7 Deadly Scenarios: A Military Futurist Explores War in the 21st Century


Andrew F. Krepinevich Jr. - 2009
    border.Major U.S. cities are leveled by black-market nukes.China’s growing civil unrest ignites a global showdown.Pakistan’s collapse leads to a hunt for its nuclear weapons.What if the worst that could happen actually happens? How would we respond? Are we ready? These are the questions that Andrew Krepinevich asks—and answers—in this timely and often chilling new book, which describes the changing face of war in the twenty-first century and identifies seven deadly scenarios that threaten our security in the crucial years ahead. As president of the Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments and consultant to secretaries of defense, the CIA, the Homeland Security Council and the Joint Forces Command, Krepinevich’s job is to think the unthinkable—and prepare a response in the event our worst nightmares become reality. Basing his analysis on open intelligence sources, an assessment of the latest global and political trends, and his knowledge of contemporary military history, Krepinevich starts each of the seven scenarios in the context of current geopolitical realities and vividly tracks the path to crisis. From the implosion of Pakistan to a worldwide cyberattack, from the consequences of a timed withdrawal from Iraq to the likelihood of a China on the march, Krepinevich reveals the forces—both overt and covert—that are in play; the ambitions of world powers, terrorist groups, and rogue states; and the actions and counteractions both our enemies and our allies can be expected to take.As riveting as a thriller, 7 Deadly Scenarios takes you inside the corridors of power, peers into the world of defense planning, and explores U.S. military and political strategy in the past, present, and likely future. The result is a must-read book that will trigger discussion, thought, and—hopefully—action.

Compromised: Counterintelligence and the Threat of Donald J. Trump


Peter Strzok - 2020
    His career in counterintelligence ended shortly thereafter, when the Trump administration used his private expression of political opinions to force him out of the Bureau in August 2018. But by that time, Strzok had seen more than enough to convince him that the commander in chief had fallen under the sway of America’s adversary in the Kremlin.In Compromised, Strzok draws on lessons from a long career—from his role in the Russian illegals case that inspired The Americans to his service as lead FBI agent on the Mueller investigation—to construct a devastating account of foreign influence at the highest levels of our government. And he grapples with a question that should concern every U.S. citizen: When a president appears to favor personal and Russian interests over those of our nation, has he become a national security threat?

The Secret State: A History of Intelligence and Espionage


John Hughes-Wilson - 2016
    Comprehensive and authoritative, The Secret State skillfully examines the potential pitfalls of the traditional intelligence cycle; the dangerous uncertainties of spies and human intelligence; how the Cold War became an electronic intelligence war; the technical revolution that began with the use of reconnaissance photography in World War I and during the Cuban Missile Crisis; the legacy of Stalin's deliberate ignoring of vital intelligence; how signals intelligence gave America one of its greatest victories; how Wikileaks really happened; and whether 9/11 could have been avoided if America's post-Cold War intelligence agencies had adapted to the new world of international terrorism.Authoritative and analytical, Hughes-Wilson searches for hard answers and scrutinizes why crucial intelligence is so often ignored, misunderstood, or spun by politicians and seasoned generals alike.From yesterday's spies to tomorrow's cyber world, The Secret State is a fascinating and thought-provoking history of this ever-changing and ever-important subject.

Missing Man: The American Spy Who Vanished in Iran


Barry Meier - 2016
    The missing man, Robert Levinson, appeared in pictures dressed like a Guantánamo prisoner and pleaded in a video for help from the United States.Barry Meier, an award-winning investigative reporter for The New York Times, draws on years of interviews and never-before-disclosed CIA files to weave together a riveting narrative of the ex-agent's journey to Iran and the hunt to rescue him. The result is an extraordinary tale about the shadowlands between crime, business, espionage, and the law, where secrets are currency and betrayal is commonplace. Its colorful cast includes CIA operatives, Russian oligarchs, arms dealers, White House officials, gangsters, private eyes, FBI agents, journalists, and a fugitive American terrorist and assassin.Missing Man is a fast-paced story that moves through exotic locales and is set against the backdrop of the twilight war between the United States and Iran, one in which hostages are used as political pawns. Filled with stunning revelations, it chronicles a family's ongoing search for answers and one man's desperate struggle to keep his hand in the game.

