Reviews (3)

A competent treatment
A decent treatment with a good balance between technical and layman's perspective; all I could wish for is that he would put out updates to track newer technology ... an admittedly endless chore!

The Phone Book:
I recommend this book totally.Everyone should read it.We can send video back from Pluto, yet Americans imagine that telephony can't be used against them.We have a culture of denial that assumes technology is benign and that no one wants to use it against us.We are somewhat willing to distrust computer security because computers are recent additions to our life. We aren't at all willing to distrust our phones. They keep us connected.Our lives revolve around them. They are the guardians of our secrets.And, after all, the fear of wiretapping laws deters the crime... Everything you need to know...
This is one of the few books I really can say answered all my expections... Great technical details, yet in plain english... ENJOY! ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Eavesdropping    2. Engineering - Electrical & Electronic    3. Espionage    4. Reference    5. Research    6. Security measures    7. Technology & Industrial Arts    8. Telephone systems    9. Wiretapping    10. Research methods: general    11. Security & fire alarm systems    12. True Crime / Espionage   

Reviews (1)

LOTS OF SPIES, BUT NOT ALL
SPY BOOK, with 2500 entries packed into one big paperback, is an exceptionally handy reference tool, but still far from a complete encyclopedia of espionage. For example, a photo display on page 513 shows Soviet postage stamps honoring the intelligence officers Stanislav Vaupshasov, Rudolf Abel, Konon Molody, Richard Sorge and Ivan Kudrya, plus British agent Kim Philby. If you look for an entry on each of these men, you will find it--except for Kudrya. At the place where he should appear you will see: Kryuchkov, Vladimir... Kuczynski, Dr. J�rgen... Kuczynski, Robert Ren�... Kuczynski, Ursula... Kuehn, Dr. Bernard... Kuklinski, Col. Ryszard... A rather full listing within such a small range of the alphabet, but still no cigar. Turn the page, and you'll discover no listing for Leonid Kvasnikov, head of the Soviet "technical department" (atomic espionage) in the US during WWII--a rather serious omission.
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Subjects:  1. Encyclopedias    2. Espionage    3. General    4. Intelligence Operations    5. Intelligence service    6. Political Science    7. Politics/International Relations    8. Reference    9. Secret service    10. True Crime / Espionage    11. Espionage & secret services    12. Reference / General   

Subjects:  1. Central Intelligence Agency    2. Congresses    3. Espionage    4. Nonfiction - True Crime / Espionage    5. Politics/International Relations    6. U.S    7. U.S.    8. United States    9. United States.   

Reviews (3)

I couldn't put it down
I knew bits and pieces of this true story before I picked the book up. Still, I was riveted by the story. I wanted to know the details of what happened and in what order. Sue Young has done a great job detaching herself and writing a difficult story. It gave me the creeps yet, by the time I finished the story, it gave me hope. Sue Young has stepped out to crusade for justice and has made a difference. The story warns me about danger signs in relationships and challenges me to fight for what it right.

A Menace to East Lansing
Having grown up in East Lansing, MI, around the corner from the Young Family (my Dad is the guy mentioned who organized a neighborhood search), and graduated with Martha Sue, I lived in fear of Donald Miller for years.The community was sure he had committed the crimes, but he just couldn't be caught.When he was scheduled for release, it was just another reminder of the frustration of keeping this criminal where he belonged.The book clarified the misconceptions I had for all of these years.I'm glad to see Sue Young is complimentary of the people she dealt with in the justice system (especially since may of these folk are still involved in the system!)I'm gratified to see her experience so eloquently related in this book.Even without the direct experience of knowing the victim, and the neighborhoods, this book is a very good read.I read it in a day.Congratulations to Sue Young for sharing this experience, and once again living this tragedy so that others might benefit from her work and suffering.

