How to Catch a Russian Spy

The True Story of an American Civilian Turned Self-Taught Double Agent

By: Naveed Jamali, Ellis Henican

Narrated by: Kirby Heyborne

Length: 10 hrs and 17 mins

Publisher's summary

The fascinating story of a young American amateur who helped the FBI bust a Russian spy in New York - sold in 10 countries and in a major deal with 20th Century Fox.

For three nerve-wracking years, Naveed Jamali spied on America for the Russians, trading thumb drives of sensitive technical data for envelopes of cash, selling out his own beloved country across noisy restaurant tables and in quiet parking lots. Or so the Russians believed. In fact this young American civilian was a covert double agent working with the FBI. The Cold War wasn't really over. It had just gone high tech.

How to Catch a Russian Spy is the one-of-a-kind story of how one young man's post-college adventure became a real-life US counterintelligence coup. He had no previous counterespionage experience. Everything he knew about undercover work he'd learned from Miami Vice and Magnum PI reruns and movies like Ronin, Spy Game, and anything with Bond or Bourne in the title. And yet, hoping to gain experience to become a navy intelligence officer, he convinced the FBI and the Russians they could trust him. With charm, cunning, and a big load of naiveté, he matched wits with a veteran Russian military-intelligence officer who was recruiting spies on American soil, outmaneuvering the Russian spy and his secret-hungry superiors. Along the way Jamali and his FBI handlers cast a rare light on espionage activities at the Russian Mission to the United Nations in New York and earned a solid US win in the escalating hostilities between Moscow and Washington.

Now Jamali reveals the whole engaging story behind his double-agent adventure - from coded signals on Craigslist to the Russian spy's propensity for Hooters' Buffalo wings. Cinematic, news-breaking, and wildly entertaining, How to Catch a Russian Spy is an armchair spy fantasy brought to life.

Film rights sold to 20th Century Fox for director Marc Webb (The Amazing Spider-Man, 500 Days of Summer).

©2015 Naveed Jamali. All rights reserved. (P)2015 Simon & Schuster, Inc. All rights reserved.

The whole book is a humblebrag.

What did you like best about How to Catch a Russian Spy? What did you like least?

You know when your friend studies abroad in Spain for 1 semester and then they come back really adamant about pronouncing Barcelona as "Barthelona" ? That's just a tiny fraction of this guy. You can hardly get to the story without him dropping random Master's degree's that his family has, random references to graduate student beloved writers, and name drops of esoteric post-modern authors. Sure, I understood because this was, moronically, the type of stuff I chose to study in college. But Man, this guy is SO over the top. It's like a guy struggling to bench press as much as he can to show you that he can. The story is totally 2nd to you understanding how cool and hip and urbane he is. He's so well read and dreamy.... and what are we even talking about? Russian Spies?

He waxes poetic for entire chapters about how cool he was in high school and college, making you sit around and relive his glory days with him, like he's Al Bundy from "Married with Children" talking about his four touchdowns that one game back at Polk High.

What I liked best? I guess the few moments of 'fly on the wall' insight where a) it didn't feel like he wasn't embellishing, which was rare, and b) he wasn't flexing his 'I just got out of grad school, look at all these random esoteric names I can drop' muscles. But those moments were fleeting.

What was most disappointing about Naveed Jamali and Ellis Henican ’s story?

How insecure this guy must feel on a regular basis.

What three words best describe Kirby Heyborne’s performance?

Just Too Much

Do you think How to Catch a Russian Spy needs a follow-up book? Why or why not?

Definitely not - the writer just needs to gain some confidence and focus on telling a gripping story. We're here for the russian spy stuff, not how cool it was that time you got sent to the principals office in school (I wish I was joking)

Any additional comments?

The narrator - He actually wasn't bad , but the accents were terrible and ill-advised in general. Really doesn't help add to the 'non-fiction' vice when he's doing goofy voices for every character.

A fun read

Good story, excellent narration, an all around good spy story. Well worth the read is you enjoy tales of modern espionage.

Fascinating tale of intrigue

This book, while having humorous moments, due to the writing style of the author, is a fascinating look into the history of two generations of a family as they work as double agents. The point of their mission, disrupt Russian intelligence on American soil. It's definitely worth a listen, at least if you're interested in stories about intelligence and counter-intelligence, as it is an interesting story with a great voice that covers both intelligence and counter-intelligence.

Incredible Story!

I highly recommend this engaging and enjoyable read. The author’s relatable character comes through as he tells his incredible story of taking the lead on a successful counterespionage mission. The book is funny and captivating!

Good story, weak writing, abysmal reader

This author has an interesting story to tell, if he’d just tell it. It takes much too long to get anywhere, as we sit through descriptions of how he slacked in 8th grade math and what everybody was wearing at meetings that accomplished nothing. But perhaps it just seemed slow because of the reader/narrator, who read as if to an audience of novice English speakers, very methodically enunciating and pronouncing each word so precisely that he conveyed no expression at all. I guess it’s a testament to the interesting nature of the events that I sat through it to the end.

Entertaining if curious

It's definitely a bit of an ego stroking book, but entertaining! I just wish the ending was more conclusive and clear. That's the spy world for ya!
#Spy #DoubleAgent #tagsgiving #sweepstakes

Love It!

I loved the story line that this book displayed in highlighting how a us citizen helped to catch a Russian spy.

a little painful

hard to finish, comes off as an ego stroking rich kid story with fact errors

Fascinating journey

A fascinating combination of counterespionage story and coming of age story as we follow the authors journey from no life ambition to double agent and beyond. A great listen.

Autobiographical recount

Well written, authentic and charming
I suppose I wanted more action. but it was an clue in to the world of espionage.