KAI BIRD is the coauthor or author of four previous books- American Prometheus, Crossing Mandelbaum Gate, The Chairman, and The Color of Truth. He is the recipient of a Guggenheim Fellowship and a MacArthur Writing Fellowship.
New York Times Bestseller
A Washington Post Notable Book
A Christian Science Monitor Top Ten Book, 2014
New York Times Book Review Editor's Choice
Entertainment Weekly's Best Spy Book of 2014
A Daily Beast Best Biography of 2014
An Apple Top 10 Biography of 2014
A rich nuanced portrait of a man who, in the CIA's term, had a high
tolerance for ambiguity...One of the best accounts we have of how
espionage really works.
Mark Mazzetti, The New York Times Book Review
Cool and authoritative The book s understated pleasures come from
reading a pro writing about a pro. Mr. Bird has a dry style;
watching him compose a book is like watching a robin build a nest.
Twig is entwined with twig until a sturdy edifice is constructed.
No flourishes are required . Mr. Bird s style is ideal for his
subject.
Dwight Garner, The New York Times
A well-researched, engagingly presented biography...The Good Spy is
a fascinating book that sheds much-needed light on one of the
murkier corners of CIA and Middle Eastern history.
Max Boot, Wall Street Journal
Full of great morsels and details Bird has found in Ames a
wonderful new subject . The Good Spy succeeds on the basis of Bird
s considerable research skills, his interviews with intelligence
officials, his access to Ames s letters home and, above all, his
ability to spot and put together an engrossing biography.
Washington Post
Bird captures the acrid taste of regional politics and offers a
perceptive portrayal of the internal workings and interplay of
personalities within the CIA at the time An enthralling read.
Houston Chronicle
[Bird] spent years researching this terrific biography of one of
America s most important covert operatives. It was worth every
minute.
Seattle Times
Engrossing This absorbing book suggests that even the best of
intentions, and the best of spies, aren t enough to bridge the
chasms in the Middle East.
Los Angeles Times
Riveting [Bird] relates fascinating details (drawn from interviews
with some 30 retired CIA andMossadofficers) about the culture and
practices of the agency, including the life-and-death implications
of designating an individual as either a source, a recruit or an
asset.
San Francisco Gate
With its pacy narrative, exotic locales and colourful cast of CIA
and Mossad agents, Palestinian and Iranian revolutionaries,
Lebanese operators and even a winner of the Miss Universe contest,
the book has all the ingredients of a first-class thriller. Kai
Bird writes well enough to be a novelist, too, but his sentences
have the additional virtue of being true.
Times Literary Supplement
In his riveting, illuminating account of Ames' life and ultimate
death in the 1983 embassy bombing in Beirut, Bird pulls back the
thick black curtain on the world of clandestine intelligence
affairs a world that turns out to be more blazer-and-pen than
cloak-and-dagger, though no less engrossing to tell the story of
one individual's good work in a not-so-good system. A
Entertainment Weekly
One of the best nonfiction books ever written about the West s
involvement in the Arab world.
The Spectator (UK)
All of this is engrossing for those fascinated by the machinations
of the people and politics of the Middle East But this book should
appeal to a wider audience. It underlines the need for
intelligence-gathering by humans as well as by machines, and
illustrates the gap between spying and policy.
The Economist
One of 2014's best books so far. A lucid, thorough, fascinating
biography.
TIME.com
It is a reflection of the drama of this patch of history as well as
Bird s skill in rendering it that the book is as compelling a read
as most spy novels.
National Interest
Kai Bird has written a riveting biography This intriguing book
shares many exciting exploits of Ames life as a spy, but most
captivating was his poignant relationship with Ali Hassan
Salameh.
Jewish Journal (Massachusetts)
Painstakingly researched...In addition to being an admiring
biography of a uniquely gifted CIA operative, The Good Spyreminds
us of those long-ago days when some sort of resolution was
considered even a remote possibility.
Highbrow Magazine
More exciting than le Carre s George Smiley or Fleming s James
Bond, Bird recreates the life of CIA superspy Robert Ames Bird s
meticulous account of Ames s career amid an ongoing Mideast climate
of caution and suspicion is one of the best books on the American
intelligence community.
Publishers Weekly (Starred Review)
A moving biography within a balanced presentation of the complex
diplomacy over the Palestinian quest for statehood and Israeli need
for security.
Library Journal (Starred Review)
A poignant tribute to a CIA Middle East operative who helped get
the Palestinians and Israelis to talk to each other and died for
it.
Kirkus Reviews
Kai Bird has produced a compelling and complex narrative that must
be read on many levels including as a detailed account of the
immense influence that a truly good man can have on an agency as
cynical as the CIA, and as a reminder of a myriad of losses. Robert
Ames did not live long enough to get what he most desperately
wanted a real peace in the Middle East. And America's intelligence
agencies no longer seem as welcoming to agents with the wisdom,
vision and integrity that Ames exemplified.