My Jihad: The True Story of An American Mujahid's Amazing Journey from Usama Bin Laden's Training Camps to Counterterrorism with the FBI and CIA


Aukai Collins - 2002
    My Jihad is the personal story about the biggest threat to world peace and stability in our generation, as told by an insider.

The Tax Man: A Legal Thriller


Dave Daren - 2022
    

I Need A Boss In My Life


Jessica M. - 2016
    She had to grow up fast and learn how to use what she had to get what she wanted. As the young protégé of her mother figure and boss, Trinity Daniels, she finds out early on the power of what she has between her legs. Ren has been doing things her way and on her own ever since the one person she trusted let her down. Therefore, when she has an encounter with a real “Boss” she doesn’t know what to do or how to handle it. She does all she can to avoid him and put off the connection that they both feel. Due to the curve balls thrown in her life, she has no clue what love really is until she’s pursued by a man who doesn’t take no for an answer. Everything about Bryan “Boss” Stephens screams money, power, and respect. Anything Boss wants, he gets, and right now, what Boss wants is the beautiful, sexy, intelligent, Ren Wright. Even though they meet in a way that’s not likely for most, they hit it off immediately, and he knows right away that he has to have her. The only problem seems to be that Ren doesn’t know her worth and is truly putting up a fight against allowing him into her life. Will Ren allow her past issues and present lifestyle to keep her from being with Boss? Can she be the woman Boss needs in his life or will she cause him more harm than good? Boss will have to step his game up to show Ren what it is to be with a real man. Lies and secrets come to light when these two decide to hook up. Are they ready to face the consequences of being together? Can they survive the storms? Let’s take a ride with Ren and Boss as they travel down the rocky road to love... Boss may be just what Ren needs in her life.

A Very Unchristian Retreat


Giles Curtis - 2012
     Hugo has only himself to blame. The bookings in their holiday complex in France are few and Jan, his wife, is forced to organise a yoga week. She remains in Godalming, which leaves Hugo alone with the irresistible Suzanna, who gives off signals he has difficulty interpreting. Jan is talked into hiring a private detective to lure Hugo, but his problems have only just begun. Hugo meets Lenny and Doris who claim to run art parties, which turn out to be more of the swinging sort. Hugo's friend, Gary, books in his gay friends, who have a penchant for the feral. But wild is how Lenny and Doris like it. Hugo doesn't tell Jan, and an unpaid telephone bill means she can't tell him about the Christian Retreat group who are on their way. And then the chaos really begins.

A Ryan Weller Box Set Books 1 - 3


Evan Graver - 2019
    A ruthless gang of pirates. A terrifying menace buried in the ocean’s depths… Ryan Weller misses the surge of adrenaline from his days as an explosives expert. So, when his friend recruits him for an anti-terrorist organization, he gladly leaps back into dangerous waters. But he could be in over his head when his first mission puts him on the trail of deadly outlaws in the Florida Keys…Scuba diving for clues among the shipwrecks, he discovers a sinister connection with Mexican arms smugglers. And when the merciless bandits come gunning for his blood, he suspects there may be a threat to the entire U.S. lurking beneath the surface.Can Ryan stop a massive conspiracy on the high seas, or will he end up scuttled?Dark Water is the first book in the fast-paced Ryan Weller thriller series. If you like ocean adventures, non-stop action, and smack-talking heroes, then you’ll love Evan Graver’s pulse-pounding tale. Dark Ship Ryan Weller has a grudge. The former Navy EOD tech wants to put international arms dealer Jim Kilroy out of business. Kilroy's mistake was selling arms to the Aztlan Cartel who tried to start a war with the U.S. Ryan leverages his contacts at Homeland Security to gain information about Kilroy, but Kilroy has the blessing of the U.S. government, and Ryan's efforts are unsanctioned. Instead of putting Kilroy out of business, Ryan finds himself partnering with the arms dealer to deliver a ship full of weapons to a Haitian warlord. Not only has Kilroy threatened the lives of his family and friends but he has threatened to turn him into the cartel to collect the two-million-dollar bounty. Can Ryan navigate bounty hunters, rival warlords, and a hurricane to survive? Dark Horse Ryan Weller has gold fever. He knows where the Santo Domingo lies below three hundred and fifty of seawater. Unfortunately, he no longer works for Dark Water Research and he must find his own salvage vessel and crew. Retrieving the gold won't be easy at depths man wasn't meant to go. Surviving the savage ocean might be the least of his worries. Ryan is also caught between a ruthless Haitian warlord and international arms dealer, Jim Kilroy, both eager to reclaim the prize. Kilroy will stop at nothing to force Ryan to cooperate, including kidnapping Ryan's beautiful ex-girlfriend, Emily Hunt. The gold for Emily. But the warlord demands a ransom too, the gold for his life. Can Ryan escape with the girl and the gold? Reviews Ryan Weller is a true hero! - Debby A I loved this book. I couldn't put it down. I am starting the second book in the series now. I'm hooked. - Patriciaddumas Well researched, well written , worth the investment in time to enjoy. - Bill Black

