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  • The Unexpected Spy

  • From the CIA to the FBI, My Secret Life Taking Down Some of the World's Most Notorious Terrorists
  • By: Tracy Walder, Jessica Anya Blau
  • Narrated by: Devon Sorvari
  • Length: 8 hrs and 10 mins
  • 3.9 out of 5 stars (12 ratings)

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The Unexpected Spy

By: Tracy Walder, Jessica Anya Blau
Narrated by: Devon Sorvari
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Publisher's Summary

A highly entertaining account of a young woman who went straight from her college sorority to the CIA, where she hunted terrorists and WMDs

"A thrilling tale...Walder’s fast-paced and intense narrative opens a window into life in two of America’s major intelligence agencies." (Publishers Weekly, starred review) 

When Tracy Walder enrolled at the University of Southern California, she never thought that one day she would offer her pink beanbag chair in the Delta Gamma house to a CIA recruiter, or that she’d fly to the Middle East under an alias identity.

The Unexpected Spy is the riveting story of Walder's tenure in the CIA and, later, the FBI. In high-security, steel-walled rooms in Virginia, Walder watched al-Qaeda members with drones as President Bush looked over her shoulder and CIA Director George Tenet brought her donuts. She tracked chemical terrorists and searched the world for weapons of mass destruction. She created a chemical terror chart that someone in the White House altered to convey information she did not have or believe, leading to the Iraq invasion. Driven to stop terrorism, Walder debriefed terrorists - men who swore they’d never speak to a woman - until they gave her leads. She followed trails through North Africa, Europe, and the Middle East, shutting down multiple chemical attacks. 

Then Walder moved to the FBI, where she worked in counterintelligence. In a single year, she helped take down one of the most notorious foreign spies ever caught on American soil. Catching the bad guys wasn’t a problem in the FBI, but rampant sexism was. Walder left the FBI to teach young women, encouraging them to find a place in the FBI, CIA, State Department or the Senate - and thus change the world. 

A Macmillan Audio production from St. Martin's Press 

©2020 Tracy Walder (P)2020 Macmillan Audio

Critic Reviews

"The Unexpected Spy will get wide attention, and deserves it. It will give readers a different, more vivid, and more human idea of the actual work of spying, counter-intelligence, and dealing with terrorism. It will be especially important to young women who are considering this kind of career." (James Fallows at The Atlantic, author of Blind into Baghdad)

"A well-written, engaging memoir, a serious and candid inside view of two enigmatic and significant institutions from a woman's perspective." (Booklist)

"Tracy Walder's The Unexpected Spy is an engaging and thoughtful story of service that will inspire generations of young women to come. Tracy's story is particularly moving because it provides a candid but often untold account of the challenges of serving one's nation amid tumultuous times. As a woman in national security, Tracy offers a glimpse into the rewards and risks of actualizing a dream in a male-dominated space." (Lauren Bean Buitta, founder, Girl Security)

What listeners say about The Unexpected Spy

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Brilliant book

This was a fabulous book and the reader was excellent to listen to. Most enjoyable and I will listen again.

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A rare and fascinating female's perspective

One brave woman's experiences, reflections, conclusions and inspirations from her time in the world of Operative Intelligence in the CIA and the FBI. Very engaging from start to finish, highly recommended

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