Seymour Hersh, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of The Price of Power,
The Dark Side of Camelot, and Chain of Command
Kai Bird has delivered two miracles the best day-by-day account of
a secret intelligence career in the CIA, and the best book about
the murderous intelligence war between Israel and her enemies with
America smack in the middle. For years Robert Ames The Good Spy
tried to nudge both sides toward peace until he picked the wrong
day to visit the U.S. Embassy in Beirut and was killed by a car
bomb. Bird has written a powerful and revealing story that leaves
the reader with a troubling question how did America get trapped in
this war it can do nothing to end?
Thomas Powers, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Intelligence Wars
and The Man Who Kept the Secrets: Richard Helms and the CIA
The Good Spy gives us the CIA up close and personal the intricate
dance of recruiting assets, the bureaucraticmaneuverings, the
family compromises. But because Ames was a Mideast specialist his
biography also becomes a knowing history of that region's political
failures and relentless descent into violence. Well reported,
even-handed, compelling reading -- one of the best books ever
written about the CIA.
Joseph Kanon, New York Times bestselling author of Los Alamos and
The Good German "Beautifully written and researched, The Good Spy
is the best book I've ever read on espionage. It perfectly captures
the CIA at its best. What's more, it's a book you can't put down,
right to its tragic end. I need to add this: while Bob Ames's
career and mine crossed paths over the years, it's Kai Bird who has
finally put the story together for me. Reading this, I wondered at
times if Kai somehow pulled off a black bag operation to get into
the Agency archives."
Robert Baer, former CIA operative and New York Times bestselling
author of See No Evil
Kai Bird has unearthed an astonishing amount of detail about Robert
Ames, the CIA, and U.S. spy operations in the Middle East. His book
could not be more timely in showing us the perils and advantages of
clandestine actions in the name of national security. The Good Spy
gives new meaning to the adage that truth can be stranger than
fiction.
Robert Dallek, author of the #1 New York Times bestseller An
Unfinished Life: John F. Kennedy 1917-1963
"If John le Carre were a nonfiction specialist, he surely would
feel the lure of writing the story that is at the heart of The Good
Spy. Kai Bird works the seam between history and espionage. He has
produced an arresting book one that is knowing, and masterful in
its rendition of a time when the United States cast a huge shadow
across the Arab world. Robert Ames, the spy in Kai Bird's title, is
a figure of unusual poignancy because his guile and innocence run
side by side.
Fouad Ajami, Senior Fellow at The Hoover Institution, Stanford
University, and author of The Syrian Rebellion"
"New York Times" Bestseller
A "Washington Post "Notable Book
A "Christian Science Monitor" Top Ten Book, 2014
"New York Times Book Review "Editor's Choice
"Entertainment Weekly"'s Best Spy Book of 2014
A Daily Beast Best Biography of 2014
An Apple Top 10 Biography of 2014
A rich nuanced portrait of a man who, in the CIA's term, had a high
tolerance for ambiguity...One of the best accounts we have of how
espionage really works.
Mark Mazzetti, "The New York Times Book Review"
Cool and authoritative The book s understated pleasures come from
reading a pro writing about a pro. Mr. Bird has a dry style;
watching him compose a book is like watching a robin build a nest.
Twig is entwined with twig until a sturdy edifice is constructed.
No flourishes are required . Mr. Bird s style is ideal for his
subject.
Dwight Garner, "The New York Times
" A well-researched, engagingly presented biography..."The Good
Spy" is a fascinating book that sheds much-needed light on one of
the murkier corners of CIA and Middle Eastern history.
Max Boot, "Wall Street Journal
"
Full of great morsels and details Bird has found in Ames a
wonderful new subject . "The Good Spy" succeeds on the basis of
Bird s considerable research skills, his interviews with
intelligence officials, his access to Ames s letters home and,
above all, his ability to spot and put together an engrossing
biography.
"Washington Post"
Bird captures the acrid taste of regional politics and offers a
perceptive portrayal of the internal workings and interplay of
personalities within the CIA at the time An enthralling read.
"Houston Chronicle
"
[Bird] spent years researching this terrific biography of one of
America s most important covert operatives. It was worth every
minute.
" Seattle Times"
Engrossing This absorbing book suggests that even the best of
intentions, and the best of spies, aren t enough to bridge the
chasms in the Middle East.
" Los Angeles Times"
Riveting [Bird] relates fascinating details (drawn from interviews
with some 30 retired CIA andMossadofficers) about the culture and
practices of the agency, including the life-and-death implications
of designating an individual as either a source, a recruit or an
asset.
"San Francisco Gate"
With its pacy narrative, exotic locales and colourful cast of CIA
and Mossad agents, Palestinian and Iranian revolutionaries,
Lebanese operators and even a winner of the Miss Universe contest,
the book has all the ingredients of a first-class thriller. Kai
Bird writes well enough to be a novelist, too, but his sentences
have the additional virtue of being true.
