I - SPY

I - SPY

A Peep Into The World Of Spies

Author : Amit Bagaria
Publisher : Notion Press
Pages : 450
Price : 799/-
Format : Paperback
Buy : Amazon India
Rating : 5/5 Stars

Blurb :
"The name is Bond – JAMES BOND. I am sure you’ve seen at least one, if not more of the 26 films made on fictional British spy 007. You may’ve also seen TV shows like The Americans, Blindspot, Chuck, Covert Affairs, Homeland, Nikita, Quantico, The Blacklist, and/or The Night Manager. I wrote this book after I realised that the average person may not know even one-sixth of what I know about spies and spying.

Almost each of the Top 50 nations (by GDP, population or military power) has a spy agency/service. Many countries have more than one ‘secret service’ or ‘intelligence agency’. USA has 16. Some countries’ spy agencies are more powerful than entire smaller nations, with annual budgets larger than their GDPs.

This books attempts to tell the story of 20 of the world’s largest and most powerful spy agencies, details their important missions, reveals their darkest secrets, and gives you an inside perspective of the often quite gory but thrilling ‘world of spies’. It gives you a 360º view of those spy agencies you only read about or see in a movie or TV show. With one chapter per agency, you can read only chapters you may be interested in.

The life of most spies is not as glamorous as it is made out to be. You may think it is all about high-tech and guns and car chases and ‘hot’ women, but that’s not the case. In the real spy world, the techniques boil down to the interpretation of basic human psychology. Even though a spy learns several action techniques on how to get out of a dangerous situation, including how to withstand torture, if he/she is resorting to car chases, it means they’re doing something wrong.

Spies don’t get paid very well. Gambling at a casino or flying on a private jet may be part of the job, but a spy doesn’t get to spend this kind of money on personal expenses. Spies cannot disclose the nature of their work to their family and friends, to maintain secrecy.

Review :
What an outstanding book this is. It is exceedingly well researched and we'll documented, but never dull and it manage to provide a gripping narrative throughout. Highly insightful, not only from the perspective of actual spycraft but invaluable to get an inside picture of 20 of the world's largest and most powerful spy agencies. Incredible ( in the best sense of the world), unlikely and yet evidently true. The book cover is perfect and the book is super interesting too for those who are into the world of espionage. The title of the book is apt to the  content and compel you to pick it up. The language of the book is simple and easy to understand. This book did everything a good book is supposed to do. It engages me, evoked emotional response, and left me wanting for more. A must read.