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I-SPY : A peep into the world of Spies

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The name is Bond – JAMES BOND. I am sure you’ve seen at least one, if not more of the 26 films made on fictional British spy 007. You may’ve also seen TV shows like The Americans, Blindspot, Chuck, Covert Affairs, Homeland, Nikita, Quantico, The Blacklist, and/or The Night Manager. I wrote this book after I realised that the average person may not know even one-sixth of what I know about spies and spying.
Almost each of the Top 50 nations (by GDP, population or military power) has a spy agency/service. Many countries have more than one ‘secret service’ or ‘intelligence agency’. USA has 16. Some countries’ spy agencies are more powerful than entire smaller nations, with annual budgets larger than their GDPs.
This books attempts to tell the story of 20 of the world’s largest and most powerful spy agencies, details their important missions, reveals their darkest secrets, and gives you an inside perspective of the often quite gory but thrilling ‘world of spies’. It gives you a 360º view of those spy agencies you only read about or see in a movie or TV show. With one chapter per agency, you can read only chapters you may be interested in.
The life of most spies is not as glamorous as it is made out to be. You may think it is all about high-tech and guns and car chases and ‘hot’ women, but that’s not the case. In the real spy world, the techniques boil down to the interpretation of basic human psychology. Even though a spy learns several action techniques on how to get out of a dangerous situation, including how to withstand torture, if he/she is resorting to car chases, it means they’re doing something wrong.
Spies don’t get paid very well. Gambling at a casino or flying on a private jet may be part of the job, but a spy doesn’t get to spend this kind of money on personal expenses. Spies cannot disclose the nature of their work to their family and friends, to maintain secrecy. Many have to live away from home for weeks, months, even years. Married life is a mess, as the spouse starts suspecting the spy of having an affair.
Who can become a spy? Do you need a law enforcement (police) or military background? Not really. Spies have degrees as diverse as law, political science, finance, economics – even professional athletes have become successful spies.

494 pages, Kindle Edition

Published March 7, 2019

29 people are currently reading
66 people want to read

About the author

Amit Bagaria

21 books1,780 followers
His parents thought he was studying business administration in the USA.
 He was actually studying journalism.

His parents thought he was doing case studies on IBM and Pepsi. 
 He was actually interviewing the Governor of Ohio or a convicted murderer in jail.

When he was a consultant for the Aditya Birla Memorial Hospital in Pune, he told Rajshree
 Birla and Kumar Mangalam Birla their offices would be in the Basement of the Hospital.

As an entrepreneur, Amit has been India’s No.1 Healthcare Consultant, India’s No.1 Retail Consultant, and India’s No.1 Residential Real Estate Consultant, apart from excelling in several other sectors.

As a Retail Consultant, he wrote prolifically for various retail publications. For one article, he interviewed several industry leaders, including Kishore Biyani, considered the father of modern retail in India. Little did poor Mr. Biyani know that Amit would lambast him in the article. The next time they ran into each other, Mr. Biyani told Amit that - being a fellow Marwari - he should have been less critical of him.

It was the same article that led a leading publisher to approach Amit to write a book - back in 2010, 
but that part of Amit’s life only began 7 years later. When he did begin, he did not stop or even pause. He has completed 11 books in 26 months and is now working on his 12th.

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5 stars
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 117 reviews
Profile Image for Amit Mishra.
244 reviews707 followers
November 13, 2019
Pros:
The book explores various operations completed by different spy agencies in the world. CIA, MOSSAD, FSB, RAW, and many others feature in this book. Amit Bagaria has taken the readers into the details of the true side of spies their lives and the agencies they work for.
Corns:
Why should I believe the author? He escapes, in the introduction by saying that these facts can not be countersigned or authenticated because of various reasons. One can understand that. However, the claims that the author has made in the book certainly need to be authenticated. The author has ranked different intelligence agencies of the world on the list of from the very best to the worst. However, a curious reader may ask to want primary sources to do you have to support this rankings. The author could not supply adequate sources or pieces of evidence.

