Surprise, Kill, Vanish

The Secret History of CIA Paramilitary Armies, Operators, and Assassins

By: Annie Jacobsen

Narrated by: Annie Jacobsen

Surprise...your target. Kill...your enemy. Vanish...without a trace.

From Pulitzer Prize finalist Annie Jacobsen, the untold story of the CIA's secret paramilitary units.

When diplomacy fails and war is unwise, the president calls on the CIA's Special Activities Division, a highly classified branch of the CIA and the most effective black-operations force in the world. Originally known as the president's guerrilla warfare corps, SAD conducts risky and ruthless operations that have evolved over time to defend America from its enemies. Almost every American president since World War II has asked the CIA to conduct sabotage, subversion, and yes, assassination.

With unprecedented access to 42 men and women who proudly and secretly worked on CIA covert operations from the dawn of the Cold War to the present day, along with declassified documents and deep historical research, Pulitzer Prize finalist Annie Jacobsen unveils—like never before—a complex world of individuals working in treacherous environments populated with killers, connivers, and saboteurs. Despite Hollywood notions of off-book operations and external secret hires, covert action is actually one piece in a colossal foreign policy machine.

Written with the pacing of a thriller, Surprise, Kill, Vanish brings to vivid life the sheer pandemonium and chaos, as well as the unforgettable human will to survive and the intellectual challenge of not giving up hope that define paramilitary and intelligence work. Jacobsen's exclusive interviews—with members of the CIA's Senior Intelligence Service (equivalent to the Pentagon's generals), its counterterrorism chiefs, targeting officers, and Special Activities Division's Ground Branch operators who conduct today's close-quarters killing operations around the world—reveal, for the first time, the enormity of this shocking, controversial, and morally complex terrain. Is the CIA's paramilitary army America's weaponized strength or a liability to its principled standing in the world?

Every operation reported in this audiobook, however unsettling, is legal.

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.

©2019 Annie Jacobsen (P)2019 Hachette Audio

Critic reviews

"Jacobsen here presents a tour de force exploring the CIA's paramilitary activities...this excellent work feels like uncovering the tip of the iceberg. VERDICT: Highly recommended for those seeking a better understanding of American foreign policy in action."—Jacob Sherman, Library Journal

"A behind-the-scenes look at the most shadowy corners of the American intelligence community...Well-sourced and well-paced, this book is full of surprises."—Kirkus

"Having already demonstrated her remarkable aptitude for unearthing government secrets in books like Area 51 (2011) and The Pentagon's Brain (2015), Jacobsen pulls back the curtain on the history of covert warfare and state sanctioned assassinations from WWII to the present...Jacobsen's work revealing a poorly understood but essential slice of warfare history belongs in every library collection."—Booklist

The truth can be shocking...and entertaining...

One of the best books on the subject I have ever read on this difficult subject matter!

Unbelievable reporting and a great book

I highly recommend this book. Good story and reporting. A must read for anyone wanting to know more about the CIA, the war on terror, history, intelligence, and how are government handles classified information. Great book.

insightful and gripping

listened everyday for a few weeks to get through this but I was hooked. the authors reading style was the only thing that wore on me after a while. kind of melodramatic monotone...if that's even a thing?. regardless, she's an amazing researcher and writer and I couldn't stop listening such a good chronicle.

Interesting

A very interesting book on a different subject. I found the subject matter attention holding. My only fault would be total quality of the author reading the book. To me there were some odd tonal qualities and an over emphasis on pronunciation. The subject matter was great though, so it offset that.

Super interesting

Well researched and documented. As someone that likes history, I found this book fascinating. It is the 3rd book of hers I have read and they have all been engaging and super interesting. I would highly recommend any of her reads.

Intriguing and Full of Peerless Reporting on the Topic

Annie Jacobson is the perfect narrator of her own incredibly intriguing books. She continues to dig up facts and stories from the “frontline‘s“ of various covert government agencies and operations that aren’t found in any other book, at least that I’ve come across. I have thoroughly enjoyed all of her booksI don’t even give second thought to hitting the purchase button as soon as I come across a new release. I highly recommend this book if you have even the faintest interest in the CIA.

Great book

Anyone who knows anything about the agency knows that GB is the Where it ends.

This also does a better job talking about BDW than ‘Hunting the Jackal’ does, it’s just not told from his perspective.

I highly recommend this book to anyone and everyone!

Wow the am out of info!!

Annie takes a deep dive into the black world and history of the CIA. This is a gold mine of info. Not a story book almost could’ve been a master thesis on the CIA.

informative book good book liked it

I enjoyed this book I enjoyed listening to it in my tractor trailer over the course of a few weeks I learned an immense amount while listening to this book I highly recommend it

Educational and exciting

I love this book, I have always been interested in behind the scenes. I always wanted to be a hidden hand person.