Riveting, engrossing, inspirational.Couldn't put it down.
A friend called me after she picked this book up and spent half the night reading. I couldn't put it down, either. This is the very personal story of a woman whose daughter was murdered by a serial killer. Even a single murder creates many victims. Author and mother Sue Young relates her experience in stunning detail. Her daughter Martha was just nineteen when she was murdered, a student at Michigan State University.Sue Young points out behaviors in Martha's boyfriend, who was Martha's murderer, that in hindsight were warning signs: he was not the trustworthy young man they had thought. She explains the understanding she gained of God as she went through this, and the role faith played in her survival. The author also shows how she regained control of her life after this devastating trauma, and how hard she worked to keep other parents from experiencing what she went through. Sue Young demonstrates the challenges of the criminal justice system; the agony politics can play in shaping it. And how caring, dedicated people can come together to change flaws in "the system."Ultimately, this book is a poignant tribute to Martha. Sue Young shows that "one person can make a difference" and inspires thoughtful action to better our world. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Espionage    2. Family & Relationships    3. Family/Marriage    4. Murder - Serial Killers    5. Parenting - Motherhood    6. True Crime / Espionage    7. Marriage, family & other relationships    8. True Crime / Murder / Serial Killers   

Reviews (6)

Do not Read
There are very few debt collection techniques that can be used in this book. Unless you care to get fired in the next week for violating the FDCPA, stay away.

Total Waste of my time and money
In my opinion, this book is ridiculous and suggests doing things that are highly questionable.

Pure Fiction...do not buy if you're looking for professional text
What a sham of a book. This should be retitled,
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Subjects:  1. Business / Economics / Finance    2. Collecting of accounts    3. Espionage    4. Government - State & Provincial    5. Marketing - General    6. Political Science    7. Politics/International Relations    8. Reference - General    9. Crime & criminology    10. Social issues    11. True Crime / Espionage    12. True crime   

Reviews (1)

Intelligence Flummery
This book is a collection of five essays of varying quality that more or less concern issues of national intelligence. The essays include two of quite high quality, one of moderate interest and two that are essentially worthless. In short a mediocre book by most counts that will not do much to add efforts to reform the practice of intelligence in the U.S. Intelligence Community.
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Subjects:  1. Espionage    2. Intelligence service    3. National security    4. Political Freedom & Security - General    5. Political Freedom & Security - Intelligence    6. Political Freedom & Security - International Secur    7. Political Science    8. Politics/International Relations    9. Prevention    10. Terrorism    11. True Crime / Espionage    12. United States   

Editorial Review

Richard M. Bissel Jr. followed the preferred path to spy superstardom: Groton, Yale, military service in World War II, and a stint helping to write the Marshall Plan, followed by time as an operative and then as an assistant to Allen Dulles, director of the CIA. In 1959, he assumed the reigns as head of the agency's covert operations. But his career ran into a brick wall with the ill-fated Bay of Pigs operation. In Read more

Reviews (1)

Bissell's own account
Although not real well-known, those who have studied modern American history, mainly in the intelligence sector, have seen Richard Bissell's name associated with the Marshall Plan, the U-2 spy plane, and the Bay of Pigs, to name a few. It's refreshing to get first-hand account from Bissell himself, and how he shares some of the key events during the last century in which he played a big part.
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Subjects:  1. (Richard Mervin),    2. 1909-    3. Biography    4. Biography & Autobiography    5. Biography / Autobiography    6. Biography/Autobiography    7. Bissell, Richard M    8. Bissell, Richard M.    9. Central Intelligence Agency    10. Espionage    11. History    12. Intelligence officers    13. Military    14. U.S. Government - Intelligence Agencies    15. United States    16. United States.    17. Biography & Autobiography-Military    18. Biography: general    19. Espionage & secret services    20. Military intelligence    21. Military tactics    22. True Crime / Espionage    23. USA   

Reviews (30)

If you like Chomsky...
...You'll love this guy, because he's obviously a student and will continue the Chomsky tradition.Like Chomsky, he ignores anything good that comes of America policy (when he admits it he implies that it was an accident) and ignores anything bad that anyone else does - including Communist governments and other totalitarian governments or dictatorships.
Great Book, Even if you Disagree
What conservatives and liberals are categorically guilty of is not reading literature that doesn't agree with their political opinions, that doesn't get mentioned in their political circles, in short; that isn't politically 'hip' to read.I wish more conservatives would read this book and ones like it, I for one actually read the literature of their movement.This book is especially good for young students who wish to have a companion document to their biased history textbooks.

