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7seventythree3's review
2.0
Interesting idea. An average guy becoming a double agent. Supposedly a true story.
Likes: his sense of humor every now and then, the interactions with Oleg the Russian, that he used movies as inspiration to shape his alternative spy character, and the tattoo he chose.
Dislikes: Naveed seemed a bit egotistical and the story became a little repetitive.
Likes: his sense of humor every now and then, the interactions with Oleg the Russian, that he used movies as inspiration to shape his alternative spy character, and the tattoo he chose.
Dislikes: Naveed seemed a bit egotistical and the story became a little repetitive.
nina_rod's review
3.0
Having seen Naveed Jamali on MSNBC on all matters Trump Russia related, I thought I’d check out this book. I saw later an article about this novel that describes it as American slacker took down a Russian Spy at Hooters. This is a much better title to the book and pretty accurate. The middle of the novel was slow... as I guess most FBI intelligence operations are. While this story is a victory in our intelligence operation, I can’t help wondering if Russia is ultimately winning this spy game with their asset currently in the White House.
lewilk's review
1.0
This story might have made for an interesting GQ long form article, with some real examination of the protagonist and the institutions involved, but as a first-person narrative it was so tedious and off-putting. It was a super-fast read and still somehow full of fluff.
daniellearider's review
5.0
Despite the obnoxiously self-congratulatory, ego crazed author, this was one I just couldn’t put down. The story was fast paced and fascinating.
mythilisk's review
4.0
A fun, interesting read! And what a crazy story that only an American immigrant’s kid could probably pull off.
rachelb36's review
1.0
I try not to swear for the most part, but most of what popped into my head while reading this book was profanity.
Jamali is a narcissistic jerk who's convinced himself he is super-duper amazing. The book synopsis gave me the impression that he actually became a "double agent," and that he initiated this, and his relationship with the FBI, all by himself. No, he did not. In reality, his parents had a very minor relationship with the FBI and a Russian diplomat who recruits assets in the U.S. (This relationship consists of the diplomat ordering printed material from his parents' research company every few months and then the parents relating to the FBI what exactly he ordered.) Jamali decides he wants to be a "spy," like all the people he hears about in books and movies, and pushes his parents out of the way to become the new contact for the FBI. This is pretty much all that happens. The diplomat goes back to Russia after his 3-year contract is up, so there's not even an arrest.
I really can't say enough about how obnoxious Jamali is. He keeps repeating how funny he is and how much people like and respect him, but nothing about the interactions he recorded gave me that impression. He prattles on about his reckless, fast driving and he obviously thinks this makes him cool. He revels in the fact that he keeps his reckless driving a "secret" from the FBI.
He repeats many times how "cheap" the diplomat was (he apparently took advantage of the free materials the business offered), yet he also mentions many times that he left generous tips with every single purchase. He never reconciled these observations.
Jamali decides he has to come up with a "whole new persona" for when he was around the Russian diplomat. He states, "I got to be a much bigger a**hole with [the diplomat] than I ever was in real life. Constantly impatient. Quick to anger. Cocky. Obnoxious. Self-absorbed." (p 128) Ha! Nope, this is actually his true self. The fact that he thinks otherwise is both hilarious and disconcerting.
A few asides: There's quite a bit of language, and the authors have a bad habit of listing complete addresses when describing where Jamali was headed. As in, even the zip codes were included. This got really old.
I would highly encourage potential readers to save their precious time and skip this read. I wish I had read reviews beforehand and done the same.
Jamali is a narcissistic jerk who's convinced himself he is super-duper amazing. The book synopsis gave me the impression that he actually became a "double agent," and that he initiated this, and his relationship with the FBI, all by himself. No, he did not. In reality, his parents had a very minor relationship with the FBI and a Russian diplomat who recruits assets in the U.S. (This relationship consists of the diplomat ordering printed material from his parents' research company every few months and then the parents relating to the FBI what exactly he ordered.) Jamali decides he wants to be a "spy," like all the people he hears about in books and movies, and pushes his parents out of the way to become the new contact for the FBI. This is pretty much all that happens. The diplomat goes back to Russia after his 3-year contract is up, so there's not even an arrest.
I really can't say enough about how obnoxious Jamali is. He keeps repeating how funny he is and how much people like and respect him, but nothing about the interactions he recorded gave me that impression. He prattles on about his reckless, fast driving and he obviously thinks this makes him cool. He revels in the fact that he keeps his reckless driving a "secret" from the FBI.
He repeats many times how "cheap" the diplomat was (he apparently took advantage of the free materials the business offered), yet he also mentions many times that he left generous tips with every single purchase. He never reconciled these observations.
Jamali decides he has to come up with a "whole new persona" for when he was around the Russian diplomat. He states, "I got to be a much bigger a**hole with [the diplomat] than I ever was in real life. Constantly impatient. Quick to anger. Cocky. Obnoxious. Self-absorbed." (p 128) Ha! Nope, this is actually his true self. The fact that he thinks otherwise is both hilarious and disconcerting.
A few asides: There's quite a bit of language, and the authors have a bad habit of listing complete addresses when describing where Jamali was headed. As in, even the zip codes were included. This got really old.
I would highly encourage potential readers to save their precious time and skip this read. I wish I had read reviews beforehand and done the same.
schecky's review
4.0
Yeah the author does have an ego but I mean he did become a double agent. It's not the most cerebral read but it's a good read, you never know what may happen in life.
harvio's review
3.0
- The Washington Post - “Jamali, a smart, young New York techie, somehow spent three years going toe to toe with a Russian intelligence officer who thought he was developing an asset, even though all the while Jamali was quietly collaborating with U.S. federal agents…"