CIPHER BRIEF SPOTLIGHT — Many Cipher Temporary readers love giving – and getting – books as presents in the course of the vacation season. And we love suggesting titles from the world of nationwide safety that we predict they might particularly take pleasure in. We’ve reviewed greater than 80 books in 2024 and featured fairly a couple of others on our Cowl Tales podcast – so the winnowing all the way down to a “Better of” listing has been tough.
In the long run, we settled on these books which earned our coveted “4 Trench Coat” score in the course of the previous six months or so – since our final “Seaside Reads” advice e-newsletter in early July. Even then, we nonetheless had an extended listing. So we broke them down into a number of broad classes in case there’s a specific style of curiosity to you – or somebody in your vacation reward listing.
Memoirs and Reflections
There are three books we’d roughly put within the class of memoirs, biographies, or reminiscences of serious historic occasions. The primary we’ll cite is Midnight in Moscow the memoir of John Sullivan who served as U.S. Ambassador to Russia throughout each the Trump and Biden administrations. Havard scholar Calder Walton reviewed the e book for us and praised it as a piece that ought to be “learn by anybody who desires to grasp the present quagmire of Russian relations with the West and Putin’s battle in Ukraine.”
If biographies of necessary individuals are your factor, we’d counsel America’s Chilly Warrior: Paul Nitze and Nationwide Safety from Roosevelt to Reagan” by James Graham Wilson. It’s the story of a outstanding public servant who served at excessive ranges in eight presidential administrations. Cipher Temporary knowledgeable and senior CIA and NRO veteran John Lauder tells us in his assessment that regardless of the weighty material, “America’s Chilly Warrior” is “a extremely readable e book that one can peruse on the seashore or on an airplane.”
Subsequent, we’ll point out The Siege: A Six-Day Hostage Disaster and The Daring Particular-Forces Operation That Shocked the World” by Ben Macintyre. That is the story of six younger Iranian Arabs who seized the Iranian Embassy in London and held it and its occupants hostage till the British SAS wrested management of the power in a spectacular operation. In his assessment, Cipher Temporary knowledgeable Nick Fishwick, a retired British International Service officer, referred to as Macintyre “considered one of Britain’s best writers on safety and intelligence historical past…”and means that this e book is greatest “learn at a single nerve-grating sitting.”
Warfare, Cyberwar, International Relations and Peace
Warfare (notably the continued one in Ukraine) continued to keep up its grasp on the world’s consideration – and likewise that of authors whose work was featured in The Cipher Temporary. One in every of our favorites on this class was “In Their Personal Phrases: How Russian Propagandists Reveal Putin’s Attentions” by the outstanding Russian media watcher Julia Davis. Davis’ e book is a group of her excerpts and evaluation of commentary made on Russian state TV exposing the heartless and sometimes genocidal ambitions of the Kremlin’s favourite speaking heads. Try each our assessment and Julia Davis’s interview on the Cowl Tales podcast (on Apple Podcasts and Spotify).
For an examination of the technique, techniques and improvements of the continued battle, try The Warfare for Ukraine, by Mick Ryan, a retired main basic within the Australian Military. Our reviewer, Jean-Thomas Nicole, a coverage advisor with Public Security Canada, says the e book is a snapshot in time – on condition that the battle continues to evolve – however a priceless contribution for the U.S. and its allies as they attempt to reduce the prospects for such conflicts sooner or later.
For a really private view of the impression of Russia’s battle of aggression, try I Will Present You How It Was: The Story of Wartime Kyiv by Kyiv Impartial reporter Illia Ponomarenko. The e book affords a extremely private account of the times and weeks main as much as Russia’s February 24, 2022 invasion of Ukraine and its aftermath. In his assessment, Cipher Temporary knowledgeable Ed Bogan, a retired senior CIA operations officer, writes, “Ponomarenko’s meticulous and painful description of the interval stirred up gut-wrenching feelings from the time and can rapidly take any reader again to these harrowing days.” To additional paint the image of the wrestle of the Ukrainian individuals, you may flip to “Portraits of Ukraine: A Nation at Warfare” by Gregory Slayton and Sergei Ivashenko. It is a coffee-table fashion e book full of 310 typically dramatic photos. Ambassador Roman Popadiuk, the primary U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine, reviewed the e book for us and praised it for its evocative photos and stirring prose, bringing “to life the human dimension of the struggling and braveness of the Ukrainian individuals throughout this time of battle.” Particularly noteworthy: all earnings from the sale of the e book go to Ukrainian charities.
