Customer Reviews

Ruse: Undercover with FBI Counterintelligence

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

It's a first person narrative of the author's various stings and counterintelligence gambits working with, but outside of, the FBI. An interesting and worthwhile story in most respects.

It's a quick, easy read, and it is immediately clear the author doesn't take himself too seriously. When it comes to the task at hand, however, the sting, or ruse, is pursued with a serious, inward diligence as he sets up the likes of Edward Lee Howard, Vladimir Kryuchkov and others without diplomatic immunity.

I have a hard time not liking anyone who refers to Vladimir Kryuchkov as "Uncle Vlad"--wry, irreverent and metaphorically accurate.

For readers of the intelligence/espionage genre, there are several takeaways.

1. It contains new information, if not in huge quantities, certainly from the original perspective as a freelancer outside of (but loyal to) the U.S. and its intelligence community. It begs the question of the future role of commercial intelligence providers. Give me Stratfor or give me death.

2. The author's anecdotes sum up the adage: "Counter-intelligence with penetration is like shooting fish in a barrel; counter-intelligence without it is like knife fighting in the dark." -JJA.

3. The onset of paralyzing, initiative and spirit crushing bureaucracy in the FBI's middle management is fatal. One hopes a copy of the book is sent to Robert Mueller, his Directors and Deputy Directors on down through the ranks of Division Five. And maybe a senator or three.

Two last points.

The story, by its nature, is hard to corroborate. The man whose cover and lure was a book publisher now publishes his own book...a last ruse? The editors can help by including a foreword or pithy endorsement on the jacket, perhaps by Former Spymaster or some such. Something to vouchsafe character and credibility. Trust but verify.

Sadly, there is no index.

- Note to Editors: it was Russian journalist Artyom Borovik, not Borovin, that died under suspicious circumstances (referenced in the epilogue). RIP.

Fighting the good fight, writer warrior Robert Eringer has served his country well not only pursuing and gaining the confidence of the CIA traitor, Edward Lee Howard, who defected to the Soviet Union in 1985 giving up important US secrets to the KGB, but Eringer also managed to wind his way through the tangled bureaucracy of the FBI , to bring to American justice psychopath Ira Einhorn, who had been hiding out in a small town in France after murdering his wife,Holly Maddux, and, on top of that, to achieve his goals in his own wry way which included traveling first class,staying in the finest hotels, enjoying great wines and good food and laughs no matter that he sometimes faced the devil himself. His book RUSE, due out in April is a great read with a couple of laugh out loud moments and it proves once again that truth can be stranger than fiction.

Ruse is fascinating! A page turner to the end. The author's keen intellect and abundant patience in setting up and orchestrating the various scenarios is intriguing and enlightening. There are several amusing, irreverent and even laugh-out-loud moments in the book. It is interesting to note that I have known the author personally for 7 years and knew very little about this part of his life. He lives the mystery that he is so practiced at masterminding.

Ruse is a well written account of the use of deception in counterintelligence.

The author takes us through a number of "sting" operations [ruses] aimed at capturing a notorious American CIA traitor living in the then Soviet Union and now Russia, a sidebar series of actions extracting information from the Cubans, and an episode leading to the extradition from France and capture of a murderer. All these activities were done for the author's client, the FBI.

Of greater significance than the sting operations is the insight provided into the FBI, the US Justice Department, the KGB and its successor the FSB. The bureaucratic paralysis and CYA culture in Louis Freeh's FBI and Janet Reno's Justice Department, under the Clinton administration, are both appaling and disappointing. The puffery of the ex-KGB operatives involved is humorous, but, if even half of what they said is true, somewhat sobering. The FSB under Putin is truly scary.

All in all, Ruse is a quick read and will be enjoyed by followers of the international intelligence genre.

An incredibly good read. In intelligence work, one of the most valuable talents is the ability to "think and act outside the box," which is often near impossible in rigid bureaucracies. This accounting shows there are no limits to achieving goals when imagination and creativity are given room to grow. In such an environment, the seemingly impossible comes to fruition and this book of factual intelligence events is proof. It will rank among the classics of good intelligence work. Moreover, a healthy sense of humor is an essential ingredient in success. There are valuable lessons to be learned here for those interested in spycraft.

Robert Eringer's Book Ruse: Undercover with FBI Counterintelligence is a hell of a suspenseful ride! A good patriotic hustler, who risks his life for country and justice, Eringer goes after traitor Edward Lee Howard in post-communist Russia, assists in the capture of notorious killer Ira Einhorn in France, hoodwinks die-hard communist KGB Chairman Vladimir Kryuchkov in Moscow, and plays the Great Game skillfully with Cuban Intellingence in Washington and Havana.

Kudos for Mr. Eringer's book, an excellent sequel and denouement for David Wise's Spy Who Got Away! Eringer closes his book by telling us what to expect from Putin's Russia, providing us another sequel to Alex Goldfarb's book, Death of a Dissident: The Poisoning of Alexander Litvinenko and the Return of the KGB.

This book is highly recommended for those who, like me, prefer cold war, historic non-fiction, real-life spy thrillers to imaginary fiction, cloak and dagger potboilers!!!

Miguel A. Faria Jr., M.D. is the author of Cuba in Revolution: Escape from a Lost Paradise

Mr Eringer is an amusing writer and it's interesting to see how he stretches such thin material to fill a book. He claims he worked undercover with the FBI as a book editor to try to entice former CIA agent Edward Lee Howard to a place where the FBI could grab him. He also claims to have done the same thing to fugitive Ira Einhorn.

I enjoyed the writing but remain very skeptical about the content

A fun and faced past narrative of an unbelievable series of characters, places and events. Mr. Eringer retains a sense of humor while recounting the, at times far fetched, cases which keeps this book from falling simply in line with all the other non fiction spy books out there.

While this is a quick read, have some time set aside for you will not be able to put it down!