True Crime Books

The book had a fair price, got to me immediately, and was in almost perfect condition.

Love Ann Rule's books, and I like these small case file stories more and more.

This is the first Ann Rule book that I have read.
She includes 7 cases that stretch from 1960 to the most current, the Winkler murder case.

The most intriguing for me was the oldest case. "The Antique Dealer's Wife" where Raoul Guy Rockwell undoubtedly murdered and dismembered his wife and step-daughter. He got away with it despite the dogged determination of the lead detective.

I found the case of Dorothy Jones a bizarre,unsolved mystery. There are two possible explanations and many reasons for believing either was the cause.

The chapter on the Winkler case leaves some questions unanswered.
There is no doubt that Mary Winkler killed her husband. The circumstances are unclear or at least,unproven.

"Smoke,Mirrors,and Murder" reads like a crime novel with both solved and unsolved murder cases. This is one of the better books in the true crime category that I have read to date and I can understand why readers like Ann Rule as an author. She's an excellent writer!

This is the latest book in Ann Rule's True Crime Series. The Writings are not up to her usual High Standards. In each of the cases covered it seems the villian is all bad and the victim is all good, which is not the usual case in real life. The best story is in the last one covered, which is "The Minister's Wife". The latter is the story of the Minister's wife from Tennesseee who shot him in the back "in self defense". I was not aware that part of the reason for problems in the marriage is that she fell for one of these Nigerian inheritance schemes. I still find it hard to understand (As Ann Rule does)how anyone could believe that a complete stranger would give you thousands of Dollars. But I guess financially desperate people do desperate things. However the depiction of "The Minister's Wife" (for some reason) created sympathy for her (in me.) I was glad that she served a very short sentence, and was released. One of the things that made these cases unappealing is that most of them occurred many years ago, when life was so much different here in the USA. (No internet, PCs or Cell Phones.)

Ann's insights on the Winkler case alone make this worth the purchase. But add into the mix the stories of several relationships gone bad, and you have a textbook of warning for women AND men. A great collection of shorter cases - not that the cases themselves are less important - but I do like this format because I can fit the reading into a busy mom's schedule.

I bought this book after seeing the movie, hoping it would clear up a few things that were glossed over in the movie. But even after reading the book twice, I still have more questions than answers.
One thing is quite clear, that Mr. Graysmith has decided who the real Zodiac is, and only presents the facts that support his finding. Personally, I would have preferred to be presented with more of the facts, so I can make up my own mind.
It's true what others have said, about the book being not very well written. It's clumsy and hard to follow at times, and all the name changes definitely don't help matters.
But even with all that, it's gripping and hard to put down. I finished it in two sittings the first time through.
I think before I spend any money on "Zodiac Unmasked", I'll look for it in the library. I have a hunch I should have bought that one and not this one, anyway.

I enjoyed Graysmith's book, and the movie based upon it, but the second half of this book degenerates into semi-absurdity. Graysmith presents many facts about the murders and the murdered, as well as the investigation regarding Zodiac. So far, so good. But when the trail goes somewhat cold, he begins to postulate various things about the killer and his motives. Graysmith attempts to tie many murders that were not conclusively linked to Zodiac with various astronomical and astrological events. I'm not an authority on astrology, but his astronomical coincidences stretch credulity. He speaks of 'aphelion', Saturn ascending, various Jupiter occurrences, solstices and equinoxes and attempts to show how these might have influenced Zodiac. Hey, might be true, but he names so much astronomical stuff that it seems completely without pattern. After all, there is ALWAYS some type of astronomical event occurring. And Graysmith attempts to define "aphelion", but gets it wrong. It's obvious that he has only a limited understanding of astronomy and it's not enough to make his case convincing.

Other faults include his mention of various relationships or events involving the victims, but he never follows through. Why did the guy have on 3 shirts and 3 pairs of pants on a hot summer night? What did the girl know about a previous murder? These and other questions go unanswered. That may not be Graysmith's fault, but he spends too much time building them up to just leave them hanging. A cursory mention would have served much better.

Graysmith also attributes a bit too much glamor and mystery to the codebreaking and codemaking in the case. Surely, the initial break of Zodiac's first cipher was a masterful accomplishment ... but to claim that the NSA, CIA and Naval Intelligence couldn't break the codes, then some amateurs (and later Graysmith himself) did what they could not is also absurd. First, I think it likely that if the NSA did break the code, they'd keep quiet about it. More likely is that none of these agencies really took the time to try. And as far as making the codes: Zodiac could easily have accomplished that from reading one of many children's books on the subject.

Okay, why three stars then? He does a good job at presenting the cold facts of the murders, and of tying together some other possible Zodiac activity. There seem to be few places where one can read the entire story of the Zodiac in any coherent fashion, and here Graysmith does a good job. It's still an interesting read.

The author was intimately involved in the investigation of the Zodiac killer and this is his dissertation. Real life being more scary than fiction, this book was hard to put down and made it hard to sleep as well. The author does a good job of laying out the facts of the case, the details, and the main suspects. If you like suspense, thrillers, or murder mysteries, this real life drama surpasses all the fiction. Here's to hoping this case actually is solved one day.

Incredibly detailed story with tons of factual information. Graysmith does an excellent job of displaying the facts of the Zodiac case along with his own opinions. Some questions, however, are left unanswered, which is frustrating, but that is because the case will probably never be solved completely. One of the biggest unanswered questions for me was why were the authorities never able to track down Kathleen Johns; she was the only surviving victim that spent a significant amount of time with the Zodiac. She was the only victim to actually see and hear zodiac and live.

