Collected here are 101 true tales from the world of espionage. They cover the unique tools and gadgets ubiquitous to the spy trade, and the daring operations that turn the tides of war or, alternatively, peace. They also cover the incredible men and women that have demonstrated equal measures of courage and cunning in the performance of their duties; shown undying loyalty in the face of hopelessness, or unimaginable treachery to their homeland and people.
The stories were all pretty fascinating, but the book was more like a collection of blog posts. It was distracting when disparate stories would mention each other but act like it was the first time you’ve read about it. So overall I rate it a 3.5.
Fantastic book. Short, sharp, and just enough to leave you wanting to know more about each tale. Think of this book as an entry point to the world of espionage. Spy tech? Covered. Cases of human espionage? Got that too. Intelligence Snafu’s? Yep.
My personal case favourites were:
6 - KGB is For Me; CIA All the Way 7 - Escape and Evade 28 - The Nazi Plot in Florida 29 - Double Agent Down Under 35 - Kate, the Pistol-Packing Plainclothes Paratrooper 43 - Mother, Judge, Cyber Vigilante 58 - Code Name: Hero 60 - Mossad Hits Their Mark 63 - The Coin That Defined The Cold War 70 - Spy, Hero Saboteur, Escape Artist 71 - Saboteurs in Berlin 75 - Tony Poe, the Real COL Kurtz 83 - Morten Storm: Viking, Terrorist, Spy 84 - Legendary Spy with the Wooden Leg 87 - Bombing the Bomber 98 - The Man Without a Face
I’m very much looking forward to volumes II and III, the only thing I would say that would compliment this book would be a recommendation for a book or film to further add to each tale. Given the authors pedigree in the field, I’d imagine that they would be able to recommend a book or film that would allow the reader to explore the topic further.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
This was a well written and very interesting collection of tales ranging from the very human to the almost fantastic. I of course have never heard of many of the events described therein, but it's really whet my appetite for more espionage reading