Sandworm: A New Era of Cyberwar and the Hunt for the Kremlin's Most Dangerous Hackers


Andy Greenberg - 2019
    Targeting American utility companies, NATO, and electric grids in Eastern Europe, the strikes became ever more brazen, eventually leading to the first-ever blackouts triggered by hackers. They culminated in the summer of 2017 when malware known as NotPetya was unleashed, compromising, disrupting, and paralyzing some of the world's largest companies. At the attack's epicenter in Ukraine, ATMs froze. The railway and postal systems shut down. NotPetya spread around the world, inflicting an unprecedented ten billions of dollars in damage--the largest, most penetrating cyberattack the world had ever seen.The hackers behind these attacks are quickly gaining a reputation as the most dangerous team of cyberwarriors in the internet's history: Sandworm. Believed to be working in the service of Russia's military intelligence agency, they represent a persistent, highly skilled, state-sponsored hacking force, one whose talents are matched by their willingness to launch broad, unrestrained attacks on the most critical infrastructure of their adversaries. They target government and private sector, military and civilians alike.From WIRED senior writer Andy Greenberg comes Sandworm, the true story of the desperate hunt to identify and track those attackers. It considers the danger this force poses to our national stability and security. And as the Kremlin's role in manipulating foreign governments and sparking chaos globally comes into greater focus, Sandworm reveals the realities not just of Russia's global digital offensive, but of an era where warfare ceases to be waged on the battlefield--where the line between digital and physical conflict begins to blur, with world-shaking implications.

The Craft of Intelligence: America's Legendary Spy Master on the Fundamentals of Intelligence Gathering for a Free World


Allen W. Dulles - 1962
    Dulles's The Craft of Intelligence. This classic of spycraft is based on Dulles's incomparable experience as a diplomat, international lawyer, and America's premier intelligence officer. Dulles was a high-ranking officer of the CIA's predecessor - the Office of Strategic Services - and served eight years as director of the newly created CIA.In The Craft of Intelligence, Dulles reveals how intelligence is collected and processed, and how the results contribute to the formation of national policy. He discusses methods of surveillance and the usefulness of defectors from hostile nations. His knowledge of Cold War Soviet espionage techniques is unrivaled, and he explains how the Soviet State Security Service recruited operatives and planted "illegals" in foreign countries. In an account enlivened with a wealth of personal anecdotes, Dulles also addresses the Bay of Pigs incident, denying that the 1961 invasion was based on a CIA estimate that a popular Cuban uprising would ensue. He spells out not only the techniques of modern espionage but also the philosophy and role of intelligence in a free society threatened by global conspiracies.This is a book for readers who seek wider understanding of the contribution of intelligence to our national security.