Graysmith's story is very similar to the movie however, there are a few details to the case that were left out and have a good amount of meaning relating to the case. Overall, it is a good read and will leave you wanting more.

I liked the movie a lot but wanted to know more - now I fear I know too much. It is an interesting painfully detailed account of the Zodiac murders.

This story was particularly awful in how these people were killed. All for money and their boat. The killers were too lazy to go out and get real jobs so they killed this couple instead. They deserve whatever they're getting in prison.

Received in great condition but wasn't impressed with this story either. I had read about it before. Sad story, though. Satisfied with seller.

This is a good book, does a good job of allowing you to get to know the characters, made me cry several times for the Hawks family. It's an easy read and well worth the money for the book, but the author was apparently a bit too anxious to get the book out. The murderer has yet to go to trial. I guess with it being in California, that's not a surprise. As of the summer of 2008, Skylar Deleon had attempted to sever his own penis with a razor blade while in the mental health ward of the Santa Ana Jail. It was reattched. The trial is currently set for August 25, 2008. We'll see. Dixie Hawks reportedly died of cancer this summer.

Being new to the true crime genre, mostly a reader of fiction, mystery, and non-fiction adventure and science (a.k.a. Crichton, Connelley, Krakauer, or E.O. Wilson), I was pleasantly surprised by this book and this author. This story surprised and shocked me to say the least. Ms. Dirmann's account was well researched and very well written. Her conversational style kept me turning the pages as though she were telling me the story herself, in person. It made for an easy, enjoyable read. In fact, I am looking forward to reading it again, as soon as I finish her first book, Such Good Boys, which I am halfway through after one day and cannot put down.

Also, I do not subscribe to the "written-too-soon" train of thought. The story ends with a sense of finality, with all of the accused (if they even deserve that bit of politically correct leniency) charged, behind bars, and at least one trial complete. As I understand it, others are still awaiting trial (it was recently postponed AGAIN until August 2008), and it's been 4 years since the murder. To wait for all trials to conclude before writing a book like this would deprive readers of an engaging tale for possibly years, and the story is far faded from the headlines. If opinions or accounts do change, I look forward to the 2nd edition for clarification, the decision of the jury, and the sentencing, if necessary.

Great work Ms. Dirmann, Ill be in line for your next one. Please keep them coming.

I am an avid reader, mostly of mystery fiction, but also true crime. I had followed the story when it happened. The interviews and Tina's dialogue style truly brought out the personalitites of everyone involved and how they all became entwined in this horrific event. It is a very tragic but interesting story and I recommend it to anyone interested in studying human nature.

It's completely believable. (did someone say it isn't totally believable?) It was the first experience I'd had reading any first-hand telling by someone as he in his teens kills his worst bully. His cold disposing of that body and getting away with it. Horrific. But what was meaner than his own father? The ice-man was hit, bashed for reasons that weren't clear to him at the moments his father came down on him. Out of the blue. Bad enough, child battery, when daddy states his reasoning. The iceman even believes that this daddy beat over and over his older brother until that child died. Hello? Mom? where was Mom? Right there! The beatings and other humane neglects formed warm pulsating heart into permafrost in he who became Ice. Ok. Life tells us there are no sufficient provocations for violence. but there are things done to soft and cuddly humans while they are dependent and trusting of the big humans who are in charge of such tenderness that screw their wee minds and there you go. What the Iceman did to his victims is unreadable. You lay (throw?) the book down and gasp and take days to recover and reluctantly give it your time yet again. A horrific read or did I say that? Yet Mr Carlo, you did good. Why did you not have to stop over and over to vomit as you related what are facts of such vile magnitude I'll never figure. maybe you did. Utterly unforgettable, and I tentatively thank you for reporting/writing it.

i am no book reviewer but at first i thought this is one crazy dude.several times i stopped to try to find out how many people wererolled up into this one guy.the photos and discription of him didn't seem to jibe with the dates.it'sfun to read but itt can't all be fact.

Great book about one of the most notoriously unknown killers of all time!

Richard Kuklinski was a very interesting man to say the least, his family life, his secret life of murder and his long list of petty crimes and schemes!

When you finish "The Ice Man", you'll feel as if you know the guy. The book starts off talking about Richard's horrible childhood and how/when he committed his first murder and takes you through his early days of crime and his association with the Mafia!

"Big Rich" as he was known to his friends killed over 100 men, possibly as many as 200. He killed using almost every means possible. Kuklinski claims to have killed the infamous Jimmy Hoffa and ruthless mobster Roy DeMeo. He not only killed for money, he killed without a reason. Strangers, punks, thugs and the homeless all felt the wrath of the Ice Man, but never women or children according to Richard.

Many people, including Richard Kuklinski believe he was poisoned while in prison, which ulitmately led to his death. Richard was going to testify against Sammy (the Bull) Gravano, he died in prison days before!

You can buy the dvd's here at Amazon of Richard's HBO interviews, they can also be found on Youtube! The interviews are excellent, they give a real life perspective of Big Rich!

Great read, very interesting stuff, truly a natural born killer!

This is a reprint of the review I wrote for my book review website Letters On Pages (www.lettersonpages.com)
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Horrifying.