Overall, I would certainly recommend I-SPY to all the readers who are interested in knowing the true account of the life of a spy and deadly work he has to go through. It is certainly a strategic magnum opus by any India author.
Profile Image for Alok Mishra.
Author 9 books1,249 followers
October 14, 2019
I-SPY is a book that takes the readers into the underworld of spy networks, assets, intels, leads, government, politics and dirty-righteous games of defending a nation and making another nation fall as per the needs... I will not be surprised to see that many readers will like reading this book because of a sheer reason that Amit has offered something which is indeed peculiar in the mainstream literature. The lack of 'proofs' or evidence is a case that a few readers may think to be unfair to such a book. However, the author hints at the very beginning of this book that 'proof' as such in the world of spy is something which can be called a delusion! There's no proof that can be verified! So, enjoy the book and learn something new...
Profile Image for Soumitra Srivastava.
7 reviews11 followers
October 13, 2019
I certainly liked reading this book because it answers many questions that I often wanted to be answered. The book unfolds the secrets and myths around spies and their lives, missions, and employers. There are many things in the book that youths, as well as elderly people, will love to know. A good book with information packed with a thrilling narrative that chills your reading senses!
Profile Image for karmaleavesnone.
90 reviews3 followers
November 11, 2020
Do you know the modus operandi of MI6, KGB, CIA,RAW, ISI, Mossad, MSS, etc?

Addicted to spy books, series, movies? Then you have to pick this book right away, and read this factual, detailed, well-researched narrative of the most hushed and controversial Secret Services or Intelligence Agencies around the world.

Life of a spy is not as glorifying and thrilling as shown in movies. There is a deep social and psychological impact when spies have to blend in with enemies & do the right things in maintaining dual roles. Mistakes can be fatal for an undercover agent. Living with judgmental errors can be quite harrowing for a spy.

Some mind boggling revelations of successful & failed Missions of the the 20 agencies mentioned in the book are eye opening for a reader.

These agencies have been here since long and have been instrumental in events of World War, National Security, Political Assassinations, Planting fake stories, Creating Controversies, Rise & Fall of Monarchs/Dictators, Safeguarding their Nation from Terror Attacks... the list in endless!

This book is unputdownable. The detailed terminologies mentioned by author helped to relate with the lingo of spies and agencies.

Must read book for everyone to know what’s going on behind the scenes in the Intelligence Services.

A Review by @karmaleavesnone
Profile Image for Shyam Jha.
14 reviews8 followers
October 12, 2019
Though I am not very sure of the sources that inspired the way Amit Bagaria has ranked the leading world spy agencies but the book is worth a read. It will certainly clarify many myths and misconceptions that people generally have about detectives and their ways of working. Moreover, it also lists the major operations done by many spy agencies around the globe including our own RAW.
Profile Image for Ranjeet Sinha.
16 reviews7 followers
October 14, 2019
I got to know about this book from one of my friends who are into books and reviews and literary stuff... believe me, I was so curious to read the book that I downloaded the Kindle yesterday and finished it right away. It is gripping with secrets and details of a spy's life as well as the works they do as an agency. I would recommend it to everyone - just for the sake of knowledge if nothing else.
Profile Image for Swapna Peri ( Book Reviews Cafe ).
2,190 reviews81 followers
July 10, 2019
Book Title: I-Spy - A peep into the world of spies
Author: Amit Bagaria
Format: Hardcover

Book Title:
The title of the book ' I-Spy - A peep into the world of spies ' is very attractive and exclusive.

Book Cover:
The cover image of the book is an image of a radar signal or a representation of an eyeball that is very keen on observing things. This image definitely gives a thrilling feeling to understand how the contents of the book will be.

Inside the book:
As the title suggests, this book ' I-Spy ' is all about spies and spying world. This is a non-fiction book written based on facts available and some facts researched. The book comprises of 21 chapters where the first and second give the readers a brief yet effective introduction about the spies, their life, their work, the risks, and the conspiracies. The next 19 chapters are dedicated to the country-specific spy agency \service. Each of these chapters gives a detailed insight into their activities in the past and present. These chapters also talk about the influence of certain spy agencies on the world's political and economic scenarios.