The reader from Idaho...
...is infuriating until it becomes clear that he/she is being ironic. It seems 18 people either realize that or agree with some deliberately outrageous beliefs. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. 1945-1989    2. Central Intelligence Agency    3. Espionage    4. Foreign relations    5. General    6. History - General History    7. History: World    8. Intervention (International law)    9. United States    10. United States.    11. American history: postwar, from c 1945 -    12. Central government policies    13. Diplomacy    14. USA    15. Warfare & Defence   

Reviews (7)

More Bench-Tested Circuts
Good companion to read with the the first book.....simple but effective circuts........

The companion volume to "Bench-Tested Circuits"
On its own this book is not worth the money, but if it's regarded as the companion to the earlier volume it is just worth the money, especially if it they are both offered together for a reduced price. More Bench-Tested Circuits
My buddy and me used some of the plans from this book and his first Bench Tested Circuits book and we were able to fool some high priced CM folks who came in a big white van loaded with lots of Counter Measures equipment.We were on the road at the time and all we had was a [electronics store]and a Hardware Store in the whole dirt water town, what a dive.We even recorded some of the chatter for the client of the hot-shot CM team. Client was very pleased!The circuits are pretty simple, yet hard to detect.They work as good as many of the more complicated circuits that we have used in the past. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Electronic circuits    2. Electronic surveillance    3. Electronics - Circuits - General    4. Engineering - Electrical & Electronic    5. Espionage    6. Science/Mathematics    7. Technology    8. Technology & Industrial Arts    9. Circuits & components    10. Security & fire alarm systems    11. True Crime / Espionage   

Subjects:  1. Espionage    2. Political Freedom & Security - Intelligence    3. Political Freedom & Security - International Secur    4. Political Science    5. Politics/International Relations    6. True Crime / Espionage    7. Espionage & secret services    8. INTELLIGENCE SERVICE    9. Political Science / Political Freedom & Security / Intelligence   

Reviews (4)

Useful...
if you believe the "man"!While my experience truly rests killing off a different form of "bugs", this book does provide a usefuloverview of the field of electronic pests.I've recommended it widely within our professional guild.The author is careful to present a mix of common tricks that are really simple (for example, just leaving a tape recorder running in the room), but still shows how this can be extended into the 21st century.

Not for the pros out there.
Everyone knows our rights are shrinking everyday that goes by. Add to this the problem of nosey neighbors, landlords, or an over enthusiastic law enforcement agency and you have a bug problem.This book covers many of the basic aspects of these hidden bugs and cameras, and goes foward from there to indepth detail about these devices work and how to beat them. This Book is set up as a basic manual for starting a debugging business.

It's good for beginners
Everyone knows our rights are shrinking everyday that goes by. Add to this the problem of nosey neighbors, landlords, or an over enthusiastic law enforcement agency and you have a bug problem.This book covers many of thebasic aspects of these hidden bugs and cameras, and goes foward from thereto indepth detail about these devices work and how to beat them. This Bookis set up as a basic manual for starting a debugging business. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Electronics - General    2. Engineering - Electrical & Electronic    3. Espionage    4. Monitoring receivers    5. Radio    6. Science/Mathematics    7. Technology    8. Technology & Industrial Arts    9. Wiretapping    10. Communications engineering / telecommunications    11. Criminal investigation & detection    12. True Crime / Espionage    13. Counterservaillance    14. Surveillance    15. Corporate Espionage    16. Telephone taps    17. Bugging devices   

Subjects:  1. American fiction    2. Detective and mystery stories, American    3. Espionage    4. Gay & Lesbian    5. History and criticism    6. Lesbians' writings, American    7. Literary Criticism    8. Literature - Classics / Criticism    9. Mystery & Detective Fiction    10. Women authors    11. English    12. Novels, other prose & writers: from c 1900 -   

Reviews (1)

This is NOT a Dean Koontz title!
I don't know how this book got linked to Dean Koontz, but it is NOT written by him. I ordered it, and eventually returned it because there is absolutely no reason to suspect that he had anything to do with it. If you are trying to be a Dean Koontz completist, save the money you would have errantly spent on this and buy one of HIS books. On the other hand, if you'd like to know how to steam open your neighbor's mail, then this book is for you! ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Espionage    2. Handbooks, manuals, etc    3. History - Military / War    4. Letters    5. Military - Intelligence/Espionage    6. Political Science    7. Politics/International Relations    8. Public Affairs & Administration    9. Seals (Numismatics)    10. True Crime / Espionage   