All the Shah's Men: An American Coup and the Roots of Middle East Terror


Stephen Kinzer - 2003
    The victim was Mohammad Mossadegh, the democratically elected prime minister of Iran. Although the coup seemed a success at first, today it serves as a chilling lesson about the dangers of foreign intervention.In this book, veteran New York Times correspondent Stephen Kinzer gives the first full account of this fateful operation. His account is centered around an hour-by-hour reconstruction of the events of August 1953, and concludes with an assessment of the coup's "haunting and terrible legacy."Operation Ajax, as the plot was code-named, reshaped the history of Iran, the Middle East, and the world. It restored Mohammad Reza Shah to the Peacock Throne, allowing him to impose a tyranny that ultimately sparked the Islamic Revolution of 1979. The Islamic Revolution, in turn, inspired fundamentalists throughout the Muslim world, including the Taliban and terrorists who thrived under its protection."It is not far-fetched," Kinzer asserts in this book, "to draw a line from Operation Ajax through the Shah's repressive regime and the Islamic Revolution to the fireballs that engulfed the World Trade Center in New York."Drawing on research in the United States and Iran, and using material from a long-secret CIA report, Kinzer explains the background of the coup and tells how it was carried out. It is a cloak-and-dagger story of spies, saboteurs, and secret agents. There are accounts of bribes, staged riots, suitcases full of cash, and midnight meetings between the Shah and CIA agent Kermit Roosevelt, who was smuggled in and out of the royal palace under a blanket in the back seat of a car. Roosevelt,the grandson of President Theodore Roosevelt, was a real-life James Bond in an era when CIA agents operated mainly by their wits. After his first coup attempt failed, he organized a second attempt that succeeded three days later.The colorful cast of characters includes the terrified young Shah, who fled his country at the first sign of trouble; General H. Norman Schwarzkopf, father of the Gulf War commander and the radio voice of "Gang Busters," who flew to Tehran on a secret mission that helped set the coup in motion; and the fiery Prime Minister Mossadegh, who outraged the West by nationalizing the immensely profitable Anglo-Iranian Oil Company. The British, outraged by the seizure of their oil company, persuaded President Dwight Eisenhower that Mossadegh was leading Iran toward Communism. Eisenhower and Prime Minister Winston Churchill of Great Britain became the coup's main sponsors.Brimming with insights into Middle Eastern history and American foreign policy, this book is an eye-opening look at an event whose unintended consequences - Islamic revolution and violent anti-Americanism--have shaped the modern world. As the United States assumes an ever-widening role in the Middle East, it is essential reading.

Circle of Treason: A CIA Account of Traitor Aldrich Ames and the Men He Betrayed


Sandra Grimes - 2012
    The search for the presumed traitor was necessitated by the loss of almost all of the CIA's large stable of Soviet intelligence officers working for the United States against their homeland. Aldrich Ames, a long-time acquaintance and co-wor... Full description

The Devil's Chessboard: Allen Dulles, the CIA, and the Rise of America's Secret Government


David Talbot - 2015
    Drawing on revelatory new materials—including newly discovered U.S. government documents, U.S. and European intelligence sources, the personal correspondence and journals of Allen Dulles’s wife and mistress, and exclusive interviews with the children of prominent CIA officials—Talbot reveals the underside of one of America’s most powerful and influential figures.Dulles’s decade as the director of the CIA—which he used to further his public and private agendas—were dark times in American politics. Calling himself “the secretary of state of unfriendly countries,” Dulles saw himself as above the elected law, manipulating and subverting American presidents in the pursuit of his personal interests and those of the wealthy elite he counted as his friends and clients—colluding with Nazi-controlled cartels, German war criminals, and Mafiosi in the process. Targeting foreign leaders for assassination and overthrowing nationalist governments not in line with his political aims, Dulles employed those same tactics to further his goals at home, Talbot charges, offering shocking new evidence in the assassination of President John F. Kennedy.An exposé of American power that is as disturbing as it is timely, The Devil’s Chessboard is a provocative and gripping story of the rise of the national security state—and the battle for America’s soul.

The Increment


David Ignatius - 2009
    But soon the source of secrets from the Iranian bomb program dries up: the scientist panics; he’s being followed, but he doesn’t know who’s on to him, and neither does Harry. To get his agent out, Harry turns to a secret British spy team known as “The Increment,” whose operatives carry the modern version of the double-O “license to kill.” But the real story is infinitely more complicated than Harry understands, and to get to the bottom of it he must betray his own country.The New York Times bestseller: “A thinking person's thriller.”—Kirkus Reviews