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The Spymaster of Baghdad

The Untold Story of the Elite Intelligence Cell that Turned the Tide against ISIS

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The Spymaster of Baghdad

By: Margaret Coker
Narrated by: Cassandra Campbell
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About this listen

Brought to you by Penguin.

The Spymaster of Baghdad is the gripping story of the top-secret Iraqi intelligence unit that infiltrated the Islamic State. More so than that of any foreign power, the information they gathered turned the tide against the insurgency, paving the way to the killing of ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi in 2019.

Against the backdrop of the most brutal conflict of recent decades, we chart the spymaster's struggle to develop the unit from scratch in challenging circumstances after the American invasion of Iraq in 2003, we follow the fraught relationship of two of his agents, the al-Sudani brothers - one undercover in ISIS for sixteen long months, the other his handler - and we track a disillusioned scientist as she turns bomb-maker, threatening the lives of thousands.

With unprecedented access to characters on all sides, Pulitzer Prize-finalist Margaret Coker challenges the conventional view that Western coalition forces defeated ISIS and reveals a page-turning story of unlikely heroes, unbelievable courage and good old-fashioned spycraft.

'Authentic, moving, visceral, chilling, utterly revelatory, truly masterful. A stunning tour de force by an author who has lived every word of it on the ground. A story of our time that absolutely needs to be told' Damien Lewis, author of Zero Six Bravo

© Margaret Coker 2021 (P) Penguin Audio 2021

 Armed Forces Freedom & Security Middle East Military Politics & Government Special & Elite Forces War & Crisis Iran Espionage War

Critic Reviews

Authentic, moving, visceral, chilling, utterly revelatory, truly masterful. A stunning tour de force by an author who has lived every word of it on the ground. A story of our time that absolutely needs to be told (Damien Lewis, bestselling author of Zero Six Bravo)
Searing, pulse-pounding, yet also acutely human, this compelling account of how Iraqi agents infiltrated ISIS takes us deep beneath the lurid Baghdad and Mosul headlines and into a sharply focused world of courage, ingenuity, terror and love. This is not just a story of dry-mouthed espionage, but also of its profound repercussions upon loved ones and family; the intense struggle to live in peace in a land where extremists of all varieties seek to bring death. Greatly illuminating and powerful (Sinclair McKay, bestselling author of Dresden)
Coker's book would do John le Carré - and undoubtedly any number of Operations Officers - proud for her treatment of the role, value, and challenges of human intelligence and agent running. This book is not about the high-tech gadgetry of surveillance drones, signals intercepts, or cyber intelligence, though all three play a role in this story. It is about the unrivaled value of the man or woman on-the-ground or in the loop with access to the information. It is about the delicate art of handling a source, an agent, or an informant (Joshua C. Huminski, Director of the Mike Rogers Center for Intelligence & Global Affairs at the Center for the Study of the Presidency & Congress)
This eye-opening account of the Iraqi intelligence unit which infiltrated Islamic State may read like a thriller, yet it is also grounded in the experiences of everyday Iraqis . . . a unique masterpiece in the genres of espionage writing and spy biography (Vin Arthey)
Margaret Coker, formerly of The Wall Street Journal and The New York Times, continued to cover Iraq after most of the American press corps had moved on; she has produced a gripping new book about the shadow war between Iraqi intelligence officers and the Islamic State, The Spymaster of Baghdad . . . Her subject is an elite Iraqi espionage unit called "the Falcons," composed of ordinary men who helped save their country from the onslaught of ISIS. Coker's reporting on these men, their families, and the family of a young woman recruited by terrorists is so meticulous that it lets her enter invisibly a closed, sometimes frightening world and portray it with cinematic detail (George Packer)
Fast-moving and suspenseful (Samuel Sweeney)
All stars
Most relevant
Books that detail a sad story are difficult to hear and this one is eye opening
One of the things that is obvious is how normal and how difficult Iraqi life was in modern times
I was left with in awe of people's dedication to wanting to build a better Iraq
Its a well written account and very engaging

Sadly, very good

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A well told and in-depth book about the sacrifice made by two brothers to infiltrate a terrorist organisation, and a young woman's path from university student to plotting a potentially devastating terrorist attack.

There's not many audio books I've listed to more than once, this book is one of the few. It's both moving and informative.

Heartbreaking and moving book

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Very captivating book, especially from a quarter of the way through right to the end. High recommend

Amazing story.

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It starts a little slowly but it picks up steam and is a fantastic story by the end after all of the separate threads are finally woven together.

Slow start, great read

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Wonderful, intriguing and difficult to put down. I was listening in all my spare time.

Intrigue

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