The Cipher Brief Book Store
Cipher Brief Experts are literally writing the history of national security, sharing their expertise, research and
often first-hand knowledge of events that are shaping our world. Here are books, authored or co-authored by The Cipher
Brief team:
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When you purchase a book through our site, we may earn a small affiliate commission.


The Melting Point: High Command and War in the 21st Century
General Frank McKenzie (Ret.)
Gen. McKenzie (Ret.) is Executive Director of the University of South Florida’s Global and National Security Institute. In July 2022, he also...

2054: A Novel
Admiral James Stavridis (Ret.)
Admiral Stavridis (Ret.) was the 16th Supreme Allied Commander at NATO and 12th Dean of The Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts...

Drug Capo
Michael Vigil
Mike Vigil is the former Chief of International Operations for the Drug Enforcement Administration. He is one of the most highly decorated agents...

End Game First: A Leadership Strategy for Navigating a Crisis
Vice Admiral Mike LeFever
Mike LeFever recently retired from the United States Navy after serving for over 38 years, finishing his military career as the Director of...

By All Means Available: Memoirs of a Life in Intelligence, Special Operations and Strategy
Michael Vickers
Dr. Michael Vickers served as Under Secretary of Defense for Intelligence from 2011 to 2015 and as Assistant Secretary of Defense for Special...

How to Survive a Crisis: Lessons in Resilience and Avoiding Disaster
Sir David Omand GCB
Sir David Omand GCB is a Visiting Professor in the Department of War Studies, King’s College London and at PSIA Sciences Po in Paris where he...

Sailing Upwind: Leadership and Risk from TopGun to the Situation Room
Admiral James 'Sandy' Winnefeld (Ret.)
Admiral Winnefeld served for 37 years in the United States Navy. He retired in 2015 after serving four years as the ninth Vice Chairman of the...

To Risk It All: Nine Conflicts and the Crucible of Decision
Admiral James Stavridis (Ret.)
Admiral Stavridis (Ret.) was the 16th Supreme Allied Commander at NATO and 12th Dean of The Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts...
Book Reviews
Read the latest Undercover Book Reviews

The Gray Man’s Back—And the Body Count’s Rising
BOOK REVIEW: The Hard Line (Gray Man)By: Mark Greaney/ BerkleyReviewed by: Susan GorgioskiThe Reviewer: Susan Gorgioski is a writer who has [...]

Putin’s Long Shadow Over Post-Soviet Russia
BOOK REVIEW: The Return of Russia: From Yeltsin to Putin, the Story of a Vengeful KremlinBy James Rodgers / Yale University PressReviewed by: [...]

The Architects of CIA Analysis
BOOK REVIEW: The Intelligence Intellectuals: Social Scientists and the Making of the CIABy Peter C. Grace/ Georgetown University PressReviewed [...]

A Field Guide to Surviving Trauma
BOOK REVIEW: Mindful Soldier: Building Resilience to Overcome Life’s ChallengesBy Ash Alexander-Cooper with Dr. Jessica K. Miller / Hachette [...]

Kilowatt of Wrath: Revenge and Assassinations via Secret Cooperation
Book Review of Operation Wrath of God: The Secret History of European Intelligence and Mossad's Assassination Campaign By Aviva Guttmann / [...]

From Shah to Supreme Leader: A Revolution Gone Wrong
BOOK REVIEW: King of Kings. The Iranian Revolution: A Story of Hubris, Delusion and Catastrophic Miscalculation.By Scott Anderson / [...]

When Journalism Met Totalitarianism: Lessons From Prewar Paris
BOOK REVIEW: THE TYPEWRITER AND THE GUILLOTINE: AN AMERICAN JOURNALIST, A GERMAN SERIAL KILLER, AND PARIS ON THE EVE OF WWIIBy Mark Braude / [...]

The Burden of the Bomb
BOOK REVIEW: The Most Awful Responsibility: Truman and the Secret Struggle for Control of the Atomic AgeBy Alex Wellerstein / William [...]