My Review:
The concept of spying existed well before during ancient times. When we talk about kingdoms, each kingdom had spies who were always in disguise and on the verge of collecting information from their public about their views on the governance and also about the enemies at war. Therefore, the secret agent theory is basically used to collect the missing information for the betterment of lives in either way. But of late, the perception of being a spy changed from an information gatherer to become a secret agent\double agent, mingle with the enemy states\countries and play a crucial role in politics.

As the world evolved, countries began adopting various ways of governing, be it democracy or communism or republic or etc., the world of spies still existed and also evolved. A single spy now has become a big agency. In this book, the author has made his readers travel from the very baby steps of a spy till to the world of spies who control various operations in the world, now.

Every chapter of the in the book has an introduction spy agency. Now, in this era, the spy agency is brought under a nation's National Security wing. Thus, we can imagine how important and tough is the dimensions of the world of spies who work day and night for their country. The book also gives its readers knowledge and lesser-known information of homeland spies who had made an impact.

The book also presents its readers with unknown things about various undercover operations performed against some countries by powerful countries that resulted in creating unrest amongst some groups. The book also clears the misconception that a rich country only can have a great spy agency. This book can definitely please the readers who are interested in watching Bond or spy movies or books or who have an idea of how do the secret agents work. One of the interesting yet saddening chapters was to read about RAW, India's Spy Agency and how it was exploited by the political leaders. Some things read in the chapter questioned me how can a person put the whole country's security at stake.

To understand more of these facts, read this book!

Narration:
This is my first book ever read on the concept and theory of the spying world around the world. All that I know about a spy and their activities was through movies, books, and few documentaries. But, there are certain things only come books will be able to put forward. Thus, this book has given me some superb thrilling facts that happen around the world of spies across the world. All this credit goes to the author's narration which was very simple, effective, interesting and surprising.

Language & Grammar:
With the usage of a very fine everyday language of the English and simple vocabulary, the author has created the book for everyone. The glossary of all the words including abbreviations and shortcuts made the book more informative.

My Final Verdict:
Welcome and get drowned in the world of real spies!

Book Title: 5/5
Book Cover: 5/5
Inside the book: 5/5
Narration: 5/5
Language & Grammar: 5/5
Final Rating: 5/5
Profile Image for Priyaranjan Mohan.
151 reviews5 followers
September 17, 2019
What an outstanding book this is. It is exceedingly well researched and we'll documented, but never dull and it manage to provide a gripping narrative throughout. Highly insightful, not only from the perspective of actual spycraft but invaluable to get an inside picture of 20 of the world's largest and most powerful spy agencies. Incredible ( in the best sense of the world), unlikely and yet evidently true. The book cover is perfect and the book is super interesting too for those who are into the world of espionage. The title of the book is apt to the  content and compel you to pick it up. The language of the book is simple and easy to understand. This book did everything a good book is supposed to do. It engages me, evoked emotional response, and left me wanting for more. A must read.
Profile Image for Shreya Ghosh.
169 reviews10 followers
August 15, 2019
Most Successful And Controversial Agencies
Title: I-Spy - A peep into the world of spies
By Author Amit Bagaria is quite different from other genres. The cover is quite interesting and has a photo that represent eyeball. There are 21 chapters in total that explain different conspiracy theories and the life of spies. This is a very compelling read, as each chapter introduces you to different stories. Simple language has been used. World's political and economic scenarios has also been discussed.
Profile Image for Shiny  Jain.
319 reviews30 followers
August 15, 2020
✨As the title suggests, this book ' I-Spy ' is all about spies and their working. This is a non-fiction book which is based on facts and research, the Author has worked hard and gather all the necessary information regarding the same.
✨The book comprises of 22 chapters where the first and second chapters give the readers a brief introduction about the spies, their life, their working pattern, the risks, and the conspiracies. The next 19 chapters are dedicated to the country-specific spy agencies. Each of these chapters gives a detailed insight into their activities in the past and present. These spy agencies also influence the world's political and economic scenarios.
✨Almost each of the Top 50 nations (by GDP, population or military power) has a spy agency/service. Many countries have more than one ‘secret service’ or ‘intelligence agency’. USA has 16. Some countries’ spy agencies are more powerful than entire smaller nations, with annual budgets larger than their GDPs.
✨This books attempts to tell the story of 20 of the world’s largest and most powerful spy agencies, details their important missions, reveals their darkest secrets, and gives you a 360º view of those spy agencies you only read about or see in a movie or TV show, through this book I came to know that the life of most spies is not as glamorous as it is made out to be. Spies don’t get paid very well.
Spies cannot disclose the nature of their work to their family and friends, to maintain secrecy. Many have to live away from home for weeks, months, even years. The life of Spies is not easy.
✨Overall this is such an informative book, though some of the information is already available on Google but the way Author has compiled everything in a single book is really amazing and helpful.
Profile Image for Prashant Singh.
885 reviews32 followers
October 30, 2020
𝗜-𝗦��𝗬 𝗯𝘆 𝗔𝗺𝗶𝘁 𝗕𝗮𝗴𝗮𝗿𝗶𝗮