That is really the only good way to describe The Ice Man: Confessions of a Mafia Contract Killer by Philip Carlo. The book itself isn't horrifying...in fact it is fantastically written. What is horrifying is Richard Kuklinski and the things the did during his lifetime.

You see...Richard Kuklinski was a Mafia hitman. He killed people for money. He also killed people because they upset him in some manner, like flipping him the bird while driving. The middle finger was a particularly terrible affront to Kuklinski...one that would likely earn you the death penalty. But those killings aren't where he made his mark on the world. Richard "The Ice Man" Kuklinski is known as one of the most dangerous mob related people ever. I say mob related because he was Polish, and you can't officially join the Mafia unless you are Italian. You can still work as a hired killer though apparently.

Kuklinski was a giant (literally at 6'5" 280lbs) psychopathic, sociopathic, anti-social, paranoid person. He had the classic serial killer upbringing: hyper-abusive parents, picked on by local bullies, enjoyed torturing animals...etc. His home life was so abusive that his father actually killed Richard's brother by beating him. So obviously there was no love in his house, or anywhere throughout his childhood. This, combined with his genetic disposition for violence and personality flaws, turned him into one of the most prolific killers ever. Kuklinski killed over 200 people during his life, most of them mob/organized crime related. His lack of conscience and inability to feel remorse meant that he was a perfect killer. He could "go see somebody", torture (if that's what the client wanted), kill, and dispose of the body with no second thoughts.

In fact, he had a family and loved them dearly. Actually, I don't know that he had the capacity to love. But he cared for them quite a bit. His home life was like Jekyll & Hyde though: sometimes he would be the most caring, thoughtful person around. Other times he would go on a rampage, destroying furniture and beating his wife. He never harmed his children, however. In fact, he would kill people for abusing children. He was a regular vigilante.

This book is amazingly interesting and I couldn't put it down. To read the stories that this man told were shocking. Carlo does a pretty good job of not being too explicit though. There are a few stories that are especially bad...but otherwise it's OK.

I (like a lot of other people) am interested in serial killers and why they do what they do. For some reason they are really interesting to people. I'm sure there are plenty of psyche people who could explain why. Kuklinski is one of the ultimate serial killers, and therefore, garners a lot of attention. That he did all of this while leading a relatively normal family life only futhers the intrigue.

Three HBO documentaries of Kuklinski were filed while he was in prison. I have seen one of them and it's pretty riveting stuff. It's actually frightening to watch him cavalierly describe taking another man's life. Sometimes he gets mad and glares at the interviewer...which is a haunting view for that person I'm sure.

I very highly recommend this book to anyone interested in True Crime, serial killers, or the Mafia. Be prepared though.

Rating: 5 out of 5

This book was an intense read. It's definitely filled with everything you might expect from reading the Amazon description. The one flaw is its lack of credibility, but I guess if a killer is as good as this, he wouldn't leave a trail of evidence to prove his stories are true later on.

Some of the beginning seemed to justify the way he treated his wife.
I enjoyed the book, but like so many others I was interested in the chapter about how OJ actually pulled it off. He really did it! The details say it all.

I bought this book for my two daughters aged 18 and 16. They are both non-readers and I have been encouraging them to read something. They both asked me to buy this book for them to read. I was really hesitant at first because of the topic but I felt that if they want to read I have to encourage them. I would not have bought it if the money goes to OJ but the front of the book claims it goes to the Goldman Family so I bought it. My girls read this book in 2 days. They both said it was a good book. I won't read it because I already have my opinion and don't need OJ to tell me his stories.

I have always thought OJ did the crime. That being said, I tried to open my mind, but couldn't as Simpson couldn't even open HIS own mind. The hogwash he writes (via a ghost writer who I believe was spot-on with what OJ said and didn't add much and stayed true to form)makes you so angry you need to put the book down to collect your thoughts.

Gee, the way he talks-Nicole was going to kill HIM. Poor baby.

I do hope the Goldman's make a mint on the book. That is the only justice left regarding OJ "the killer" Simpson. Hw shows what a lying [...] he is from the get go...........

Buy the book just to piss off OJ.

As I was reading "If I Did It: Confessions of the Killer" I had to keep reminding myself that this was a true story. I read it in two days. I cannot imagine how I would feel if the murderer of my children described the crime in blood curling detail like the killer did here. My heart goes out to Nicole and Ron's families. By the way, I thank the Goldman's for pursuing the rights of this book. I would not have purchased it if the killer was going to profit.

This book made me simply ill to my stomach. While I understand why the Goldman family wanted to expose oj (its hard for me to even type his initials), his "true story" about Nicole was so sick and distorted. He makes most things HER fault, her problem, "her awful friends", etc. Does he think readers that are half way intelligent people wouldn't see through this crap? That alone shows us who he really is. His old football cleats are wayyyyyy too big for him yet he still trys to wear them because in his egotistical brain hes still "all that". After reading this book with hypocritical supposedly how it happened theme, I say oj get a clue. Heaven isn't going to accept you dude.

I really like Joanne Fluke, but this book is one of the best yet. I actually made the peach bread recipie from it.

And that is the setting for this eighth entry in the Hannah Swenson series. Hannah is involved in a big way in the Tri-County summer fair, and she and her friends also get involved in a murder. One of her fellow judges in the Baked Goods section is murdered right at the fair, and Hannah stumbles on the body. These people (Hannah and her family and friends) are starting to really feel like friends of mine. I love the interplay between the characters, and the various personalities. And the stories are quite funny too. Hannah's ride on the Tilt-A-Whirl at the end of the book is hilarious! Sometimes the mysteries are a little easy to figure out, like this one is, but that does not detract from the sheer fun of reading these books. It is a delight, and I'm sorry that I'm almost up-to-date on this series, and will be left waiting each year for the next one.