Reviews (3)

excellent overview
Every voter should read this book.This is perhaps the best book to give an overview on the major covert activities of the CIA and its ancestor agencies.A very well researched book.The author appears to have done an immense amount of research to write this book.Very informative and an easy read. The author appears to be unbiased and without an agenda.Every tidbit of covert CIA activity that I read about in past years was discussed in this book, plus many more activities new to me were discussed. Drawing upon this text I believe the average American can get a better feel for the sucess and failure rate of covert activities, risks v.s. advantages. Good, but not that good
Some research was definetly put into writing this book.And at times, the author just throughs out some abstract, needless information.Almost as if he just to put it in their, because he thought the trival knowledge wouldmake the book better. New insight on the continued insurgency struggles in Europe
John Prados begins the book with seldom related histories, particular are the accounts of Baltic and Ukrainian insurgents in post WWII. This is the first time I have run into modern cold war accounts were the planning of covert operations in Central and Eastern Europe ran so close to the end of WWII. Prados underlines that the "youth" of Central Intelligence Agency and the treachery of Philby severly undermined any attempts to support these insurrectionist movements behind Soviet lines. Further declassfication of past interogation reports throw new light on the extent of these movements and how unstable Central Europe actually was. Prados contines into the Cold War up to the 80's and 90's where the bilateral covert conflict no longer seemed to have the raw personal nature of covert action in post WWII and the fifties. Author has obviously had a very generous access to herby unpublished documents. A must for those concerned with Cold War history ... Read more

Subjects:  1. 1945-1989    2. Central Intelligence Agency    3. Espionage    4. Foreign relations    5. History - General History    6. Intelligence service    7. Military intelligence    8. Politics/International Relations    9. U.S. Government - Intelligence Agencies    10. United States    11. United States - 20th Century (1945 to 2000)    12. Espionage & secret services    13. History / Military / Strategy    14. USA   

Reviews (13)

Attempting the impossible
In the end, Sidney Reilly has the last laugh. He spent a lifetime covering his tracks, weaving a trail of deception and misinformation intended to obscure every aspect of his personal history and career. Spence takes on the noble task of trying to sift through the voluminous, vague, and usually contradictory material about this character. Unfortunately, almost nothing can be said with certainty about Reilly. We are unsure of his real name, place of birth, parentage, marriages...and those are just the biographical details. His work was obviously and carefully kept clouded. The author assembles as much data as one will probably ever find on this subject. He tries to be objective. However, the end result is a compilation of information mixed with supposition and conjecture. Yet, it is doubtful if anyone could have done more than Spence given the nature of the subject. In the end, we are not even sure if Reilly died as legend holds or if he lived on in mystery. No one will ever accurately chronicle the life of this remarkable enigma wrapped in a riddle...and that is exactly how Sidney Reilly wanted things to be.

Seems like good scholarship, but not much fun
It is obvious that Richard Spence is a diligent researcher and he did a great deal of homework for this book. The result is an exhaustive (and exhausting) compilation of Sidney Reilly's activities and associations over the course of his career. Unfortunately this wealth of information is not really drawn into any themes or any kind of coherent narrative. Some of the "Reilly myths" are convincingly de-bunked, but there's not much on offer here to replace them. This might be a helpful work for the history scholar looking for names, dates, and places associated with Sidney Reilly but it isn't much fun for the armchair history buff.

Popped my bubble about Reilly
I bought this after watching the BBC miniseries on Sidney Reilly.Spence has produced a very scholarly book written in a friendly tone.While I still view the Ace of Spies (the series, not the man) with affection and admiration, this book demonstrates that Reilly's life was much more complex than the BBC series made out.While not wanting to give too much away, I'll just say, watch the series, then read the book. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Biography / Autobiography    2. Criminals & Outlaws    3. Espionage    4. Historical - General    5. Murder - General    6. True Crime    7. Biography: general    8. Espionage & secret services    9. History / Military / Other   

Reviews (1)