This basis of this book is that a normal individual may not know even one-6th of covert operatives and spying.
The interesting part is that a few nations' government operative organisations are more remarkable than whole more modest countries, with yearly financial plans bigger than their GDPs.
The life of most spies isn’t as fun as is seems to be. You might imagine it as guns and car chases but in real there’s much more to that. The techniques learn on how hey can get out of a dangerous.
Betting at a gambling club or flying on a personal luxury plane might be essential for the work, however a covert agent doesn't will spend this sort of cash on close to home costs. Spies can't reveal the idea of their work to their loved ones, to look after mystery.
This book is literally a peep into the world of spies, and is as interesting as it sounds. If you ever fasinated your life with an life of a spy ... you should definitely go for it!

Warning : It contains darkest secrets!

𝘼𝙫𝙖𝙞𝙡𝙖𝙗𝙡𝙚 𝙤𝙣 𝘼𝙢𝙖𝙯𝙤𝙣
Profile Image for Mason.
59 reviews39 followers
April 11, 2020
It's a very engrossing book that gives detailed accounts of the numerous operations that spies have carried out. Each chapter is devoted to a particular operation and the description is to the point without any unnecessary distractions. It's overwhelming to know about the kind of detailed planning that goes into spy operations. A must read for someone who's interested in distinguishing between what actually happens and what gets reported in the media.
Profile Image for Adam.
59 reviews1 follower
April 11, 2020
Excellent read,first hand account of all the covert missions executed by spies. Throws some light in the mystic world of secret services which one can't find anywhere else. Individual stories of each mission makes it a delight to read. Best part is that you can stop reading and continue after few days without having to worry about remembering the storyline since each chapter covers one mission. But trust me u won't be able to put this book aside.
Profile Image for Zoe.
48 reviews1 follower
April 12, 2020
This book takes you on a emotional roller coaster ride. I didn't expect myself to fall in love with the book when I first got it. Really great loved it a lot. I really recommend this book to all. I-spy is one of the rarest book I read in 2020. With its writing style and language, it hooked me till the very end. I enjoyed the book. First half is written well than 2nd half. Other than that its beautiful read.
Profile Image for Rakhi (New Book Reviewer).
631 reviews33 followers
April 18, 2020
I like the way author Amit Bagaria has written this book in a very compelling manner with full of information and detailed description. As the author said, we may have seen many Spy movies but we know nothing about it, and he has done a tremendous job by giving us knowledge of spy life and their career. Overall, Loved reading this book which covers lives, issues, secrets of spies, secret agencies around the world. Very informative and intriguing Book.
Profile Image for ELLA.
66 reviews37 followers
April 11, 2020
Beautiful writing which apart from the subject makes you want to read uninterrupted. Only negative point so as to mention is that the Font size & color. Publisher should consider bigger font size & slightly more bold printing. But splendid Writing style which is crisp & absolutely gripping diverts you from the inconvenience.
Profile Image for Taylor West.
55 reviews39 followers
April 11, 2020
A never before insight into the highly efficient and feared spies, their formation and meticulous execution of near impossible missions around the world. Anyone who likes James Bond would really appreciate this book, stories of ordinary men and women willing to put everything on the line for their beloved clients and tasks. Highly recommended.
Profile Image for Sophie.
98 reviews58 followers
April 11, 2020
The book quality, print quality,page quality and language is excellent.Started reading the book and so far loving it. Completed It and I must say It is a must read book for anyone. It will not disappoint you in any way.You can start from any chapter. The narration is just awesome.One of the awesome book I have read so far!!! must buy and a must have.
Profile Image for Jack.
93 reviews51 followers
April 11, 2020
