The Triple Agent

The al-Qaeda Mole who Infiltrated the CIA

By: Joby Warrick

Narrated by: Sunil Malhotra

Length: 7 hrs and 7 mins

Publisher's summary

A stunning narrative account of the mysterious Jordanian who penetrated both the inner circle of al-Qaeda and the highest reaches of the CIA, with a devastating impact on the war on terror.

In December 2009, a group of the CIA’s top terrorist hunters gathered at a secret base in Khost, Afghanistan, to greet a rising superspy: Humam Khalil al-Balawi, a Jordanian double-agent who infiltrated the upper ranks of al-Qaeda. For months, he had sent shocking revelations from inside the terrorist network and now promised to help the CIA assassinate Osama bin Laden’s top deputy. Instead, as he stepped from his car, he detonated a 30-pound bomb strapped to his chest, instantly killing seven CIA operatives, the agency’s worst loss of life in decades.

In The Triple Agent, Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter Joby Warrick takes us deep inside the CIA’s secret war against al-Qaeda, a war that pits robotic planes and laser-guided missiles against a cunning enemy intent on unleashing carnage in American cities. Flitting precariously between the two sides was Balawi, a young man with extraordinary gifts who managed to win the confidence of hardened terrorists as well as veteran spymasters. With his breathtaking accounts from inside al-Qaeda’s lair, Balawi appeared poised to become America’s greatest double-agent in half a century - but he was not at all what he seemed. Combining the powerful momentum of Black Hawk Down with the institutional insight of Jane Mayer’s The Dark Side, Warrick takes the readers on a harrowing journey from the slums of Amman to the inner chambers of the White House in an untold true story of miscalculation, deception, and revenge.

©2011 Joby Warrick (P)2011 Random House Audio

Critic reviews

" The Triple Agent is a spy thriller like no other. Never has such a giant intelligence debacle been chronicled this vividly, this intimately. Riveting and harrowing, laden with deception and duplicity, it is a remarkable, behind-the-curtain account of the CIA’s darkest day in Afghanistan." (Rajiv Chandrasekaran, author of Imperial Life in the Emerald City)

“Absolutely first-rate, breakthrough reporting.”(Bob Woodward, author of Obama’s Wars)

“ The Triple Agent is a superlative piece of reporting and writing. Joby Warrick manages to take the reader inside the CIA, Jordanian intelligence, and al-Qaeda. His intimate portraits of intelligence officers and the terrorists they stalk are unforgettable. The Triple Agent is one of the best true-life spy stories I have ever read.” (David Ignatius, columnist for the Washington Post and author of Bloodmoney)

Joby Warrick does it again.

This book is a fascinating tale that most Americans have no idea about. The narrator was excellent, as he properly pronounced Arabic and Pashtun names and cities.

The story, at times, seems to stray more to narratives of accessory characters, but they are fascinating and important nonetheless. In the last chapters, I thought I'd cry at the way it turned out and because of how beautifully written it is.

Great modern history story

The story is well told and captures the reader. We have read the newspaper accounts of the story, but this book fleshes out the real people involved on all three sides of the story. The author pulls together the facts to show us what all three sides were looking for and the human toll it took. The narrator does a fine job. Good read overall.

Amazing Story of Courage and Mistakes

Joby Warrick in The Triple Agent has provided readers with an exciting, informative, and thought provoking glimpse inside the CIA and the disaster at Camp Chapman. Throughout the book, Warrick simply tells the story – unapologetically and journalistically. The reader is free to come to conclusions at will. In the process of telling this story, the reader is thoroughly introduced to the bomber and the victims he took with him. In places Warrick takes your breath away. In others, details he has uncovered jar the reader awake. At times, the narrative brings tears and a serious appreciation for the men and women of the CIA who sacrifice so much in the service they perform to the nation. The book is worth the price of admission for nothing else than the subplot involving Elizabeth Hanson and Jennifer Matthews. Just amazing. This is one page turner. The reading of Sunil Madlhotra is wonderful. Don’t miss it.

A Real "Page Turner"

I could hardly put it down. No problem with the unfamiliar names - look up one or two online if you need to. Reads like a top thriller novel, except for the tragic end.

Passionate Story about People, CIA, and Sacrifice

The author made an effort to present real people with their weaknesses and strengths their desires and sacrifices, teamwork and moral dilemmas. The role of women in CIA, difficulty to build up a career, their struggle to grow, to become relevant, to maintain family lives, etc. were shown with striking honesty. The fanatics' psyche explanation, witnesses interviews, etc. made the story feel real. The author was very gentle with stories of people who sacrificed their lives not to take advantage of their deaths to popularize the book, but rather draw the real heroes to stick in the readers' memories.

Gripping & Engaging

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

Yes, Provides a lot of insight to the workings of the CIA that I've not read before.

What was one of the most memorable moments of The Triple Agent?

Can't say....It would be a spoiler. Even though you know the general story and what ultimately happens

Have you listened to any of Sunil Malhotra’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

Narration is excellent but a little fast in a few places. There is a lot of detail provided and a lot to take in.

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

Yes, finished this book in 2 sittings

Any additional comments?

Looking forward to his next book "Black Flag", which comes out later this month

VERY GOOD

This is an excellent book; it has incredible detail about the real world of espionage.

It was educational but also disconcerting.

I was pleased that I took the time to listen to it

Great book, monotone narration.

Great showcase on those involved with the case, narration was a bit bland and monotonous throughout.

Very good story, but ...

It is s good story, but in some parts, specially the narration of non American parts such as the parts of the agent's interaction with his family and with the terrorists, sounds more as a story than as history.
Since most of the names are middle Eastern it can be very confusing at some points.

overall, it's a very interesting story, but with some facts that are too good to be true.

FAILURE OF IMAGINATION

A CIA analyst, with minimal field training, is put in charge of the main CIA base in Afghanistan. The CIA agent, an ambitious woman and an evangelical christian, decides to put her faith in the valued double agent He is not searched and she makes sure that all the intelligence agents are present to greet him, to show him respect.

What follows is the worst CIA failure in history and a great read.