders can study not solely from Solar Tzu’s The Artwork of Battle but in addition Mario Puzo’s The Godfather.
We’ve solely touched on a few of the books reviewed in 2025 in The Cipher Temporary. You could find all of our opinions right here.
One of many issues that makes Cipher Temporary opinions of books so worthwhile is that our reviewers are specialists in their very own proper. If you happen to suppose you’ll have the chops to be a Cipher Temporary e-book reviewer, try our pointers – and when you nonetheless suppose you’d be a very good match – drop us a be aware at undercover@thecipherbrief.com to toss your hat within the ring. Tell us your explicit pursuits and areas of experience. At any time when attainable, we attempt to marry up professional reviewers with forthcoming books. We attempt to get the reviewers advance copies – and purpose to publish opinions proper across the time a e-book is goes on sale.
We’re wishing you content summer season studying!
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