I have been a long time reader of the Hannah series. I actually did not rush right out and get this book because I had been so disappointed in the last one. This book was better than the last entry, but I do feel that the author needs to take heed of her reader's requests to wrap up the whole Mike/Norman/Hannah storyline.

This entry, Hannah's overly precocious niece Tracy was only mentioned in passing, and that greatly improved the book, in my opinion. Also, the mystery was given more of a foreground, unlike the last book where the murder took place in the last third of the book. These were the things that made the book more enjoyable. Some have commented that Hannah sounds condescending in her tone or that she is unlikable. I don't feel this way about Hannah. I do, however, feel that for a woman of her age who makes it known that she is independent, owns her own home, her own business, etc., it is a bit unrealistic that she would not have a computer or cell phone. Most businessowners today, even of a bakery, have a computer for billing, ordering, etc.

I will continue to read this series as it seems that the mystery is improving by being the main part of the book, and will just have to look past the whole marriage proposal storyline. Actual rating would probably be a 3 1/2.

I always enjoy the Hannah Swenson mysteries. The recipes are great in this one, but the story is not her best. Very good, but not her best.

I'm not sure if it's boredom or morbid fascination that has kept me reading this series. The mysteries are good, I have to admit, but Hannah and her perpetual (and really too obvious) see-sawing between men is getting on my nerves. It doesn't work the way that Evanovich's Plum series does, because... because Hannah is a 'good girl'. It's all so uptight and... sweet. And annoying. Sure, Hannah has some imperfections because she's not as good looking as her sisters and has impossible red hair, but she's still too idyllic to make a good main character. Give me the screwed-up world of Plum or the unexpected world of Polifax any day! Character issues aside (and really only Hannah is annoying, several of the minor characters are quite well done) they're good little cozies and do have amazing recipes!

What must be one of the most tightly held secrets of CIA is the identities and operations of what are called Non Official Cover (NOC) officers. These individuals operate far from the safety of U.S. Embassies as private U.S. citizens under deep cover. As this book makes clear these officers are unique and often courageous individuals.
The pseudonymous author of this book, Ishmael (Call me, Ishmael), has provided an excellent account of just how a NOC goes about the business of recruiting and exploiting foreign agents often under extremely difficult circumstances. To his great credit, Ishmael managed to produce an informative and fascinating memoir that still protects sensitive CIA names, locations and operations. Ishmael is a former Marine Infantry Officer who, despite his contempt for CIA as an institution, still is a patriot first who wants the U.S. intelligence system to really work.
This brings us to what for many is the most important revelation of this book: the fact that CIA is and apparently always has been a dysfunctional institution virtually incapable, as an institution, of either effectively collecting human intelligence (HUMINT) or doing its core mission of producing strategic intelligence. Ishmael suggests that CIA has been able to attract a host of dedicated, capable people who should have made CIA the premier intelligence agency of the world. Unfortunately, Ishmael also describes a culture of amateurism and bureaucratic gamesmanship that has more often than not hampered if not prevented the agency from doing it job of producing good intelligence. CIA managers as described in this book come off as risk adverse, ill-informed bureaucrats incapable of supervising even mundane administrative activities. Ishmael also implies that CIA managers are excellent at protecting themselves, their `turf' and, of course, hoodwinking their nominal overseers in congress.
All this is pretty harsh on CIA, but seems to square with what Robert Baer, another competent and patriotic CIA intelligence officer, has noted in his own `intelligence memoir', "See No Evil" about his adventures as a case officer. Reading both books is an interesting exercise. Although there is no evidence in either book that the men knew each other both have arrived at remarkably similar conclusions on the sad state of CIA.

This is the ultimate adventure story of a deep-cover spy, operating throughout the Middle East, Asia, and Europe, tracking weapons scientists and terrorists. It is full of dry humor, and never slows down. But the real purpose appears to be to draw the reader's attention to the weakness in American national security caused by poor or false human intelligence. By not pontificating, the book is exciting and gets its point across. It's a book about intelligence reform disguised as a spy story.

Deep cover spy Ishmael recounts details about inept CIA training and torture courses, dodging co-workers trying to sabotage his work, falling prey to a dead-baby con scheme in Bombay, and the hilarious saga of his friend, the world's worst spy. I read an advance copy that should be the same as the final - and believe some of its revelations are explosive: the inability to place spies in foreign countries, the CIA's growth within the USA, disappearing money, work avoidance schemes, and great gaps in intelligence. A few paragraphs on the Plame incident are enlightening.

The Twins, a pair of CIA professors, pop up to intrude upon intelligence operations; a hunt for CIA pornography users decimates deep-cover spies overseas. CIA employees hire their spouses as managers in a confusion of nepotism. And bloody Iraq, a place of such absurd violence that ordinary CIA risk aversion is temporarily on hold.

The CIA's just a big couch potato, a failure at providing intelligence but an expert at feeding itself and growing ever larger. The consequences of this nonpartisan book could be far-reaching and CIA reform should be on the top of the Obama, (Hillary) or McCain agendas. CIA reform may well be the most important thing Americans can do as a nation to protect themselves. The author's decision to donate his book profits gives his case even greater strength.

