The Good Spy: The Life and Death of Robert Ames

From the late 1960s until his death in the 1983 bombing of the U.S. embassy in Beirut, CIA operative Robert Ames held increasingly influential posts in the Middle East and Washington. An ardent and accomplished Arabist, he was particularly skilled at forming valuable and trusting relationships among major intelligence figures, most notably with Ali Hassan Salameh, Yasir Arafat's intelligence chief, who may have been the mastermind behind the 1972 Olympic murders in Munich. This particular relationship opened what was effectively a back door for American contacts with the PLO. Incorporating personal letters and interviews with covert coworkers, Bird (Divided City) here writes a book that is half biography and half espionage thriller, offering fascinating insights into the murky world of spycraft and the vagaries of Middle Eastern diplomacy under four presidents. It is also a tale of a devoted family man working to avert often pointless internecine conflict and of missed opportunities for peace. The narration by veteran actor Rene Ruiz is clear and engaging.