Past the wars of at this time – there are after all the wars of tomorrow to fret about. We leaned closely on Cipher Temporary knowledgeable Glenn Gerstell, who’s a principal with the Cyber Initiatives Group and former NSA Common Counsel, to assessment a number of forward-looking books. Glenn gave 4 trench coats to Algorithms of Armageddon, by George Galdorisi and Sam Tangredi. The authors’ objective was “to supply an in depth and neutral image of the present state and potential evolution of army functions of AI,” and our knowledgeable reviewer discovered it “surprisingly readable.” Gerstell additionally checked out Rethinking Cyber Warfare by David Edelman for us. That e book examines “which, if any, forces within the worldwide system may restrain state use of cyberattacks, regardless of the strategic benefit they confer?” Glenn discovered the e book “elegantly written however dense textual content” (nicely, you didn’t anticipate all cyber-warfare stuff to be simple, did you?). And finishing Gerstell’s trifecta of techy tomes (with 4 trench coat scores) he additionally reviewed Raj Shah and Christopher Kirchoff’s Unit X: How the Pentagon and Silicon Valley Are Reworking the Way forward for Warfare. This one is an inside have a look at the Pentagon’s Protection Innovation Unit (generally known as Unit X) which tried (and generally succeeded) to deliver Silicon Valley cutting-edge expertise into the Division of Protection.
Assist Your self
Then there’s a in style class of books that roughly fall into the “self-help” style. For instance: Promote Like a Spy: The Artwork of Persuasion from the World of Espionage by Jeremy Hurewitz. The creator is a enterprise marketing consultant, entrepreneur and enterprise intelligence practitioner who attracts classes from legendary army and CIA officers (and lots of Cipher Temporary specialists) to supply steerage on the best way to use methods typically employed by intelligence officers in connecting with others on the earth of enterprise. Dr. Ken Dekleva, a former Regional Medical Officer and psychiatrist for the Division of State (and an creator himself) calls this a “should learn” each for what’s says about such methods as “empathy, lively listening, connection, elicitation, due diligence, recruitment, investigation, safety safety, curiosity, negotiation, motivation, belief, and cultural consciousness” – but in addition due to the real-world examples the creator contains.
If you’re in search of a e book on management, we’d advocate Would possibly of the Chain: Forging Leaders of Iron Integrity” by Rear Admiral Mike Studeman, USN (Ret.). Studeman is a Cipher Temporary knowledgeable and acknowledged authority on China. His e book tells readers the best way to strengthen their very own management qualities, the best way to form a workforce, and the best way to use that workforce to have essentially the most impression. You’ll be able to learn our assessment of the e book right here – or higher but – hearken to our interview with Studeman on our Cowl Tales podcast (on Apple Podcasts and Spotify).
One other four-trench-coat e book on management got here from retired Navy SEAL Admiral Bob Harward – The Gouge! How one can Be Smarter Than the Scenario You Are In.” To make sure no service favoritism, we turned to retired Military officer and former Deputy Director of the DIA, Doug Clever, to assessment it for us. Clever says that Harward explains that “the gouge” is a Navy time period for “important data,” and he praised the e book for doing simply that in an lively fashion which “transcends organizations and cultures and has common applicability.”
High-quality Fiction
Seems you can make these items up. Our listing incorporates 4 very totally different novels that share one attribute – having earned four-trench-coat opinions.
Let’s begin with the latest, “Metropolis of Misplaced Souls: A Jack Ford Shanghai Thriller” by Cipher Temporary knowledgeable and veteran CIA officer Marty Petersen. The novel is about almost a century in the past in Shanghai, the place an expat American personal investigator tries to assist a younger British lady discover her lacking brother. Ken Dekleva reviewed this one for us, calling it a “pleasant learn” which transports you again in time “to the scenes, delights, smells, gaudiness, character, cruelty and sensibility of Shanghai within the early Nineteen Thirties.” Petersen joined us on a current Cowl Tales podcast (right here on Apple Podcasts or Spotify) and defined how the novel grew out of his interest of accumulating ephemera from Shanghai – and the way the novel can assist readers perceive the mindset of recent day China.
Along with being an Asia knowledgeable, Petersen can be an aficionado of World Warfare II historical past – which made him the right option to assessment “The Stressed Wave: A Novel of the USA Navy” by one other Cipher Temporary knowledgeable, retired Navy Admiral James Stavridis. In his assessment, Petersen identified that “The Stressed Wave,” in describing the exploits of a younger naval officer in the course of the first years of the Second World Warfare, is “peppered all through” with actual figures – so the reader enjoys each the fictional adventures of the novel’s hero but in addition learns about all kinds of individuals from that period and tales of their real-world adventures. Stavridis joined Cipher Temporary CEO Suzanne Kelly for a stay on-line e book membership dialogue of “The Stressed Wave,” and that session was preserved as a Cowl Tales podcast for listeners to take pleasure in (accessible on Apple Podcasts and Spotify).