First of all, I have purchased & read this book, and I recommend that everyone who is concerned about US security read it. Having been a former case officer myself doing exactly what Ishmael was doing, his story and analysis rings true with only a few insignificant exceptions. My time was twenty-five years before Ishmael's and the bureaucratic growth and risk-aversion trends were apparent then, but obviously they have become much worse.

Please allow me to make a few comments that might contribute to Robert Steele's excellent review.

Although the term "spy" is bandied about to sell books, for example, Valerie Plame's book, "Fair Game: My Life as a Spy...", case officers are not spies -- they handle, administer, and manage spies. As such Plame was not a spy, yet her career is typical: four years of training in the US, two years in an embassy overseas under diplomatic cover gathering tidbits at cocktail parties, four more years of training in the US, possibly a couple of months as a NOC (Non-Official Cover) case officer where she was not involved in any positive intelligence operations, (it takes years to become truly productive, if at all), and then ten more years in the US doing bureaucratic functions. I leave it to the reader to decide whether the taxpayer got his money's worth.

I do not mean to pick on Plame, but her story is typical. Very, very few case officers are effective, and when they are, it is in violation of policies and procedures from headquarters and only after taking extreme risks, both with regard to their physical safety and their career. Ishmael was willing to do this, and over time had to be eliminated in spite of his production because he; 1) made others look bad, 2) forced lazy bureaucrats to do even a modicum of work, and 3) was viewed as a loose cannon that someday would cause an intelligence flap. Another norm was "Suspenders", always looking good and making others feel good, but in reality contributing nothing.

The reader should be shaken to the core over the activities and bloated bureaucracy of the Agency within the US. The brief of the Agency is to provide intelligence ONLY on Foreign countries and agencies. The FBI is charged with providing domestic intelligence. So why are 90% of Agency personnel living it up in the US? Because it's comfortable, and that's what bureaucracies do.

The author's presentation of the approval process is not only accurate, but incomprehensible to a case officer. In my day operations could and were mounted within weeks (& that was without computers). If anyone watching a Hollywood movie where things happen with the velocity of light, please consider that approximately 80% of a case officer's time is taken up with paperwork (now computerized), 15% in support activities (travel, etc.) and maybe 5% in operations (if he is active, willing to by-pass procedures, and is willing to take risks.) Gathering human intelligence is not an easy job, and literally everyone above the case officer is against him, one way or the other.

In short we have "paralysis by analysis," and in the Agency this is furthered by bureaucratic "paralysis by approvals."

The author's accurate depiction of the problems in husband/wife teams in the bureaucracy should be taken to heart. They are essentially ALWAYS dysfunctional. The veteran reader should consider the situation where a husband and wife are officers together in the same infantry company and the problem is readily visible. But not to the Agency.

Another startling statistic is that the Agency is now 1/2 female. I wonder how many, if any, are successful case officers. I can't imagine any of my agents allowing themselves to report to a female. (Sorry, folks, but there is a lot of agent/case office bonding required.)

I was also startled to discover that case officers are paid $100,000 or more per year, plus all sorts of allowances and expenses. Ishmael's estimate that a case officer cost hundreds of thousands of dollars per year was incredible, particularly considering that most produce nothing. So what does run-of-the-mill human intelligence cost? $100,000 per page? And that doesn't count the bloated bureaucracy. This is truly a broken organization.

BUY AND READ THIS BOOK!

p.s. I can't believe Ishmael fronted the Agency up to $300,000 out of his own pocket. In my day such debts never went over a thousand dollars or two.

This is a clean-sheet final review. I considered dropping it to a four because of false notes. However, after adding up all the substantial "bombs" in this book, bombs I will itemize below, I believe the book not only merits five stars, but should--if Congress were honest, which it is not--warrant a full Congressional investigation, and a wholesale purging of the light-weight risk-averse clowns now managing CIA's directorates.

The author was a Non-Official Cover (NOC) Officer, something he is not allowed to say, but he no doubt has infuriated the pretentious at CIA by making it clear that virtually all of CIA's case officers are under Department of State cover.

I will list the false notes first. While I have not been active in clandestine operations since 1988, the following troubled me:

1) Ability to work on own funds with pay and expense gaps of up to $200,000 at a time.

2) Excessive travel to HQS and entry into HQS. In my day NOCs did not come inside at all.

3) Implied knowledge of inside operations and actual sighting of final cables--in my day, NOCs were handled as prize agents, and never saw any official traffic.

4) Agents (the ones committing treason) complaining to HQS to get their NOC fired? This is way over the edge.

5) Uninformed view on JAWBREAKER and First In with respect to public story--however, it is now it is coming out that Bin Laden was believed killed by multiple air bursts over Tora Bora, and the "flight" to Jalabad might have been a CIA deception ordered by the White House, and the only good explanation for why General Franks refused to drop a Ranger battalion, knowing it was merely in support of a CIA fabrication.

6) Inconsistency between one claim that Plame had four years of training followed by a short tour followed by five more years of training, and footnote 46, which is much more credible.

I hope other case officers, and NOCs, will read and review this book and contribute reviews that extend my own notes in the public interest. The time has come to shut CIA down and start over (the same is true of the rest of the secret world, but this book focuses on CIA).

