Name: Dana Kraft's review of The Good Spy by Kai Bird
Item: The Good Spy
Rating: 3
Author: Dana Kraft

Kai Bird

Draws on extensive interviews with Ames' widow and quotes from his private letters to present a narrative of the making of America's most influential and effective intelligence officer in the Middle East.

The Life and Death of Robert Ames

The Good Spy

Dana Kraft

This book seemed like half a biography of Ames and half a history of the decline of the Middle East into chaos in the 70s and 80s. I suppose that those two are intertwined to some extent, but the second half of the book included too little Ames and too much chaos. That said, it's interesting to think about the different kind of intelligence assets with Ames as the consummate diplomat/spy who relies on intelligence and charisma rather than leverage and violence. I would like to have read a whole book about that. This isn't that book.

Dana Kraft &
The Good Spy by Kai Bird

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Dana Kraft &The Good Spy by Kai Bird

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Dana Kraft &
The Good Spy by Kai Bird