For a novel have a look at the world of intelligence – look no additional than “The Seventh Ground” by CIA veteran David McCloskey. We turned to a different Company veteran, and Cipher Temporary knowledgeable, Joe Augustyn to assessment this one for us. Joe, who spent numerous time on the 7th flooring (the place CIA management work), says that the power of the e book derives from how McCloskey brings the distinctive tradition of the CIA to life, and says that “McCloskey has written a extremely entertaining and engrossing e book that can certainly fulfill the palate of these in search of a vicarious fictitious escape into the thrilling and unpredictable world of espionage.”
One factor you’ll be able to nearly all the time depend on is a gripping novel from Daniel Silva, that includes his hero Gabrial Allon. That holds true along with his newest installment: A Demise in Cornwall. CIA veterans Jay and Anne Gruner reviewed it for us and awarded it max trench coats. They advise that “in contrast to lots of (Silva’s) earlier books, A Demise in Cornwall just isn’t about espionage operations or combating terrorists, however moderately a non-public battle towards greed and corruption on the highest monetary and political ranges in varied Western international locations, most notably within the U.Ok. The Gruners say “Silva has as soon as once more written an entrancing novel of worldwide suspense and surprising detours that’s each instructional and satisfying. Superbly but merely written, the e book’s characters are memorable and their dialogue compelling.”
However Wait, There’s Extra
Our arbitrary cutoff on the four-trench-coat stage leaves out a number of books we all know would delight many readers. Consider the knowledgeable reviewers of books for The Cipher Temporary are on their very own in assigning trench coat scores – and a few of these people are robust graders. Among the many not-quite-four-trench-coat books that we propose you try are: The Unintended Joe, a toque-and-dagger spy novel a couple of TV chef who finds himself in the course of a CIA covert operation. Try the assessment by the exceedingly well-qualified particular person for the job — CIA veteran, TV producer and beginner chef Rodney Faraon. And in addition try our interview with creator Tom Straw on a Cowl Tales podcast (on Apple Podcasts and Spotify).
We additionally extremely advocate Autocracy, Inc by Anne Applebaum, reviewed for us by former Director of Nationwide Intelligence, Lt Gen. James Clapper, who we’re proud to say is one other Cipher Temporary knowledgeable. And llong considerably related strains, there’s To Run the World by Sergey Radchenko, reviewed by Cipher Temporary Managing Editor Tom Nagorski. Tom says the e book is a sweeping have a look at the Chilly Warfare, stocked with classes for the present second.
One other memorable e book was Prisoner of Lies: Jack Down’s Chilly Warfare, by Barry Werth. Downey was a CIA officer held captive for twenty-one years in China. Former State Division officer Jim Bullock says in his assessment that maybe essentially the most attention-grabbing a part of the e book is the story of how Downey rebuilt his life after his launch. Additionally price your time is our Cowl Tales podcast interview with the creator Barry Werth.
One final suggestion: A Suspicion of Spies: Dangers, Secret and Shadows – the Lifetime of Wilfred ‘Biffy’ Dunderdale.” Dunderdale is probably going largely unknown to American readers – however Cipher Temporary knowledgeable Tim Willasey-Wilsey says he’s nicely price studying about. The previous MI-6 official was considered one of “a couple of dozen buddies of Ian Fleming considered fashions for James Bond.”
If we haven’t given you adequate to chew on but – try all of our opinions right here and our Cowl Tales podcasts too.
The 12 months forward
We’re wanting ahead to reviewing some attractive new books in 2025: “The Chinese language Phantom: The Hunt for the World’s Most Harmful Arms Supplier”; “The Eurasian Century: Scorching Wars, Chilly Wars, and the Making of the Fashionable World”; the cheerful sounding “Demise is Our Enterprise: Russian Mercenaries and the New Period of Personal Warfare”; and “Project in Saigon: A Chilly Warfare Thriller” by CIA veteran Invoice Rapp.
One of many issues that makes Cipher Temporary opinions of books so priceless is that our reviewers are specialists in their very own proper. In the event you suppose you’ll have the chops to be a Cipher Temporary reviewer, try our pointers right here – and if you happen to nonetheless suppose you’ll be a very good match – ship a observe to us at [email protected] to toss your hat within the ring.
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