The Best Espionage True Crime Books 2025

1. Triple Cross: How Bin Laden's Master Spy Penetrated the Cia, the Green Berets, and the FBI, (Paperback)

\"A chilling account of a killer who slipped through the hands of a daft justice system....Triple Cross chronicles one of the most vicious spies of our time.\"--Toronto Sun In the years prior to 2001, no single agent of al Qaeda was more successful in compromising the U.S. intelligence community than Ali Mohamed. For almost two decades the former Egyptian army commando succeeded in living a double life--marrying an American woman, becoming a naturalized citizen, and infiltrating the CIA in Europe, the Green Berets at Fort Bragg, and the FBI in California--even as he helped orchestrate the campaign of terror that culminated in the 9/11 attacks. Triple Cross is award-winning investigative reporter Peter Lance's chilling true account of the career of the master spy known to his al Qaeda brothers as \"Ali the American\"--an explosive narrative revealing the gaping holes in our nation's security net. Finally, coming off his previous FBI exposé, Cover Up, Lance also chronicles the collapse of the Brooklyn murder trial of former FBI agent Lin DeVecchio, a case that could well have revolutionized public understanding of the background of 9/11.

Triple Cross: How Bin Laden's Master Spy Penetrated the Cia, the Green Berets, and the FBI, (Paperback) Author: William Morrow & Company ISBN: 9780061189418 Format: Paperback Publication Date: 2009-06-01 Page Count: 688

2. The Terminal Spy : After sipping tea in a London hotel, Alexander Litvinenko, a former KGB officer and vocal foe of the Kremlin, fell ill and was rushed to the hospital, fatally (Paperback)

"A story that is at once a real-life thriller and an immensely sinister cautionary tale about the new Russia."--Star Tribune In this breathtaking true crime narrative, an award-winning journalist exposes the troubling truth behind the world's first act of nuclear terrorism. On November 1, 2006, Alexander Litvinenko sipped tea in London's Millennium Hotel. Hours later, the Russian émigré and former intelligence officer, who was sharply critical of Russian president Vladimir Putin, fell ill and within days was rushed to the hospital. Fatally poisoned by a rare radioactive isotope slipped into his drink, Litvinenko issued a dramatic deathbed statement accusing Putin himself of engineering his murder. Who was Alexander Litvinenko? What had happened in Russia since the end of the Cold War to make his life there untenable? And how did he really die? The life of Alexander Litvinenko culminated in an event that rang alarm bells among Western governments at the ease with which radioactive materials were deployed in a major Western capital to commit a unique crime. It also evoked a wide range of other issues: Russia's lurch to authoritarianism, the return of the KGB to the Kremlin, the perils of a new Cold War driven by the oil riches of Russia and Vladimir Putin's thirst for power. Alan S. Cowell, former London Bureau Chief of the New York Times, has written the definitive story of this assassination and the profound international implications of this first act of nuclear terrorism. A masterful work of investigative reporting, The Terminal Spy offers unprecedented insight into one of the most chilling true stories of our time.

“A story that is at once a real-life thriller and an immensely sinister cautionary tale about the new Russia.”—Star Tribune In this breathtaking true crime narrative, an award-winning journalist exposes the troubling truth behind the world’s first act of nuclear terrorism. On November 1, 2006, Alexander Litvinenko sipped tea in London’s Millennium Hotel. Hours later, the Russian émigré and former intelligence officer, who was sharply critical of Russian president Vladimir Putin, fell ill and within days was rushed to the hospital. Fatally poisoned by a rare radioactive isotope slipped into his drink, Litvinenko issued a dramatic deathbed statement accusing Putin himself of engineering his murder. Who was Alexander Litvinenko? What had happened in Russia since the end of the Cold War to make his life there untenable? And how did he really die? The life of Alexander Litvinenko culminated in an event that rang alarm bells among Western governments at the ease with which radioactive materials were deployed in a major Western capital to commit a unique crime. It also evoked a wide range of other issues: Russia’s lurch to authoritarianism, the return of the KGB to the Kremlin, the perils of a new Cold War driven by the oil riches of Russia and Vladimir Putin’s thirst for power. Alan S. Cowell, former London Bureau Chief of the New York Times, has written the definitive story of this assassination and the profound international implications of this first act of nuclear terrorism. A masterful work of investigative reporting, The Terminal Spy offers unprecedented insight into one of the most chilling true stories of our time.

