What I Read...

Just finished Jeffery Deaver's Garden of Beasts. I am a huge fan of this author. I find his writing amazingly creative (though sometimes a bit too grisly) and funny. This book in particular marked a unique change for Deaver - rather than penning some forensic crime thriller, he's written a really smart story about espionage and redemption in Germany during Hitler's rise to power. If you're looking for an easy, fun read. This one is great.

Always a sucker for spy books, I was so glad to finally remember Robert Baer's See No Evil. This is one of those books that I kept reminding myself to read, but I'd always forget to check it out at the library or look for it at the bookstore. If you're unfamiliar with Baer, he's a very highly respected former CIA agent. In fact, two of his biographical books formed the basis for the screenplay for Syriana. (George Clooney's character is patterned after Robert Baer.)

My favorite part of the book comes when Baer is discussing highly sensitive issues. As a rule, the CIA requires all former agents to submit any and all manuscripts before publishing memoirs, articles, etc. What's so cool is that Baer actually leaves the "black-outs" in the book. You'll be reading through the paragraph and find a whole 2 sentences completely blacked out. Kinda' fun imagining what those sentences might say! Great book for all of you spy-nerds out there.