"Times Literary Supplement
"
In his riveting, illuminating account of Ames' life and ultimate
death in the 1983 embassy bombing in Beirut, Bird pulls back the
thick black curtain on the world of clandestine intelligence
affairs a world that turns out to be more blazer-and-pen than
cloak-and-dagger, though no less engrossing to tell the story of
one individual's good work in a not-so-good system. A
"Entertainment Weekly
"
One of the best nonfiction books ever written about the West s
involvement in the Arab world.
" The Spectator (UK)"
All of this is engrossing for those fascinated by the machinations
of the people and politics of the Middle East But this book should
appeal to a wider audience. It underlines the need for
intelligence-gathering by humans as well as by machines, and
illustrates the gap between spying and policy.
"The Economist"
One of 2014's best books so far. A lucid, thorough, fascinating
biography.
"TIME.com "
It is a reflection of the drama of this patch of history as well as
Bird s skill in rendering it that the book is as compelling a read
as most spy novels.
"National Interest
"
Kai Bird has written a riveting biography This intriguing book
shares many exciting exploits of Ames life as a spy, but most
captivating was his poignant relationship with Ali Hassan
Salameh.
" Jewish Journal (Massachusetts)
"
Painstakingly researched...In addition to being an admiring
biography of a uniquely gifted CIA operative, "The Good Spy"reminds
us of those long-ago days when some sort of resolution was
considered even a remote possibility.
"Highbrow Magazine"
More exciting than le Carre s George Smiley or Fleming s James
Bond, Bird recreates the life of CIA superspy Robert Ames Bird s
meticulous account of Ames s career amid an ongoing Mideast climate
of caution and suspicion is one of the best books on the American
intelligence community.
" Publishers Weekly" (Starred Review)
A moving biography within a balanced presentation of the complex
diplomacy over the Palestinian quest for statehood and Israeli need
for security.
" Library Journal "(Starred Review)
A poignant tribute to a CIA Middle East operative who helped get
the Palestinians and Israelis to talk to each other and died for
it.
" Kirkus Reviews"
Kai Bird has produced a compelling and complex narrative that must
be read on many levels including as a detailed account of the
immense influence that a truly good man can have on an agency as
cynical as the CIA, and as a reminder of a myriad of losses. Robert
Ames did not live long enough to get what he most desperately
wanted a real peace in the Middle East. And America's intelligence
agencies no longer seem as welcoming to agents with the wisdom,
vision and integrity that Ames exemplified.
Seymour Hersh, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of "The Price of
Power, The Dark Side of Camelot, "and "Chain of Command
"
Kai Bird has delivered two miracles the best day-by-day account of
a secret intelligence career in the CIA, and the best book about
the murderous intelligence war between Israel and her enemies with
America smack in the middle. For years Robert Ames The Good Spy
tried to nudge both sides toward peace until he picked the wrong
day to visit the U.S. Embassy in Beirut and was killed by a car
bomb. Bird has written a powerful and revealing story that leaves
the reader with a troubling question how did America get trapped in
this war it can do nothing to end?
Thomas Powers, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of "Intelligence Wars
"and "The Man Who Kept the Secrets: Richard Helms and the CIA"
" The Good Spy "gives us the CIA up close and personal the
intricate dance of recruiting assets, the bureaucraticmaneuverings,
the family compromises. But because Ames was a Mideast specialist
his biography also becomes a knowing history of that region's
political failures and relentless descent into violence. Well
reported, even-handed, compelling reading -- one of the best books
ever written about the CIA.
Joseph Kanon, New York Times bestselling author of "Los Alamos" and
"The Good German" "Beautifully written and researched, "The Good
Spy "is the best book I've ever read on espionage. It perfectly
captures the CIA at its best. What's more, it's a book you can't
put down, right to its tragic end. I need to add this: while Bob
Ames's career and mine crossed paths over the years, it's Kai Bird
who has finally put the story together for me. Reading this, I
wondered at times if Kai somehow pulled off a black bag operation
to get into the Agency archives."
Robert Baer, former CIA operative and "New York Times" bestselling
author of "See No Evil"
Kai Bird has unearthed an astonishing amount of detail about Robert
Ames, the CIA, and U.S. spy operations in the Middle East. His book
could not be more timely in showing us the perils and advantages of
clandestine actions in the name of national security. "The Good
Spy" gives new meaning to the adage that truth can be stranger than
fiction.
Robert Dallek, author of the #1 New York Times bestseller "An
Unfinished Life: John F. Kennedy 1917-1963"
"If John le Carre were a nonfiction specialist, he surely would
feel the lure of writing the story that is at the heart of "The
Good Spy." Kai Bird works the seam between history and espionage.
He has produced an arresting book one that is knowing, and
masterful in its rendition of a time when the United States cast a
huge shadow across the Arab world. Robert Ames, the spy in Kai
Bird's title, is a figure of unusual poignancy because his guile
and innocence run side by side.
Fouad Ajami, Senior Fellow at The Hoover Institution, Stanford
University, and author of "The" "Syrian Rebellion""
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