3. Pre-Owned Facing down Evil : Life on the Edge as an FBI Hostage Negotiator 9780425211632

Paperback, Berkley Pub Group, 2007, ISBN# 0425211630

The inside story of FBI negotiations by the only agent with the courage to tell it. The assault on Waco. The Oklahoma City bombing. The Covenant siege. The Unabomber case. They all have Clint Van Zandt in common-a seminal figure in the formation of the FBI's Hostage Negotiation Program who was immortalized with a fictional counterpart in Silence of the Lambs. In this revealing book, he draws readers deep into the private world of those negotiations, as well as the workings of the criminal mind, as he recounts his career on the frontlines of the FBI's most famous cases.

4. The Litvinenko File : The Life and Death of a Russian Spy 9780312376680 Used / Pre-owned

The first book-length account of the radiation poisoning murder of Alexander Litvinenko, ex-KGB officer who turned against the Kremlin and fled Moscow. Includes 8-page photo insert. CONDITION – USED: Books sold are in GOOD or better condition. Good Condition: Minimal damage to the cover, dust jacket may not be included, minimal wear to binding, most of the pages undamaged(e.g., minimal creases or tears), highlighting / underlining acceptable on books as long as the text is readable and markings are not excessive, no missing pages. May be a former library book, with usual treatments(e.g., mylar covers, call stickers, stamps, card pockets, barcodes, or remainder marks). Extra components, such as CDs, DVDs, figurines, or access codes are not included. ISBN: 9780312376680 ISBN10: 0312376685 Contributors: Sixsmith, Martin,

Hardcover, St Martins Pr, 2007, ISBN# 0312376685

5. A Spy's Guide to Santa Fe and Albuquerque (Paperback)

When thinking of New Mexico, few Americans think spy-vs.-spy intrigue, but in fact, to many international intelligence operatives, the state's name is nearly synonymous with espionage, and Santa Fe is a sacred site. The KGB's single greatest intelligence and counterintelligence coups, and the planning of the organization's most infamous assassination, all took place within one mile of Bishop Lamy's statue in front of Saint Francis Cathedral in central Santa Fe. In this fascinating guide, former CIA agent E. B. Held uses declassified documents from both the CIA and KGB, as well as secondary sources, to trace some of the most notorious spying events in United States history. His work guides modern visitors through the history of such events as the plot to assassinate Leon Trotsky, Ted Hall's delivery of technical details of the atom bomb to the KGB, and the controversial allegations regarding Los Alamos National Laboratory scientist Dr. Wen Ho Lee's contacts with China. Held provides background material as well as modern site locations to allow Cold War enthusiasts the opportunity to explore in a whole new way the settings for these historical events.

A Spy's Guide to Santa Fe and Albuquerque (Paperback)

6. The CIA Lockpicking Manual (Hardcover)

Yes, this is the absolutely official guide to lockpicking from the US government and the Central Intelligence Agency. This is the same information that active agents in the field use to get what they need--even when it's locked away. With this clever pocket- sized guide, you'll quickly learn how to get yourself into--and out of--tight spaces. With clear explanations and detailed illustrations, The CIA Lockpicking Manual will quickly teach you what you need to know. Soon you'll be able to get yourself into your house, office desk, or car . . . without your key. The table of contents include: Basic Lock Picking The Concepts Behind Lock Picking Picking Procedure Tool Design Most Common Picking Techniques Lockpicking Process Conclusions Do you have the locksmith's phone number on speed dial? Find yourself spending a fortune on new locks after someone lost their keys again? Forgot your keys in the car one too many times? Free yourself once and for all from ever having a keyless crisis again with The CIA Lockpicking Manual. "In this volume we will discuss not only the fundamental theories of lock picking but proper terminology, the importance of tool design (using the right tool for the right job), the effects of tolerances, and finally the techniques most commonly used by locksmiths to successfully pick the cast majority of standard pin and wafer tumbler locks."

Yes, this is the absolutely official guide to lockpicking from the US government and the Central Intelligence Agency. This is the same information that active agents in the field use to get what they need—even when it’s locked away. With this clever pocket- sized guide, you’ll quickly learn how to get yourself into—and out of—tight spaces. With clear explanations and detailed illustrations, The CIA Lockpicking Manual will quickly teach you what you need to know. Soon you’ll be able to get yourself into your house, office desk, or car . . . without your key. The table of contents include: Basic Lock Picking The Concepts Behind Lock Picking Picking Procedure Tool Design Most Common Picking Techniques Lockpicking Process Conclusions Do you have the locksmith’s phone number on speed dial? Find yourself spending a fortune on new locks after someone lost their keys again? Forgot your keys in the car one too many times? Free yourself once and for all from ever having a keyless crisis again with The CIA Lockpicking Manual. “In this volume we will discuss not only the fundamental theories of lock picking but proper terminology, the importance of tool design (using the right tool for the right job), the effects of tolerances, and finally the techniques most commonly used by locksmiths to successfully pick the cast majority of standard pin and wafer tumbler locks.”