LATEST Book Review COLUMNS

A New Girl and a New Twist

by The New Girl

What do the real spies think of Daniel Silva’s latest novel The New Girl? Check out former ADDO for the CIA Robert Richer’s candid review here. This is Cipher Brief Level I Member Only...

Who Exactly Was the Spy in Moscow Station?

by The Spy in Moscow Station

BOOK REVIEW: THE SPY IN MOSCOW STATION     By Eric Haseltine Reviewed by Paul Kolbe, Former Member CIA’s Senior Intelligence Service While reading The Spy in Moscow Station, I kept noticing...

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...