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xread_write_repeatx's review against another edition
dark
informative
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual assault
ammmiiiii's review
3.0
Good crash course on the underworld of private spies. Use of Trump’s rise to President of the United States, and subsequent fall, is a brilliant and timely example of their powerful and terrifying influence today.
generalheff's review
2.0
This book had so much promise - offering an insider's look into the complex, murky world of for-hire spies and their interactions with journalists. Unfortunately, the structure - if it can be called that - was so lacking that chapters, names, places, events blur indiscriminately into one another, rendering it almost impossible for the reader to process what is going on.
To take a fairly typical example: nearish the end of the book on page 224, we are treated to a discussion of Neil Gerrard - who we've apparently encountered before but likely many pages before and with no 'gentle reminder' for the reader to re-acquaint themselves with this character. We then run into Mark Hollingsworth again, his links to Gerrard, another private spy called Charlie Carr; two spy firms - K2 Intelligence and Alaco - followed by ENRC and KPMG.
That's in one page. The book does this constantly - wheeling around and dashing to and from different people and entities, as well as whole different plot points. From Christopher Steele's Dossier to multiple other scandals, events and dubious dealings by the industry - it gives the reader informational whiplash.
It didn't need to be this way - the book has an important message and the author seems genuine in their desire to 'out' the private spying industry. But the incredible lack of narrative structure renders the book so hard to follow that it puts all their good work researching this material to waste. Perhaps the long-form book format did not suit a journalist. Either way if I - someone with a fairly good ability to read heavy, dry, technical books - was alienated and almost quit this book several times, I doubt less dedicated readers will get much more out of it. A real lost opportunity this one.
To take a fairly typical example: nearish the end of the book on page 224, we are treated to a discussion of Neil Gerrard - who we've apparently encountered before but likely many pages before and with no 'gentle reminder' for the reader to re-acquaint themselves with this character. We then run into Mark Hollingsworth again, his links to Gerrard, another private spy called Charlie Carr; two spy firms - K2 Intelligence and Alaco - followed by ENRC and KPMG.
That's in one page. The book does this constantly - wheeling around and dashing to and from different people and entities, as well as whole different plot points. From Christopher Steele's Dossier to multiple other scandals, events and dubious dealings by the industry - it gives the reader informational whiplash.
It didn't need to be this way - the book has an important message and the author seems genuine in their desire to 'out' the private spying industry. But the incredible lack of narrative structure renders the book so hard to follow that it puts all their good work researching this material to waste. Perhaps the long-form book format did not suit a journalist. Either way if I - someone with a fairly good ability to read heavy, dry, technical books - was alienated and almost quit this book several times, I doubt less dedicated readers will get much more out of it. A real lost opportunity this one.
lilreaderbug's review against another edition
3.0
Intriguing glimpse into the world of private intel business. Readers need some prior knowledge of events Meier describes in this book. 3.5 stars
cb1984's review
informative
medium-paced
2.5
Eh. There's certainly a lot of information, but by the nature of it (the relationship between private spies and journalists) none of it seemed particularly exciting - the most interesting stuff (the Steele dossier) is very much public domain. The book basically asserts its theory (private spies and journalists have a relationship that is bad for the public) it doesn't go any further than just repeating that over and over again through examples. There's a brief afterword about how to address it that was more interesting than about half the book.
gotossmycausticsalad's review
informative
4.0
Easy to read and very compelling. I don't feel like it was in depth enough to have answered all my questions on the intersection between private spying and journalism, but it's definitely given me a broad enough look to want to read deeper on the subject.
One small nitpick is that sometimes he'll throw in a random personal detail about someone he's talking negatively about in a professional light, which seems a bit unnecessary. I get that they're doing something shitty, I don't need the extra layer of character assassination too.
One small nitpick is that sometimes he'll throw in a random personal detail about someone he's talking negatively about in a professional light, which seems a bit unnecessary. I get that they're doing something shitty, I don't need the extra layer of character assassination too.
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