LATEST Book Review COLUMNS

Three Wise Men and Their Duty to Serve

by Three Wise Men

BOOK REVIEW: Three Wise Men: A Navy SEAL, a Green Beret and How their Marine Brother Became a War’s Sole Survivor  By Beau Wise and Tom Sileo / St. Martin’s Press Reviewed by Brad Christian THE...

Reviewing 2034: The Next World War

by 2034 A Novel of the Next World War

BOOK REVIEW: 2034: A Novel of the Next World War By Elliot Ackerman and Admiral James Stavridis Reviewed by Martin Petersen THE REVIEWER — Cipher Brief Expert Martin Petersen is the former...

Eagle Down's Gains and Losses

by Eagle Down

BOOK REVIEW: Eagle Down: The Last Special Forces Fighting the Forever War by Jessica Donati / PublicAffairs Reviewed by Damon Walsh, Chairman, Mission Solutions Group THE REVIEWER — Damon Walsh...

The Spymaster of Baghdad

by The Spymaster of Baghdad

BOOK REVIEW: The Spymaster of Baghdad: A True Story of Bravery, Family, and Patriotism in the Battle Against ISIS by Margaret Coker / Dey Street Books Reviewed by Sonya Lim, former CIA Chief of...

Why a DIY Drone Program was a Bad Idea

by Never Mind We'll Do It Ourselves

The Cipher Brief is committed to a free exchange of ideas. Our book reviewers are drawn from the ranks of our readers — and they are encouraged to “call ’em as they see...

Reading the Roots of Russia's Political Warfare

by The Folly and the Glory

BOOK REVIEW: The Folly and the Glory: America, Russia and the Political Warfare 1945-2020  by Tim Weiner / Henry Holt & Co. Reviewed by Lt. Gen. Robert P. Ashley (Ret.) Cipher Brief Expert...

Spies, Journalists and the Literature of Witness

by On All Fronts

BOOK REVIEW: On All Fronts: The Education of a Journalist by Clarissa Ward / Penguin Press Reviewed by Marc Polymeropoulos Cipher Brief Expert Marc Polymeropoulos served 26 years in the CIA before...

The Real Power of Administrative Law

by Law and Leviathan

BOOK REVIEW: Law and Leviathan: Redeeming the Administrative State by Cass R. Sunstein and Adrian Vermeule / Belknap Press Reviewed by Terence Check Terence Check is an attorney in the federal...

Agent Sonya's Faustian Bargain

by Agent Sonya

“The Cipher Brief has become the most popular outlet for former intelligence officers; no media outlet is even a close second to The Cipher Brief in terms of the number of articles published by...

Reviewing America in the World

by America in the World

“The Cipher Brief has become the most popular outlet for former intelligence officers; no media outlet is even a close second to The Cipher Brief in terms of the number of articles published by...