By way of deception
1990
- intelligence service
- israel
- israel. sherut ha-biṭaḥon ha-kelali
- israël
- intelligence officers
- biographies
- service des renseignements
- service secret
- secret service
- israel. mosad le-modiʻin ṿe-tafḳidim meyuḥadim
The story
The first time the Mossad came calling, they wanted Victor Ostrovsky for their assassination unit, the kidon. He turned them down. The next time, he agreed to enter the grueling three-year training program to become a katsa, or intelligence case officer, for the legendary Israeli spy organization. *By Way of Deception* is the explosive chronicle of his experiences in the Mossad, and of two decades of their frightening and often ruthless covert activities around the world. Penetrating far deeper than the bestselling *Every Spy a Prince*, it is an insider's account of Mossad tactics and exploits. In chilling detail, Ostrovsky asserts that the Mossad refused to share critical knowledge of a planned suicide mission in Beirut, leading to the death of hundreds of U.S. Marines and French troops. He tells how they tracked Yasser Arafat by recruiting his driver and bodyguard; how they withheld information on the whereabouts of American hostages, paving the way for the Iran-Contra scandal; and how their intervention into secret UN negotiations led to the sudden resignation of ambassador Andrew Young and the downfall of his career. *By Way of Deception* describes the shocking scope and depth of the Mossad's influence, disclosing how Jewish communities in the U.S., Europe, and South America are armed and trained by the organization in secret "self-defense" units, and how Mossad agents facilitate the drug trade in order to pay the enormous costs of its far-flung, clandestine operation. And it portrays a network that has grown dangerously out of control, as internal squabbles have led to the escape of terrorists and the pursuit of "policies" completely at odds with the interests of the state of Israel. This document is possibly the most important and controversial book of its kind since *Spycatcher*.
What it’s like
Reads like a cold case file that talks back: clipped, declarative sentences, dense with cover names, cities, dates and bureaucratic jargon, with the occasional flat aside that makes a hotel lobby or a rented flat feel suddenly unsafe. The texture is procedural and paranoid rather than lyrical, so the pleasure lies in the accumulating detail of surveillance, false passports and cramped briefings in anonymous European and Middle Eastern cities. Vibe: suspicious, grim, slow-burning unease, best with a late-night lamp and a long stretch of attention. Pacing is brisk within chapters and episodic across them, each operation a self-contained scene that ratchets the sense of an organisation drifting beyond its own rules. Emotionally it stays detached and bitter, following a young recruit's disillusionment as he learns how the machinery works. Violence is discussed matter-of-factly, including assassination planning and reported killings, without graphic description, but the menace is constant and the tone is hard. Drug trafficking, betrayal and political cruelty appear throughout. Suited to readers of Cold War and intelligence nonfiction who enjoy institutional exposés and want their thrillers grounded in claimed fact rather than invention. Not for anyone seeking gentleness or comfort.
More books like By way of deception
Closest in mood, pacing and theme. Tell us why you loved By way of deceptionand we’ll explain which ones fit you.