Management crimes itemized in this book:

1) Waste of billions of dollars in post 9-11 money, to include paying rent for domestic assignments and creating hundreds of new CIA offices all over the USA, while failing to create new NOC capabilities overseas. [Note: open sources tell us that rather than fielding hundreds of NOCs, CIA created extremely expensive cover companies, all but one of which has since had to shut down--just as the Joint Fusion Centers across the USA are shutting down: CIA management is disconnected from reality in a big big way).

2) Risk aversion, multiple layers of inept and egotistical management, most of whom have made a career out of being in HQS rather than serving in the field (I myself did three back to back tours overseas and quit CIA when I was told to go down the hall and lie to another case officer--which was coincident with Ted Price deciding I was unfit for duty because I consider the DO a joke).

3) US academic access agents being sent to destroy NOC access and existing cases, management seeking to triple-up coverage on cases best handled by singleton NOCs. Combined with the risk aversion, with HQS officers being clueless on how easy a commercial approach can be, anywhere including in "rogue" or "threat" states, this book for all of its flaws, is a death blow to the Potemkin village called the National Clandestine Service.

4) HQS, and Agency personnel, have blown virtually every clandestine identity in history--very very few have been brought down by hostile counterintelligence. I was one of five case officers NOT blown by Phil Agee's Cuban-sponsored list as published in Mexico, this resonates with me. CIA lives "immunity from accountability," NOT "cover."

5) Many credible examples of CIA waste of new money on NOC "trainees" that are stationed in USA and "counted" in testimony to Congress. Riveting story on how CIA fabricated NOC overseas presence by sending NOCs on non-operational sight-seeing tours, called "Axis of Evil Tourism" by the NOCs.

6) Lends additional support to the long-known unwillingness and inability of CIA to operate in Syria or any other Middle Eastern country, in anything other than a declared liaison capability.

7) Destroys CIA claims on Europe, pointing out that more often than not CIA is "shut down" across Europe and refuses to do operational actions not being done jointly by liaison. Points out that Europe is important as a transit point, not as a target, but this nuance is evidently lost on risk-averse "managers."

8) Recurring theme is the micro-management, the multiple layers of approval and editing (including the morphing of Reports Officers into "Collection Management Officers" who no longer add value)

9) Exposes the ease with which an ally, perhaps Germany, has dangled double-agents and consistently embarrassed CIA case officers. This probably applies to Russia and France, and more subtly, to China and Cuba, but then CIA is not admitting any of this.

10) Page 118: in the Middle East, the author's primary area of operations, 15% of the NOCs working as they should; 70% quiet failures; 15% spectacular failures. The real question is: what number. My guess is 30, of whom only 4 are real, and half are light-weight contractors.

I am coming up on my 1000 word limit, so here are some teasers: NOC laptops used to fire one out of ten NOCs for access to pornography; polygraph given for "disgruntlement"; CIA stationary accidentally sent to all NOCs overseas; contract firms taking the money and destroying clandestine service....

The appendix, specific recommendations for reform, merits serious consideration. On balance, this book is now on my short list of essential references on the deception and death of our spy service.

See also:
On Intelligence: Spies and Secrecy in an Open World
Legacy of Ashes: The History of the CIA
Lost Promise
None So Blind: A Personal Account of the Intelligence Failure in Vietnam
Decent Interval: An Insider's Account of Saigon's Indecent End Told by the Cia's Chief Strategy Analyst in Vietnam
The Crimes of Patriots: A True Tale of Dope, Dirty Money, and the CIA
Dark Alliance: The CIA, the Contras, and the Crack Cocaine Explosion
See No Evil: The True Story of a Ground Soldier in the CIA's War on Terrorism
Still Broken: A Recruit's Inside Account of Intelligence Failures, from Baghdad to the Pentagon
Blond Ghost

This book by the first head of the CIA is a great introduction or overview of the basics of intelligence (with some tradecraft) and the collection and analytical cycles.

It is broad in scope. It covers most all of the bases. The detail and explanation in the foundations and fundamentals are there for the beginning student. If you read one book on intelligence - this is probably it. The focus of this book is on HUMINT.

Did you really think Allen Dulles would give us the beef ? This book is akin to a joke as far as content goes and I really think it is meant to hold coffee tables down rather than be read. Revelations such as "Most countries have 2 intelligence services rather than 1" and foreign hotel rooms reserved for dignitaries are usually bugged in the Soviet Union are shocking deep revelations typical of this poor excuse of a book. Buy it used if you must or better yet, peruse it at a library first and you will see it is worthless.

It's an interesting historical document, just because of the place in history that Mr. Dulles had.

The style of the book is more that of interesting dinner conversation, almost as if Dulles were a guest in your home for an evening with mixed company; nothing important or real is to be found in the pages of The Craft of Intelligence, it's all pleasant conversation; it kind of makes you cringe when reading Dulles' smooth and pleasant account, if you have read in other books, the kind of bloodshed and horror that really happened.

Allen Dulles said that "(i)n our time, the United States is being challenged by a hostile group of nations that profess a philosophy of life and government inimical to our own" and "(t)oday's intelligence service also finds itself in the situation of having to maintain constant watch in every part of the world, no matter what may at the moment be occupying the main attention of diplomats and military men." Given that this was written over forty years ago, in a radically different geopolitical climate, it is impressive that his observations are still valid and relevant, though not in the fashion that concerned him at the time of his writting. If someone reads this book broadly, without getting caught up in the constant references to the grand failure of the twentieth century, communism, there is great current relevance here.

