How Spies Think

Ten Lessons in Intelligence

By: David Omand

Narrated by: David Omand

Length: 10 hrs and 34 mins

Publisher's Summary

Brought to you by Penguin.

From the former director of GCHQ, learn the methodology used by the British intelligence agencies to reach judgements, establish the right level of confidence and act decisively.

Intelligence officers discern the truth. They gather information - often contradictory or incomplete - and, with it, they build the most accurate possible image of the world. With the stakes at their absolute highest, they must then decide what to do.  

In everyday life, you are faced with contradictory, incomplete information, too. Reading the news on social media, figuring out the next step in your career, or trying to discover if gossip about a friend is legitimate, you are building an image of the world and making decisions about it. 

Looking through the eyes of one of Britain's most senior ex-intelligence officers, Professor Sir David Omand, How Spies Think shows how the big decisions in your life will be easier to make when you apply the same frameworks used by British intelligence. Full of revealing examples from his storied career, including key briefings with prime ministers from Thatcher to Blair, and conflicts from the Falklands to Afghanistan, Professor Omand arms us with the tools to sort fact from fiction and shows us how to use real intelligence every day. 

©2020 David Omand (P)2020 Penguin Audio

Critic Reviews

"One of the best books ever written about intelligence analysis and its long-term lessons. Brilliant, lucid and thought-provoking." (Christopher Andrew, author of The Defence of the Realm: The Authorized History of MI5)

Mainly for Intelligence and Cyber interested profs

Good book on how intelligence, cyber and subversion threats has been handled in the past, are being in present and perhaps can be handled in future.
Many historical references with links to the present.
Absolutely worth reading, though... It is not a book for the ordinary reader of spy-novels, but mainly for readers with pre-existing interests in and understanding of the intelligence and Cyber communities.

Great content, bad narration

Good content about intelligence analysis from a UK perspective. Unfortunately, the narrator puts a downward intonation on every sentence, leaving the last half of every phrase a gravelly mumble. I prefer clear and understandable narration over dramatic sounding readings.

Great read

Captivating. I enjoyed the book very much.

Although familiar with the SEES model, the author does a fantastic job explaining it.

The last three chapters ruined the read substantially. David Omand seems to engage in exactly the sorts of flawed thinking practices he warns against. For this reason it gets 3 stars from me.

It’s a thought provoking book and I highly recommend it.

Full of valuable insights

Critical resource for understanding human behavior & motivation with in the complexities of a modern society.

Present surprise.

What really struck me was the application of historical references to applications in todays digital age minefield. Active measures to muddy the political waters by a foreign actor is not surprising but still very dangerous because they are so effective. The point people, no matter who, are very susceptible to misinformation and misdirection by those intent on influencing is well driven home. The realization of Americans applying active measures against Americans is utterly frightening examples in this book are excellent. This is a good read and timely.

Not the way to teach maths.

An interesting exposition of the way in which intelligence is analysed and acted upon, but reading out mathematical equations just doesn't work – one needs to see these WRITTEN DOWN and the absence of a PDF document to accompany the audiobook must surely count as an intelligence failure!!

An old spy's essential lessons for the digital age

While in parts overly technical for the lay reader, stick with it. The insights of a life in secret intelligence from the late sixties onwards covering Northern Ireland, The Falklands War, The conflict in the former Yugoslavia, to the interference in the US and European democratic processes by Putin's Russia. David Omand brings that technical evaluation of information for the reader / listener in a way that gives useful basic tools in information evaluation for future use. It will not make you an expert, in the same way that basic car maintenance skills does not make you a mechanic but you will be better equipped for the digital age by knowing those skills.

Philosophy of science 201

This is a very good book and would be worth more than three stars if it was not so misadvertised.

This is actually a book on general research methodology, particularly deductive and inductive reasoning, with examples from the world of international intelligence. It really reads as a course in philosophy of science, with a little extra on statistics. As such, it is actually quite good, if a little superficial. At times it has its facts wrong and one can see how the bias explicit in the examples may have influenced these factual mistakes, but on its actual matter of cautious inference of knowledge and making decisions with uncertainty, it is solid.

However, the title "how spies think" and the way the book is advertised allowed me to expected something more practical. Such as practical advise on use of prior knowledge in fast decision making, or ways to use basic intuition. Something more on the field spy like thinking. The book as it is tells rather how analysts think, or how researchers think. As a philosophy major who is fascinated by history and has some experience in statistics and empirical research, I was already familiar with literally everything in this book. While some points were admirably well expressed, and as I said I think this was a very good book on this subject, it taught me nothing.

That this title made it to print is astounding.

Sadly this title was written for another age, one that I'm uncertain ever existed, directed at a fictitious ideal of an obedient citizen. Who had slept through the digital revolution or anything from the political landscape post the fall of the Berlin Wall.

Brilliant

Great insights to analytical thinking. Book kept me interested and engaged throughout. Will definitely check out his other books.

Fine, just not what I’d expected

An interesting listen but not really what I’d expected. I thought it might be a bit more psychology based but the book focuses mostly on case studies of political happenings.
Found it quite hard to digest much information.

Seldomly I find books of this calibre

This is a highly recommendable book if you are interested in strategy. It is rare to get so much valuable info in one book, specially with the cut out specific situations from our recent history, that adds tention and extra authenticity to the content.

I don't like to give this high rating of a book and never thought I would do it but here it is....
Well done and earned David Omand!

It's read in with a enjoyable trusted voice and it's a diamond in my book collection. I had to also buy it since I wanted to follow up details in its content. I can do nothin else than highly recommend you to read it. No nonsense, just facts, analysis and strategies at its best.

I was expecting too much

This starts off well, some nice insights about how to think about information, but descends into a lecture on mainstream globalist agenda.
if you are looking for some sort of spy secrets or revelations, I would consider looking elsewhere.

There is basically nothing here that you would not have already heard from watching or reading mainstream media. it is all highly curated, on message, down with the agenda.

The title doesnt do the book justice.

It should be. (How Intelligence Analysts think) I am about to consume this for the fourth time.

Bias

I wonder how this person could advise anybody and be taken seriously please understand I am not trying to insult the author but give some constructive criticism while your reading your bias Shouts out and I'm not sure a successful spy could survive such a condition sorry.