The Way of the Knife

The CIA, a Secret Army, and a War at the Ends of the Earth

By: Mark Mazzetti

Narrated by: Richard Ferrone

Length: 11 hrs and 44 mins

Publisher's summary

Pulitzer Prize winner Mark Mazzetti examines secret wars over the past decade, tracking key characters from the intelligence and military communities across the world. Among the characters we meet in The Way of the Knife are a young CIA officer dropped into the tribal areas to learn the hard way how the spy games in Pakistan are played; an Air Force test pilot who fired the first drone missile in the Nevada desert; a chain-smoking Pentagon official who ran an off-the-books spying operation in Afghanistan and Pakistan; and a woman from the Virginia horse country who became obsessed with Somalia and convinced the Pentagon to hire her to gather intelligence about al Qaeda operatives there.

Gripping, newsbreaking, and powerfully told, The Way of the Knife reveals the true nature of American warfare in the 21st century—a model that is here to stay.

©2013 Mark Mazzetti (P)2013 Recorded Books

Fascinating story that needs a better editor

Crazy subject jumps that made me rewind several times because I thought I had skipped ahead

Telling us what the government and media won't.

At first I was a little unsure about downloading this book. I did not want an agenda driven, right or left driven story. I wanted truth and facts and I think I got what I was looking for.

exaggerated but informative.

lots of opinion here vice fact. but, well laid out and readable. don't take it all for face value!

Excellent!

Richard Ferrone has an excellent voice and I enjoyed hearing Mark Mazzetti’s words through him. The book was very thorough on setting up the background for the various characters so the multitude of plots could be understood better. I came away with a greater understanding of the US involvement across the globe over time.

Details details details

Very intriguing large scope book on the political spying agencies & the arm wrestling games each agency played. Very good book!

Not bad

This is an interesting book about shifts in policy in the military and the intelligence services involved in the war on terror from about 2001 onwards. (Some of the material actually pre-dates 9/11.) If the subject matter interests you then you will probably find the book to be worth a credit. Shortcomings of the work include the way the author jumps around temporally and the overly-dramatic reading by the narrator.

Interesting but parochial

Good overview from an American mainstream point of view. Lots of interesting stories, primarily from US intelligence community. Does a good job of portraying debates within the same community. As usual for an American author, however, the framing is ultimately a parochial one. International law, critics from the left, the voices of innocent victims are given very little attention here. The cowboys have compelling, three-dimensional lives. The Indians appear like ducks at a carnival shooting gallery. And so God’s favourite empire rolls on.

Captivating

As someone who spent years contracting in Afghanistan i find this book accurately told and wonderfully captivating!!

Mostly outdated

I am sure this was ground breaking and revealing when first published. It seems like almost ancient history now (2023). A lot has happened since, and many of the concerns brought up by this book have not been dealt with. As seen in most recent conflicts, drone warfare is here to stay and rapidly expanding. Many of the lessons learned the hard way on the ground are being used and taught.

Outstanding!

i couldn't wait for my 80 mile commute to and from work. i was completely absorbed by this book.