Spy Dust: Two Masters of Disguise Reveal the Tools and Operations That Helped Win the Cold War [Paperback]

Antonio Mendez (Author), Jonna Mendez (Author), Bruce Henderson (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 30, 2003

Moscow, 1988. It is the twilight of the Cold War, and the KGB is at its most ruthless. In the last three years, ten CIA operatives have been executed or neutralized. Langley has no idea how the KGB seems to be able to predict the CIA's every move, but some believe they are using an invisible electromagnetic powder that allows them to keep tabs on anyone who touches it: spy dust.

Enter CIA officers Tony Mendez and Jonna Goeser, who come together to head up a team of technical wizards and operational specialists, determined to solve the mystery that threatens to bring down the curtain on the Cold War's final act.

Beginning in Indochina and culminating in a breathtakingly daring operation in the heart of the Kremlin itself, Spy Dust reveals more about U.S. intelligence techniques abroad than any previously published work of nonfiction, and is a riveting account of spycraft, courage, loyalty, and love.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Retired CIA disguise expert Antonio Mendez (The Master of Disguise) teams up with his wife, also a former agent, to reveal how they fell in love during a highly critical mission in the waning years of the Cold War. Antonio and Jonna shift back and forth in their account as separate assignments eventually converge in the extrication from Moscow of a high-ranking KGB mole, jeopardized by the traitorous dealings of men like Aldrich Ames and Robert Hanssen. Fans of Alan Furst's WWII espionage novels will appreciate the subdued nature of this thriller, where the stakes are always high but the individual actions are usually low-key, as well as the details the Mendezes provide on the art of eluding surveillance. The title is a red herring although "spy dust" was a real element of the KGB's operations against foreigners in Moscow, its role in this story is of a background nature. The climax hinges on a much more old-fashioned game of cat and mouse. There are a few weak spots in the narrative, where the authors (or their collaborator, true-crime scribe Henderson) try to recreate scenes at which they weren't present, but for the most part this is an entertaining thriller with the added virtue of being true. 16 pages of b&w photos not seen by PW.
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal

"Spy dust" is a chemical marking compound developed by the KGB (Soviet secret police) to help track targeted individuals. It is just one of the tools and techniques discussed by the authors, who headed up the Disguise and Documents Division of the CIA's Office of Technical Service and are now consultants for the CBS TV drama series The Agency. The authors met in the mid-1980s while helping to rebuild U.S. intelligence operations in the USSR, which had been severely crippled by American traitors selling secret information to the Soviets. Included here are fascinating tales of clandestine meetings, narrow escapes, missed clues, ingenious equipment, and various successes and failures, and the reader soon comes to realize that a lot of professional brain power goes into planning and carrying out this deadly game with the highest stakes imaginable. There is a glossary of spy terms at the end of the book, but a map of Moscow would have helped. This interesting and easy-to-read tale complements Antonio Mendez's The Master of Disguise: My Secret Life in the CIA and is suitable for the espionage sections of both public and academic libraries. [Index not seen] Daniel K. Blewett, Coll. of DuPage Lib., Glen Ellyn, I.
- Daniel K. Blewett, Coll. of DuPage Lib., Glen Ellyn, IL
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: Atria Books (September 30, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0743428536
• ISBN-13: 978-0743428538
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.4 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (20 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #785,821 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Fascinating, but what's real?, January 31, 2003

By 

Kurt A. Johnson (North-Central Illinois, USA) - See all my reviews
(HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)    (TOP 100 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Spy Dust : Two Masters of Disguise Reveal the Tools and Operations that Helped Win the Cold War (Hardcover)

In the 1980s, after years of success in their operations against the Soviet Union, the CIA suddenly finds that the KGB has them outmaneuvered at every step. When it becomes clear that a vitally important Soviet informer must be spirited out of the country, CIA agents Antonio "Tony" Mendez and Jonna Goeser know that they cannot rely on the old methods of working, but must devise a whole new set of tactics. This is the story of Tony and Jonna, and the greatest American intelligence coup of the 20th century.

This book is not a mere retelling of historical events, instead it is history written in the form of a novel. Along the story, the authors trace their adventures, their deduction, and their burgeoning love. The story is well written, and keeps you on the edge of your seat.

Indeed, the one complaint I have against this book is that its narrative form left me wondering what was real and what was added. (After all, who can remember the words of every conversation one had over a number of years?) And, as a side complaint, while the Russians' use of a strange "spy dust" is mentioned; it is almost completely absent from the story, in spite of what the title might suggest.

But, in spite of my complaints, I must say that I greatly enjoyed this book, and highly recommend it to you.

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Authoritative Voice, April 27, 2004

By 

David R. Bannon, Ph.D. - See all my reviews

This review is from: Spy Dust : Two Masters of Disguise Reveal the Tools and Operations that Helped Win the Cold War (Hardcover)

Like Antonio Mendez' first book, Master of Disguise, this excellent entry in true espionage is filled with the nuts and bolts of daily intelligence work. As described in the book, it is a life that is messy, frustrating, and in the odd rare moment, filled with coincidences that are all the more satisfying because they are true. The tone is light, crisp and clear. As one would expect from Bruce Henderson, the story is narrative-driven, providing a human element and strong sense of place within the events described. The book offers no "dirt" on the CIA - Mendez is a loyal company man - but there is much insight into the workings of the organization during tumultuous and key years. The glossary is thorough without being exhaustive. Non-fiction fans and those interested in espionage will be pleased. David R. Bannon, Ph.D.; author "Race Against Evil."

10 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars True life tales better than thriller fiction, February 11, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: Spy Dust : Two Masters of Disguise Reveal the Tools and Operations that Helped Win the Cold War (Hardcover)

Having retired after 29.5 years in the CIA, I found SPY DUST a fascinating read in one sitting. It reveals the Agency indeed has "Mission Impossible" capabilities equal to those dreamed up by thriller genre authors who lack the personal experience of Antonio and Jonna. I was a bit upset by the negative tone of some of the reviews here, from people who obviously had been so influenced by trashy fiction they were unable to recognize "the real thing" when they saw it.

Antonio and Jonna were highly-specialized technicians supporting the operations of other case officers, operations whose complexity often requires the orchestrated participation of dozens of other Agency officers, and coordination with many different "desks" at Headquarters and field stations in other countries. In this sense, during their careers they probably enjoyed a higher level of job satisfaction than most case officers, who have the difficult, mostly frustrating task of finding and recruiting foreigners to spy for them. Most thriller authors have no idea of the amount of planning and preparation these real operations involve, and how easily things can go wrong. SPY DUST is a welcome eye-opener in this regard.

Because of their specialization, Antonio and Jonna contributed to more interesting operations every year than most case officers see in a lifetime. My hat is off to their obvious expertise, and I fully understand (which some reviewers did not) why they were unable to include more nitty-gritty details on exactly how some of their amazing technical tricks were performed.

Former CIA employees find a realistic true-life book such as SPY DUST extremely difficult to write, because it must be cleared (some would say censored) by the CIA Publications Review Board. Despite that, it is amazing how much informative detail and "been there, done that" personal experience the authors were able to reveal.

I never met the authors while we were all still "on the job," but SPY DUST has given me a deeper appreciation of their technical colleagues I encountered overseas.