A good book with general facts, but not an in depth analysis
This book gives only a general description of bugging and the process involved.Although if you expected to start your own counter-measure agency this book doesn't explain how to do it.Recommended for novices asan overview of what's possible in the arts of eavesdropping on privatetelecommunications networks. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Eavesdropping    2. Electrical Engineering (Specific Aspects)    3. Electronic surveillance    4. Electronics - Circuits - General    5. Electronics - General    6. Engineering - Electrical & Electronic    7. Espionage    8. Science/Mathematics    9. Technology    10. True Crime / Espionage    11. Security & fire alarm systems    12. True crime   

Reviews (6)

was this really worth a book?
I left reading Powell's "Treason" wondering if his story was really worthy of a book. An meaty article in some highbrow magazine, surely, but a book? INteresting read
THis is an interesting read that raises questions about the lines a journalist should--or should not cross--when dealing with intelligence agents. I'm not sure that issue is addressed sufficiently here, in fact. Though the ending is a bit of a letdown, the story itself does draw the reader in and is unique enough to be of interest both to readers interested in spy stories as well as journalism. AN easy short read, so I recommend it.

What an experience!
What an experience! Hard to believe it'a a true story. I'm amazed by the author's courage. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. 1957-    2. Baranov, Vyacheslav Maximovich    3. Biography    4. Current Affairs    5. Espionage    6. Hanssen, Robert    7. Intelligence Operations    8. International    9. Political Freedom & Security - International Secur    10. Political History    11. Politics - Current Events    12. Politics / Current Events    13. Politics/International Relations    14. Powell, Bill,    15. Russia (Federation)    16. Spies    17. U.S. Government - Intelligence Agencies    18. United States    19. United States - 20th Century    20. Current Events / General    21. International relations    22. Military intelligence    23. Political structure & processes    24. Powell, Bill    25. Secret service, espionage, spying    26. USA   

Reviews (5)

Makes you wonder how America survived
When my grandparents were raising 6 kids on $25 a week (a good salary in the depression) Michael Straight was:
Treason & Greed Explained
How treason and greed subverted American cold war efforts to limit and contain our enemies

Most interesting subject, not so interesting writing
I grudgingly worked my way through this book because the subject was most interesting.It's about Michael Straight, a cultured, intellectual, handsome, rich, educated American who, in England before the second World War, becomes deeply involved in spreading communism and ultimately spying for Stalin.Back in the U.S. during the war, he is connected with many of the most important political figures of the day, including the Roosevelts.He held relatively high government office at times, was an editor of the New Republic (which his family owned), was deputy of the National Endowment for the Arts in the sixties, knew the Kennedy's - the list is impressive, let alone considering that during much of this period he was spying for the Russians.A most interesting, and in its own way, impressive life. The book is also real eye-opener in terms of the infiltration of Soviet agents in many areas of American government, etc, in the forties and fifties.The research was exhaustive.
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Subjects:  1. Biography    2. Biography / Autobiography    3. Espionage    4. Espionage, Soviet    5. Europe - Great Britain - General    6. General    7. Great Britain    8. Historical - General    9. History    10. History - General History    11. Intelligence Agencies    12. Military    13. Military - Other    14. Spies    15. Straight, Michael Whitney    16. United States    17. East Anglia    18. Espionage & secret services   

Subjects:  1. Business / Economics / Finance    2. Espionage    3. Forensic accounting    4. Fraud    5. Fraud investigation    6. General    7. Prevention    8. True Crime    9. Accounting    10. Business & Economics / Accounting / General    11. Crime & criminology   

Reviews (1)

Great Work From Author
This book is a detailed examination of the internal search for a spy that was supposedly in the CIA during the 60 - 70's that was headed up by the chief of counter intelligence James Angleton.The book focuses on Angleton's almost demonic search for this supposed spy.The spy was never found but the search did an incalculable amount of damage to the CIA and overall U.S. security due to the paranoid and distrustful management style that the CIA adopted.The book is written in the style of an investigative reporter, by that I mean straight forward timeline with backed up facts and lots of detail. It provides the read with an interesting view into the CIA and the problems the culture of mistrust caused. It is a very readable book and is a must for those who are interested in the workings of the CIA during the cold war. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Central Intelligence Agency    2. Intelligence service    3. Sociology    4. Soviet Union    5. U.S. Government - Intelligence Agencies    6. United States    7. True Crime / Espionage