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Black Ops
- The Rise of Special Forces in the C.I.A., The S.A.S., and Mossad
- Narrated by: Mirron Willis
- Length: 10 hrs and 34 mins
- Unabridged Audiobook
- Release date: 10-28-13
- Language: English
- Publisher: Audible Studios
- Whispersync for Voice-ready
Regular price: $24.95
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Listen to this book!
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The National Security Agency is the world's most powerful, most far-reaching espionage organization. Now with a new afterword describing the security lapses that preceded the attacks of September 11, 2001, Body of Secrets takes us to the inner sanctum of America's spy world. In the follow-up to his best-selling Puzzle Palace, James Bamford reveals the NSA's hidden role in the most volatile world events of the past, and its desperate scramble to meet the frightening challenges of today and tomorrow.
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12 Strong is the dramatic account of a small band of Special Forces soldiers who secretly entered Afghanistan following 9/11 and rode to war on horses against the Taliban. Outnumbered 40 to one, they pursued the enemy army across the mountainous Afghanistan terrain and, after a series of intense battles, captured the city of Mazar-i-Sharif. The bone-weary American soldiers were welcomed as liberators as they rode into the city. Then the action took a wholly unexpected turn.
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4 out of 5 stars
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Great Book! But the narrator...
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In this factual account written with General Carl Steiner (Ret.), a commander who held responsibility for all U.S. Special Operations forces across all service lines, we get special insight into a largely secretive community whose members do not talk about their work. We hear about it only afterwards: the Achille Lauro hijacking, the "takedown" of Panamanian dictator Manuel Noriega, the efforts to find Aidid in Somalia. These are men sent in to do the impossible - and often, they achieve it.
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5 out of 5 stars
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Kill Bin Laden
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Imagine if you could learn to shoot safely and effectively at home saving you time and money you don't have. Well, now you can! Navy SEAL Shooting teaches you the groundbreaking training method developed by one of the most respected firearms instructors in the world, retired Navy SEAL Chris Sajnog. With easy-to-follow, step-by-step instructions and 385 illustrations, this book covers everything you need to know to make effective shots in any high-stress situation.
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2 out of 5 stars
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my last review was deleted
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Dirty Wars
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- Unabridged
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Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 681
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Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 591
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From Afghanistan and Pakistan to Yemen, Somalia, and beyond, Scahill speaks to the CIA agents, mercenaries, and elite Special Operations Forces operators who populate the dark side of American war-fighting. He goes deep into al Qaeda-held territory in Yemen and walks the streets of Mogadishu with CIA-backed warlords. We also meet the survivors of US night raids and drone strikes - including families of US citizens targeted for assassination by their own government - who reveal the human consequences of the dirty wars the United States struggles to keep hidden.
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4 out of 5 stars
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Great book, wrong voice
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Editorial Reviews
Former soldier and war correspondent Tony Geraghty takes a comprehensive look at the evolution of special-forces units and covert operations from the United States, United Kingdom, and Israel. With extensive research and hard-hitting prose, Geraghty outlines the history of Black Ops units from the Cold War's use of espionage to fighting off guerilla warfare in Vietnam and America's current tactic of nation building under the specter of terrorism. Mirron Willis gives Geraghty's complex history a refreshing clarity with his precise performance; his delivery of the fascinating material is explanatory while being methodical and sharp.
Publisher's Summary
A hard-hitting history of special-forces operations over the past fifty years in the United States, United Kingdom, and Israel.
After eight challenging years in Afghanistan, the new U.S. strategy, aimed at winning hearts and minds rather than search-and-destroy, refocuses the conflict on Special Forces: unorthodox soldiers who work outside of traditional military forces to combine secret military operations with nation building.
Tony Geraghty, an expert author in this field for almost thirty years, unveils the extraordinary evolution of this refined style of war-making from its roots in anti-guerrilla warfare in Ireland and Palestine, by way of the creation of the C.I.A., the S.A.S., the Green Berets, America’s Office of Strategic Services (O.S.S.), and many others, including Mossad.
This history is more than a tale of derring-do, although James Bond-like characters stalk every page. It is a sweeping examination of Black Ops at a time when they represent the future of an open-ended global war against terrorism.
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- Brian
- 10-07-15
Favorite Part was the Epilogue...
First book in my life where th epilogue, the Commentary after it all, the conclusion, was my favorite part. The book was ok...kinda boring and I did struggle to get through a few parts...many actually. . .and the narrator surely wasn't helping, he sounded stiffer than the sheets of paper he was reading off of, but the Epilogue made sense to me so that's what I'm taking from this. Now was it worth this entire book to get me to that point? To listen to one chapter? I can think of quite a few other much better ways to get there.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance1 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Rick
- 04-05-14
You Paid The Guy To Narrate This?
If you could sum up Black Ops in three words, what would they be?
Great Historical Information
Who would you have cast as narrator instead of Mirron Willis?
Dick Hill (actually almost anyone would have been a better choice)
Any additional comments?
I'm not trying to be disrespectful, it just wasn't a good choice as a narrator. I usually don't write reviews, but when I spend money to listen to a book - I expect that the person hired to narrate the book is going to do a decent job. This book is hard to listen to because the narrator isn't conversational - it's like reading one word at a time, thus the narration provides no sense of engagement. It is very mechanical with has no rhythm. He constantly mispronounces common words that are used within special operations or the military in general.
1 of 1 people found this review helpful
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance1 out of 5 stars
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Story3 out of 5 stars
- Mike
- 12-07-13
Interested in the story, but dislike the reader
Would you consider the audio edition of Black Ops to be better than the print version?
It was an interesting book, but I didn't appreciate the reader's condescending tone!
How would you have changed the story to make it more enjoyable?
The book could have taken a more center of the road position.
Would you be willing to try another one of Mirron Willis’s performances?
NO!
Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?
no
Any additional comments?
none
1 of 1 people found this review helpful
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance2 out of 5 stars
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Story3 out of 5 stars
- James A.
- 07-16-14
Dry BUT informative
Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or why not?
I would but advise them it is very monotone, but informative.
Would you recommend Black Ops to your friends? Why or why not?
Refer above
How did the narrator detract from the book?
Dry and monotone
Do you think Black Ops needs a follow-up book? Why or why not?
no.....see above
Any additional comments?
no
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance3 out of 5 stars
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Story3 out of 5 stars
- Jeff Shreve
- Fayetteville, AR, United States
- 07-16-14
Ok
Any additional comments?
It was a bit too broad in the material it tried to cover. Just as I started getting interested in a part of the story it would change to something new and lose my interest again. The narrator was bad but put it at 1.25 speed and it is not as bad as a lot of the other reviews have suggested.