SPYCRAFT The Secret History of the CIA's Spytechs from Communism to Al-Qaeda

This history of the CIA's Office of Technical Services presents a thorough discussion of how the intelligence agency has used high-tech gadgets throughout the years in foreign intelligence. The authors enumerate many of the tricks of the trade of spying, which can be, in many cases, more surprising than James Bond. The book also has several chapters about "tradecraft," or the practices of covert surveillance, disguises, etc. David Drummond's slow reading makes this long book hard to listen to. One finds it difficult to follow sentences whose rhythm is broken by the languid narration. But this is an interesting book, full of surprises, so it's worth sticking it out. K.M. © AudioFile 2008, Portland, Maine [Published: NOVEMBER 2008]