This book is a comprehensive history and current overview of Iran's Ministry of Intelligence and Security. It is a valuable addition to the literature on Iran, as this ministry isn't written about as often as the IRGC and other parts of the government. At the same time, the author often gets sidetracked, and spends a considerable amount of time either speculating, or discussing other parts of the Iranian government, since this one has only limited material available. So, it is a necessary book on an important subject, but could have included much more material.