The Spy Who Couldn't Spell

A Dyslexic Traitor, an Unbreakable Code, and the FBI's Hunt for America's StolenSecrets

De: Yudhijit Bhattacharjee

Narrado por: Robert Fass

A NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER

The thrilling, true-life account of the FBI’s hunt for the ingenious traitor Brian Regan—known as the Spy Who Couldn’t Spell.

Before Edward Snowden’s infamous data breach, the largest theft of government secrets was committed by an ingenious traitor whose intricate espionage scheme and complex system of coded messages were made even more baffling by his dyslexia. His name is Brian Regan, but he came to be known as The Spy Who Couldn’t Spell.

In December of 2000, FBI Special Agent Steven Carr of the bureau’s Washington, D.C., office received a package from FBI New York: a series of coded letters from an anonymous sender to the Libyan consulate, offering to sell classified United States intelligence. The offer, and the threat, were all too real. A self-proclaimed CIA analyst with top secret clearance had information about U.S. reconnaissance satellites, air defense systems, weapons depots, munitions factories, and underground bunkers throughout the Middle East.

Rooting out the traitor would not be easy, but certain clues suggested a government agent with a military background, a family, and a dire need for money. Leading a diligent team of investigators and code breakers, Carr spent years hunting down a dangerous spy and his cache of stolen secrets.

In this fast-paced true-life spy thriller, Yudhijit Bhattacharjee reveals how the FBI unraveled Regan’s strange web of codes to build a case against a man who nearly collapsed America's military security.

INCLUDES PHOTOGRAPHS

Terrific Book

What made the experience of listening to The Spy Who Couldn't Spell the most enjoyable?

Extremely well developed and suspenseful (even knowing the ending!).

What’s the most interesting tidbit you’ve picked up from this book?

This story, along with the traitorous actions of Bradley Manning and Julian Assange, demonstrates the serious damage that can be done to U.S. intelligence by one determined individual with a flash drive. On the flip side, it also shows the intelligence community's inability to safeguard it.

A Great Spy Caper

The Spy Who Couldn't Spell is an often lighthearted telling of a true story that is full of unexpected twists. It also serves as a good primer on cryptography, without delving in too deep and getting lost in the details of what is actually a rather intricate crime.

A good spy story well told

I enjoyed this book. It’s well written and tells a good spy story. It made me wonder… for every “in house spy” they catch, how many get away scot-free?

Thrilling & True

Would you listen to The Spy Who Couldn't Spell again? Why?

yes - to soak in any details that I missed the 1st time.

What was the most compelling aspect of this narrative?

Steve Carr's out of the box thinking. Why the spy did not plead guilty & why he was sentenced with the death penalty. The exhaustive search for threats to national security.

Which character – as performed by Robert Fass – was your favorite?

F.B.I. Special Agent Steve Carr

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

yes

Any additional comments?

It has thrilling & tense parts & lots of facts to help the reader understand the true threat to National Security.

fascinating story of a lesser-known espionage episode

this story is a fascinating weave of the spy with the hunter, the codemaker with the codebreaker. i enjoyed learning about the NRO and other lesser-known aspects of US intelligence. the writing is excellent, and the narration is peerless. visual codes were well-described, and it struck me that while the spy himself was described as telling his story in a monotone, this retelling was anything but. still, it was calm and easy to listen to. A++