Any citizen in a democracy has a duty to understand issues before voting. The actions and managment of the intelligence apparatus of the nation should be an essential issue in any voters' understanding of international affairs. "The Craft of Intelligence" will give the reader and voter a necessary understanding of the responsibilities and duties of the intellegence system. It discusses intelligence requirements, collection, and analysis, as well as defense against foreign spies, and deception.

But all that 'social conscious' and 'civic duty' stuff is the not the reason to read this book.

This is a bunch of awesome, historical spy stories! From a guy who has been there, done that from World War I through the height of the Cold War, you'll here the real life stories that inspired Tom Clancy, and Ian Fleming. And it's better than the made up stuff, as these events shaped the world we live in today.

I would be interested in hearing more from contemporary conspiracy theorists about this book. It seems ripe with items that could be interpreted as confirmation or denial (thereby 'truly' confirming the denied point...) of a wide range of incidents and topics. I wear my aluminum foil hat in eager anticipation of the ever amusing ramblings of the folks who know the 'truth' that has been withheld from those of us from the ignorant masses with our heads in the sand.

Great book, both as entertainment and for the responsible citizen (and as fodder for those uneffected by the mind control lasers from area 51).

E. M. Van Court

Allen Dulles was the Director of Central Intelligence from 1953 to 1961 during the eight-year term of Dwight Eisenhower and first ten months of John Kennedy's administration. His historical memoir `The Craft of Intelligence' has been re-published by The Lyons Press.
This re-issue of Dulles' book makes one take a new examination of the function of the DCI when the CIA started all of the things it's known for today and presumed to still be doing. Even though four DCI's served under Harry Truman the tenure of Dulles for Eisenhower best typifies what the CIA has now become known for.
Dulles was the ultimate `remain in the shadows, behind the scenes, backroom negotiator' that was so prevalent in the first half of the 20th Century political world. He must have been inspired to be that way by the antics of Colonel Thomas House who was the inside advisor to President Woodrow Wilson when Dulles' own uncle Robert Lansing was the nation's Secretary of State. And Dulles was in government work when politicians were still trusted by the public yet doing the nation's dirty work that was generally not revealed to the masses at that time.
The first four DCI's to President Truman in the years 1946-1953 came directly from military service when the agency was getting started and was only seen as an intelligence gathering entity. It was when Eisenhower took over and appointed Dulles as DCI that the CIA began covert operations and inserting itself into the matters of foreign governments for America's benefit.
Dulles had his followers as he attempted to implement Ike's plan of containing the spread of communism. But he also had his detractors as he put forth America's intelligence presence throughout the world during his tenure. He was obviously well thought of by Eisenhower since he served as DCI for the entire eight years of the 34th president's term. But his career ended in forced retirement when newcomer chief executive Kennedy blamed the CIA for the April, 1961 `Bay of Pigs' fiasco after Cuban freedom fighters launched from Florida were defeated on the beaches of Cuba by Fidel Castro's Army.
Dulles never made derogatory comments about JFK after his removal even though he must have had an opinion about it. So isn't it ironic that three years later he served on a commission to investigate the assassination of the very man who fired him!
Anyway, to get a read on the real Dulles as the holder of the nation's secrets you must look at every photo of him. You will observe that he always has a smug look on his face as if he knew he wasn't telling the whole truth to the American people but recognized he was still getting away with it.
Everyone in the spy business read the book when it came out in 1963. Even 007 himself, James Bond, studied the work while on an assignment in Japan in Ian Fleming's classic novel `You Only Live Twice' so he could pick up tips on how to be a better spy!
But it's apparent from forty years of hindsight and the declassification of many CIA files from that era that Dulles wrote this book in a matter that presumed us naive citizens still believed and trusted their leaders in what was being told to them was actually true. So his tome now comes off in a somewhat condescending manner with the revelations that most of what the CIA presumed about the threat from the Soviet Union and the state of the world for the last sixty years have been proven wrong or were grossly inaccurate to justify excessive and unneeded military expenditures for our side.
It's still arguable whether Allen Dulles was the best DCI we will ever have. But he knew how to brag when necessary and stay in the shadows when needed to keep his president happy.

American playwrights aren't good at creating a career of playwriting. Why, I can't say. They write dynamically for a given period and then off they go into putting the holy bible on stage or some such epic. They become mystics, like Allen Ginsberg. Shepard wrote plays for a while and then, I think, Hollywood put the zap on him and he was gone. His occasional pieces today are weak imitations of his former self. Money and fame may be responsible. Who knows? Here gathered in a single anthology are the key works, on which his life's reputation rests. "True West" sets the stage: we have real dramatic conflict, exciting dialog (of the sort last heard in Albee's "Zoo Story"), and high theatricality. The rest of the anthology is well worth reading, but for my money Shepard wrote a fine short play but his long and longer pieces are less interesting. Shepard has said in interviews that he sees plays as an outlet for ideas. The problem as I see it is that he has none.

I like to call this collection Best of Shepard Vol. 1. This collection belongs in any actors collection. Sam Shepard is a true, unique American voice. His eccentric characters, sparse writing and classic plays. I've seen "Buried Child" on-Broadway and scenes from "Buried Child", "Curse of the Starving Class", "Savage Love" and "True West" in countless acting classes. One of America's greatest writers.

This collection of plays is extraordinary. Shepard threads tales of cartoonlike characters bound by the direst of circumstances excellently.

The basic text of the most exciting playwright of recent decades. The place to start when discovering the American drama as reader, actor, or teacher!

