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__karen__'s review
4.0
Fascinating true story. Jim Nicholson seemed a dedicated CIA employee and dad, but was found to be leaking secrets to Russia. He was investigated by the FBI, caught, and convicted. End of story, right? Not so fast... While in prison, he enlisted his son Nate to act as go-between and to smuggle messages to the Russians.
This is one of those books that I couldn't put down. I listened to the audiobook, and that meant everywhere I went, my phone (with the audiobook loaded) went as well. Jason Culp's narration was excellent, striking just the right tone and pace.
Ultimately, I felt for Nicholson's son, Nate. He'd held his dad in high esteem, and his dad manipulated him without regard for potential repercussions for Nate. All in all, a very interesting story and excellent audiobook. Recommended.
This is one of those books that I couldn't put down. I listened to the audiobook, and that meant everywhere I went, my phone (with the audiobook loaded) went as well. Jason Culp's narration was excellent, striking just the right tone and pace.
Ultimately, I felt for Nicholson's son, Nate. He'd held his dad in high esteem, and his dad manipulated him without regard for potential repercussions for Nate. All in all, a very interesting story and excellent audiobook. Recommended.
stacys_books's review against another edition
5.0
I'm not even sure where to start. I've read a couple of true spy books, and so far Jim Nicholson takes the cake. This is a pretty great account of how he drew his son, Nathan, into his web. There's a good bibliography, too.
More later when I get my thoughts together on this. Still a bit gobsmacked.
More later when I get my thoughts together on this. Still a bit gobsmacked.
peter__b's review against another edition
2.0
"Tedious" is probably the best word to describe this book. I was never really engaged with what was happening and often found myself daydreaming through parts. The biggest cause of this tedium was the extraordinary amounts of "filler" that was used to try to flesh out the story. All it usually did was make me frustrated that it took over an hour to get to an ultimately benign point. There was even a whole, long-winded section that could be summed up as "spying is bad, mkay?".
The story moved along unbearably slowly, with unnecessary tangents about the lives of the people involved in catching the "spies". I use the term "spies" very loosely, since the book made them sound as complete amateurs, which I find hard to believe. I suspect it's more the case that the book left out pertinent information about how things actually happened.
I didn't "hate" the book, since there was nothing technically bad about it. The was a lot of detail that some people will definitely find interesting along with some interesting insights into how the espionage world works. Ultimately, the lesson I learned is that an interesting subtitle does not lead to an interesting book.
The story moved along unbearably slowly, with unnecessary tangents about the lives of the people involved in catching the "spies". I use the term "spies" very loosely, since the book made them sound as complete amateurs, which I find hard to believe. I suspect it's more the case that the book left out pertinent information about how things actually happened.
I didn't "hate" the book, since there was nothing technically bad about it. The was a lot of detail that some people will definitely find interesting along with some interesting insights into how the espionage world works. Ultimately, the lesson I learned is that an interesting subtitle does not lead to an interesting book.
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