Book was really good the achievements of spies have been told without any intention of retreating and not telling entire facts would have given 5 stars but there is a lack of proper timeline in the book otherwise it is a I found this to informative as well as entertaining. It is a must read for military buffs.
Profile Image for Caleb.
51 reviews1 follower
April 11, 2020
A very well written and researched book. Brings a lot of interesting cases and facts about one of the most feared secret service agencies in the world. The book is well written with multiple cases listed as chapters. Each case length is just right and keeps the reader hooked on. If you are an espionage and warfare fan then this book is a must buy.
Profile Image for Leo Mathew.
54 reviews1 follower
April 12, 2020
As I started reading I couldn't stop. It's first time I decided to read about spies..And it is the best..I just loved this book. The reader cannot keep the book unless it is finished. Very well written. Looking forward for your upcoming books. Keep writing like this always. Eagerly waiting for your next book.
Profile Image for Lily Adams.
49 reviews1 follower
April 12, 2020
An amazing book which great storytelling skills. I was hooked with the story within mere pages and i just couldn't stop reading it because of the real stirring twists and turns. I loved my time reading this book. Author has beautifully penned down simple real life stories story from the world of spies across the world. Kudos to the author for writing this book.
Profile Image for Sarah.
36 reviews1 follower
April 12, 2020
I received the book yesterday and it definitely has been a nail-biting experience reading this page turner - I couldn't put it down and had to complete the read in one sitting. You are always at the edge of the seat trying to guess what happens next and well, the best thing - you cannot guess what happens next which in itself keeps you hooked to the book till the last page :)
5 reviews
April 5, 2020
Most of the detective stories only focus on one dimension that is the solving of a single crime at the time. But in this, many cases are simultaneously going on, some right down ludicrous to well organized crime. So overall it was a good read without any dull moment sans any major surprises & twists & turns.
Profile Image for Olivia.
91 reviews49 followers
April 11, 2020
I-spy is a book which uncovers the truth of spies. They are Highly disciplined as well as sharp. The book talks about their lives and is very very thrilling. The operations carried out by spies are depicted in a nail biting manner. Awesome one. Must read for everyone.
Profile Image for Ethan.
85 reviews50 followers
April 11, 2020
I thought that non fictions are always boring and not worth reading, because they are always repetitive but after reading this book by Amit bagaria I am totally in awe. Awesome narration, simple language and super interestingly put up information. Loved this book a lot. Recommended for all.
Profile Image for JAKE WEISTER.
88 reviews38 followers
April 11, 2020
This book by Amit Bagaria gives insightful comments on the lives of spies and how they do their missions. It talks about many successful spies and their work. It gives an informative insight on the lives of spies. Very interesting to read.
84 reviews49 followers
April 11, 2020
This book was fast paced; which seems quite a contradiction considering it was not a work of fiction but then, all the missions were narrated in a very interesting manner that it was almost like reading a real espionage novel, just without the dialogues.
79 reviews38 followers
April 11, 2020
Very inspiring book. Appears well researched. The book is unputdownable. Thoroughly enjoyed reading. One of the best books I have read in recent times. It’s an intense real time thriller and gives an interesting insight to the real adventures of spies
Profile Image for Aiden.
78 reviews38 followers
April 11, 2020
One of the best books on spy category. The narrative is a super and gives you almost a vivid description of the missions. It is thriller, suspense, real life all into one. Secrets behind the organizations and the ruthless mission for the country.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 117 reviews

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