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The Cipher Brief's Hottest Summer Reading

National security experts weigh in on the best books of the season

The Cipher Brief's Hottest Summer Reading
27 June 2024, Schleswig-Holstein, St. Peter-Ording: The sun shines on the beach of St. Peter-Ording, which is frequented by tourists. ((Photo by Axel Heimken/dpa picture alliance via Getty Images))

CIPHER BRIEF FEATURE REPORTING -- With the 4th of July holiday fast approaching, now is a good time for our annual summer list of recommended beach reads. Since we are The Cipher Brief, our favorites include not only thrillers and realistic, fast-paced novels – but some notable works of non-fiction on matters of national security, intelligence and foreign policy. And there’s a cookbook thrown in for good measure.

We’ve carefully combed through the books that we’ve recently had reviewed by experts who have lived the spy or spy-related life - and we’ve singled out some titles we think you might enjoy at the beach or wherever you’re taking refuge from the summer heat. (And just a note: if you do click and buy using links, we might make a small commission. At least enough to pay for the paper this was printed on.)

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