Skip to content
Search

Latest Stories

Welcome! Log in to stay connected and make the most of your experience.

Input clean

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.)

Keep reading...Show less
Access all of The Cipher Brief’s national security-focused expert insight by becoming a Cipher Brief Subscriber+ Member.

Related Articles

Iran is a Terrorist State

OPINION — Since 1984, Iran has been designated a state sponsor of terrorism. The designation is justified, given Iran’s continued support of proxies [...] More

The Cipher Brief's Hottest Summer Reading

The Cipher Brief's Hottest Summer Reading

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 [...] More

Report for Wednesday, July 2, 2025

7:47 America/Chicago Wednesday, July 2 [...] More

The Golden Dome is Missing a Key Focus

EXPERT PERSPECTIVE / OPINION – On January 27, 2025, President Trump signed an Executive Order aimed at defending the U.S. against an attack by [...] More

Getting NATO to Be Able to 'Fight Tonight'

EXPERT Q&A — Last week’s NATO summit in The Hague was largely seen as a success, with all members (except Spain) agreeing to raise the alliance’s [...] More

Report for Tuesday, July 1, 2025

8:18 America/Chicago Tuesday, July 1 [...] More

Covering the Blaze the World Forgot

BOOK REVIEW: Fuji Fire: Sifting Ashes of a Forgotten U.S. Marine Corps TragedyBy Chas Henry / Potomac BooksReviewed by: Bill HarlowThe Reviewer — [...] More

The Math Behind Trump's $1 Trillion Defense Budget

OPINION — “The President's FY ‘26 [Fiscal Year 2026] National Defense Budget requests $1.01 trillion, which is a 13 percent increase from FY '25 [...] More

An Urgent Call to Close the Loopholes on Chips and China

EXPERT PERSPECTIVE / OPINION -- The core lessons from the Cold War should guide us as we face the new “Axis of Aggressors” today. First among these, [...] More