11th grade English Essay
Phillips Academy, Andover

"True West"

The play is about the struggle between modern society and more traditional ways of life. Lee and Austin represent two disconnected brothers with drastically different upbringings who have come to accept different norms. Against the growth of the city and the suburb, their spirit of the Wild West, though diminished, still exists. They steal and fight just like cowboys and highway robbers. Yet, both Lee and Austin are scared and frustrated. Lee doesn't know if he should try to blend into the new ways, and Austin doesn't know if he should go back to the old ways. And this play about two writers writing about the West is in itself a Western story. It has all the excitement and violence of a rider's life.

Who else would steal a dozen toasters and TVs? Austin and Lee were lawless and wild, daring enough to do anything. Austin's car is like a horse, and driving out is like going for a raid. "Lee enters abruptly into kitchen carrying a stolen TV set." The sentence has such an air of ease as if Lee entered with a Shopping bag. Stealing is no more than a normal part of Lee's life. He lives off of it, like those high-way riders who plunder by-passers in the old days. The wholesale raid of the toasters shows the wilder side of Austin." It was toasters you challenged me to. Only toasters. I ignored other temptation." He says to Lee after the thievery. These words make Austin sound like a warrior who has just beaten his rival in some major battle. The only irony is that the major battle was about stealing a dozen toasters. Austin is bragging about his lawlessness, and that is a very cowboy thing to do. Not only are these brothers such "professional" thief, they also are more than violent. From Lee "ax-chops(ing) at the typewriter using a nine-iron" to Austin trying to choke his brother with a telephone cord while their mom is standing on the side. It is hard to get worse than that. It is like a misplaced scene from a Old Western movie. Not only do these pair of thief like to kill each other, they also have that independence and individualism that Western heroic images render so forcefully. On top of living on the desert by himself, Lee also says "I don't sleep." , and does not seem to eat breakfast. "Do you Eat Breakfast?" "Look, don't worry about me pal. I can take care of myself." When Austin asks him if he needs any help with money, "Lee suddenly lungs at Austin, grabs him violently by the shirt and shakes him with tremendous power." Lee wants money, but he is going to get it by himself, not through his little brother. Lawless, violent, and independent, Lee and Austin are depicted in the play as the "True Western Heroes" borne at a wrong time. This, however, is only the first layer of the play. It makes the story entertaining, but not meaningful.

"Yappin' their fool heads off. They don't yap like that on the desert. They howl. These are city coyotes here." The deeper meaning of the play is about the difference between the city "coyotes" and the country "coyotes". The country "coyote", Lee, is older, lives on a desert, use to catch snakes, and uneducated. The city "coyote", Austin, is younger, writes screen plays, does not remember having ever caught snakes, and has an Ivy League education. The brothers grew up together, but went onto totally different paths of life. But they don't merely represent two disgruntled brothers, but the struggle between the different ways of life. In Austin's eyes, the place where they used to live is "built up", but in Lee's eyes, the place has been "wiped out". But the struggle is not that simple. At the same time of feeling deep nostalgia, and refusing to adapt to the new way with help from his brother, because "it is too cold up there." , Lee also says the new houses that he saw were "like a paradise" with "Blonde people movin' in and outa' the rooms." Lee is deeply rooted in the old way of life and very unprepared socially and mentally for anything other than roaming around and stealing things. He likes comfort like anyone else, but the life of those living in those houses is like "paradise". They are far and aloft, and are not in his reach. Lee wants to write something to change his life, and Austin tells him that he can really turn things around and buy a ranch. Lee's excitement was obvious, " (laughs) A ranch? I could get a ranch?" We can see that it is very clear that even when Lee tries to change, he is only trying to change back to the old ways. Austin at the end of the play suddenly made a deal with Lee asking his brother to bring him to the desert. This shows the conflict at the other end of spectrum. Austin has more money, and has a seemingly good life. But is he really happy? Is his frustration with life any less than Lee's? No. The society that he has so well adapted to is of little comfort to him. He tries for years to get a screenplay to production, but at the whim of an executive, the deal goes to his brother. Austin is frustrated, and though he types betters, suffers as much. Lee asks Austin "maybe we're too intelligent..... One of us has even got a Ivy League Diploma. Now that means somethin' don't it?" But no, it doesn't mean as much as it seems.

The truth is, the old West as it was disappeared long ago. It is no longer filled with rugged mountains, uncharted rivers, cowboy hats, and one does not have the freedom to roam around for thousands of miles with only wild animals as his companion anymore. The untamed natural world went away a hundred years ago with the railroads, and has been changing even more ever since. It is sad to see the past go by for those who grew up as a part of it. Faced with new situations, some of these people try to adapt, some have no chance to adapt, and some don't even want to adapt. And for those who have adapted, they wonder if the decision to change in the first place was valid after all. They wonder if they should go back. That poor Lee had no chance to adapt. He was left out by progresses, and envies dearly the seemingly much more comfortable life that others have. Austin at the same time is in the mainstream of modern life, but he is just as troubled and depressed by commercialism. However, within all these confusions and fightings, all these differences and changes, there is something that has always stayed the same, and that is the true spirit of the West, the "True West". The motivation for people to go to the West in the first place is also the motivation that made the world more modernized. The struggles that the first settlers of the West faced were no different from the struggles that people now face as they move into new ways of life. That spirit is not limited to time nor place, it is about the fundamental human eagerness for new and for more, and at the same time, the unquenchable ties to the past.