{"product_id":"spooked-the-trump-dossier-black-cube-and-the-rise-of-private-spies-isbn-9780062950680","title":"Spooked: The Trump Dossier, Black Cube, and the Rise of Private Spies","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eA Pulitzer Prize winning investigative journalist’s journey\u003cbr\u003einto a billon-dollar secret industry that is shaping our world – the\u003cbr\u003ebooming business of private spying, operatives-for-hire retained by companies,\u003cbr\u003epolitical parties  and the powerful to dig\u003cbr\u003eup dirt on their enemies and, if need be, destroy them. \u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eFor decades, private eyes from Allan Pinkerton, who formed\u003cbr\u003ethe first detective agency in the U.S., to Jules Kroll, who transformed the\u003cbr\u003einvestigations business by giving it a corporate veneer, private spies were\u003cbr\u003econtent to stand in the shadows. Now, that is all changing. High-profile stories\u003cbr\u003egrabbing recent headlines – the Steele Dossier, Black Cube, the Theranos\u003cbr\u003escandal, Harvey Weinstein’s attacks on his accusers –  all share a common thread, the involvement of private\u003cbr\u003espies. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eToday, operatives-for-hire are influencing presidential\u003cbr\u003eelections, the news media, government policies and the fortunes of companies..\u003cbr\u003eThey are also peering into our personal lives as never before, using off-the\u003cbr\u003eshelf technology to listen to our phone calls, monitor our emails, and decide\u003cbr\u003ewhat we see on social media. Private spying has never been cheaper and the\u003cbr\u003ebusiness has never been more lucrative—just as its power has never been more\u003cbr\u003epervasive.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eSpooked\u003c\/em\u003e is a fast-paced, disturbing and, at times, hilarious\u003cbr\u003etour through the shadowlands of private spying and its inhabitants, a grab-bag\u003cbr\u003ecollection of ex-intelligence operatives, former journalists and lost souls. In\u003cbr\u003ethis hidden world, information is currency, double-crosses are commonplace, and\u003cbr\u003ehacking can be standard procedure.  Drawing\u003cbr\u003eon his journalistic expertise and unique access to sources, Barry Meier uncovers\u003cbr\u003ethe secrets private spies want to keep hidden.\u003c\/p\u003e | \u003cp\u003ePraise for \u003cem\u003ePain Killer\u003c\/em\u003e:   “Groundbreaking . . . Barry Meier’s \u003cem\u003ePain Killer\u003c\/em\u003e is the shocking account of the origins of today's opioid epidemic, the creators of this plague, and the way to help stop it.” \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eSam Quinones, author of Dreamland: The True Tale of America’s Opiate Epidemic\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cp\u003e“Prescient . . . a landmark work of investigative journalism.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eDavid A. Kessler, former commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration and author of The End of Overeating\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003ePraise for \u003cem\u003eMissing Man:\u003c\/em\u003e   \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \"Meier's fascinating cat-and-mouse tale about government cover-ups, bungled investigations and the Levinson family's anguished pursuit of the truth is straight out of a \u003cem\u003eHomeland\u003c\/em\u003e episode.\"  - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003ePeople\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cp\u003e“Constructed as a nonfiction thriller, \u003cem\u003eMissing Man\u003c\/em\u003e is at its core a tragedy, \u003cem\u003eDeath of a Salesman \u003c\/em\u003ein the Persian Gulf.\" - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eTime\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \"....Meier adds color and depth to the political saga....an illuminating look at a shadowy industry.\" - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003ePublishers Weekly\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\"An adroitly handled, disturbing exposé, clearly relevant to discussions of the tactics of Trump and company....The labyrinthine narrative reveals a slick, high-stakes dark side to the proliferation of private intelligence firms via such flashpoints as the “Steele dossier” on Donald Trump and the “sleazy tactics” employed by Israeli firm Black Cube on behalf of Harvey Weinstein. Decrying “the oversized impact\" of these private spies, the author circles back to a grim secret: 'the big money is made not by exposing the truth but by papering it over or concealing it.'\" - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eKirkus Reviews\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative journalist Barry Meier delves into the pervasive, billion-dollar private spy industry in \u003cem\u003eSpooked\u003c\/em\u003e. . . . Meier is a lively guide to this dark and dangerous world.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eTatler (UK), The 10 Best Books to Read in Spring 2021\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“[Meier] has said what hardly anyone else in his circle of elite mainstream journalists has had the courage to say.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eWall Street Journal\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“\u003cem\u003eSpooked: The Trump Dossier, Black Cube, and the Rise of Private Spies\u003c\/em\u003e contains a comprehensive, page-turning narrative of the massive media and political dumpster fire that was the Steele dossier. . . . It’s a public service to have the rise and fall of the dossier documented so thoroughly in one place by an author who cannot be dismissed. The essentials are all there and then some, advancing the ball with colorful new details. . . . Regardless of your political perspective . . . [this] book is well worth a read.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eJason Foster, The Federalist\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“Shines a light on the recent newsmakers in private espionage.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eNew York Post\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“The first mainstream press figure to break the industry \u003cem\u003eomerta \u003c\/em\u003eover the reporting failures of Russiagate. . . . a particularly entertaining read for anyone who’s ever worked in a newsroom.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eMatt Taibbi\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“A lively and readable examination of some of the mischief wrought by the business of private spies.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eNew York magazine\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“\u003cem\u003eSpooked\u003c\/em\u003e is a . . . fascinating account of just how far the modern surveillance state has leeched in the private sector—and into private lives.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eJonny Diamond, Literary Hub Editor-in-Chief\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“A truly alarming glimpse into how the information market has become turbo-charged by dark money, loose morals and oligarchic feuds. I would highly recommend reading it.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eOliver Bullough, author of Moneyland\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“Filled with eye-popping revelations.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eBradley Hope, coauthor of Billion Dollar Whale\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“Meier’s book compiles and synthesizes several stories about recent private intelligence misadventures. . . . [his] research and original interviews flesh out the stories and characters involved.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eNew Republic\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“\u003cem\u003eSpooked\u003c\/em\u003e reads like the best kind of spy story: a gripping tale packed with twists and turns, uncovering a secret side of our modern world.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eWaterstones\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e“Meier is a Pulitzer-winning former \u003cem\u003eNew York Times\u003c\/em\u003e reporter, and he stirs an incredible amount of well-researched material into this book . . . a mad whirl of double-cross, Machiavellian machinations and, of course, money.” - \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eDarragh McManus, Irish Independent\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Harper","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":44889317933285,"sku":"NP9780062950680","price":28.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1842\/7735\/files\/9780062950680.jpg?v=1730230995","url":"https:\/\/k12savings.com\/products\/spooked-the-trump-dossier-black-cube-and-the-rise-of-private-spies-isbn-9780062950680","provider":"K12savings","version":"1.0","type":"link"}