LATEST Book Review COLUMNS

A Novel Approach to CIA/CYA

by Victor in the Jungle

BOOK REVIEW: VICTOR IN THE JUNGLE     By Alex Finley Reviewed by Bill Harlow, The Cipher Brief Senior Book Editor Alex Finley has an eye (and an ear) for the absurd.  A talent that no doubt came...

Getting to the Truth About CIA's Paramilitary Operators

BOOK REVIEW:   Surprise, Kill, Vanish: The Secret History of CIA Paramilitary Armies, Operators and Assassins By Annie Jacobsen Reviewed by former CIA Paramilitary Operations Officer, Ian...

The Targeter Hits the Mark

by The Targeter

A former Marine ground intelligence officer read the new book The Targeter by former CIA Analyst and Targeting Officer Nada Bakos. This is what he thought… This is Cipher Brief Level I Member...

Cult of the Dead Cow and Its Mission to Save the World

by Cult of the Dead Cow

BOOK REVIEW:  Cult of the Dead Cow – How the Original Hacking Supergroup Might Just Save the World  By Joseph Menn  Reviewed by Christopher Messina This is Cipher Brief Level I Member Only...

How the CIA Operated Under Moscow Rules

by The Moscow Rules

24-year CIA veteran and former Russia hand, Robert Dannenberg reviews the newly-released Moscow Rules:  The Secret CIA Tactics That Helped America Win the Cold War. This is Cipher Brief Level I...

How to Think Like a CIA Analyst

by Leading Intelligence Analysis

BOOK REVIEW: Leading Intelligence Analysis: Lessons from the CIA’s Analytic Front Lines By Bruce E. Pease Reviewed by Christopher A. Corpora, PhD., Professor of Practice in Intelligence Studies,...

The World of Executive Protection

by The Protected

BOOK REVIEW: The Protected By Michael Trott Reviewed by Thomas Pecora, former CIA GS 15 Senior Security Officer Have you ever wondered what it is like to be a “bodyguard” for a high-ranking U.S....

An Honorable Account of the Heroes of Vietnam

by Honorable Exit

BOOK REVIEW: Honorable Exit: How A Few Brave Americans Risked All to Save Our Vietnamese Allies at the End of the War By Thurston Clarke Reviewed by Bill Harlow, former CIA Officer and Senior Book...

Breaking the Code on Bytes, Bombs and Spies

by Bytes, Bombs and Spies

BOOK REVIEW:  Bytes, Bombs, and Spies: The Strategic Dimensions of Offensive Cyber Operations Edited by Herbert Lin and Amy Zegart, Brookings Institution Press Reviewed by George M....

Burns' Back Channel to the Head of the Line

by The Back Channel

BOOK REVIEW: The Back Channel: A Memoir of American Diplomacy and the Case for Its Renewal By William Burns Reviewed by Gary Grappo, former U.S. Ambassador who held senior positions in Baghdad,...