Inside the C.I.A.

By: Ronald Kessler

Narrated by: Chris Lane

Length: 11 hrs and 31 mins

Publisher's summary

In this unparalleled work of investigative journalism, Ronald Kessler reveals the inner world of the C.I.A. Based on extensive research and hundreds of interviews, including two with active directors of Central Intelligence, William H. Webster and Robert M. Gates, and with three former D.C.I.s, Inside the C.I.A. is the first in-depth, unbiased account of the Agency's core operations, its abject failures, and its resounding successes.

©1992 by Ronald Kessler (P)1998 by Blackstone Audiobooks

Critic reviews

"This tour is never dull, especially since it features so much .007 gadgetry, from water-spraying silent drills to eavesdropping devices that work by zapping laser beams through windows." (Los Angeles Times)

Will make 007 look like a mummies boy

If you like the underworld of spying, espionage and covert action, you will love this audio book. Explores every facet of the CIA, from the structure, inner working to covert missions. Will keep you tuned in for hours.

Half and half...

I give four stars to the book and one to the reader. This is why there are professionals who read books. The author has a lisp that made me wince every time he would get to CIA (or thee eye a). Someone really should have talked him into getting Scott Brick or the like to handle this long book. Subject matter was great otherwise.

5 stars

Definitely worth the read. Great insight. Suspenseful story telling. A wonderful inside look at the worlds most capable intelligence agency.

Excellent book

A fantastic primer on the Agency and it's day-to-day operations, across the spectrum of activities they conduct, from analysis to clandestine operations. Kessler's text is particularly good for its inclusion of small interesting details, such as the debate among directors regarding agency merchandise, to the habits of directors such as "tennis diplomacy." The book gives details of day-to-day life in the agency in a way that few others do. Recommended reading for both those seeking an initial understanding of the agency, and those with a more robust background of intelligence reading seeking additional gems of detail regarding life within the Agency.

If you are a starter, you may like this audiobook

If you are a starter, you definitely may read this book and audiobook.
The author only describes events as a whole without performing a true study on the field.

If you want to have an start point you should definitely have to listen this. But to be fair, only describes the big picture,
Too much errors on their topics and descriptions, too many conspiracies and common knowledge and disinformation.
Intelligence is not a game of spies.

Pre- 9/11 look at CIA's strengths and weaknesses

Sometimes fascinating, sometimes boring, and ultimately somewhat tragic, Kessler's review of the CIA provides some valuable context for readers of the 9/11 Commission report. Written before 1999, this book has little to say about terrorism, and even less to say about the direction of the CIA under Woolsey in the Clinton years. Kessler devotes a large amount of time to subjects like Iran-Contra, Aldrich Ames, the contrasting styles of Casey and Webster, and the basic structure of the CIA. The reader will get a good feel for the CIA's culture, as well as a more realistic (that is, less fictionalized and romantic) view of what the CIA does and how it operates.

Quibbles:
The narrator is, frankly, not very dynamic. Kessler also repeats some details relentlessly; the controversy over the sale of CIA-themed coffee cups and the re-defection of Vitaly Yurchenko are two particularly annoying examples. The combination of a dull, lifeless narration with frequent repetition of details occasionally makes the book a bit boring. Nevertheless, if you are interested in the CIA's history up to about 1994 this is a must-have book.

Great Read

This was one of the best books I have "read" in a long time. If you like historical fiction you will love this book.

Wish there was more

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

I would definitely recommend this book to a friend. I thought the little accounts were fascinating. I could have listened to much more.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Inside the C.I.A.?

The most memorable parts to me are those that talk about the amazing accomplishments of the CIA when I've never heard of most of these stories before.

What does Chris Lane bring to the story that you wouldn???t experience if you just read the book?

I thought the narrator was solid but not outstanding.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Its a little long to listen to this in one sitting but maybe three or four.

I expected a lot more

This was sort of a lukewarm, almost 1940s newsreel style price about of the CIA that felt very white washed… I expected there would be some disturbing bombs dropped, but these were few and far between, and seemed to be sandwiched between more optimistic, and even justifying language.

I got this book because it is featured prominently on every episode of the Why Files, and I don’t understand why that is…

Good But Not Thrilling

This audiobook features good information on the history, organization and politics of the CIA. However, it would have been more interesting if the author had written more about covert activities.