I found this book to be very informative and compelling. The quality of the reporting reminded me of Bob Woodward's accounts - informed by multiple interviews and extensive research. Here, there were some gaps that I attribute to the nature of the intelligence business. For instance, the lives and backgrounds of each of those who died in the bombing at the Khost CIA base were presented in remarkable detail - yet those who were also present, but survived, are not described at all.

Two of the main CIA agents involved in the incident were women, which really opened my eyes to the true nature of our meritocracy in military/intelligence matters in the US...

The depiction of the "Triple Agent" (Balawi) was balanced and empathic, which I appreciated since trying to understand such a person is critical if there is hope to divert/prevent future such occurrences. Once again, a horrific terrorist emerges from an otherwise well-educated (M. D.) person living in relatively modern society and comfort....

Another really intriguing takeaway was the depiction of life in the tribal regions of Pakistan - almost medieval culturally, yet with sophisticated technological tools. Then there are the Predator drones - flying, remote-controlled killer robots (!!!) - that are depicted as ever-present in the skies throughout the region - every account of life or activity in that region included the always-heard "buzzing" of these machines circling at 23,000 feet and with the capacity to place a missile within a square foot target in seconds! Truly scary! Not even special effects dominated cinematic fiction presents such a jarring context....