The Unexpected Spy

From the CIA to the FBI, My Secret Life Taking Down Some of the World's Most Notorious Terrorists

By: Tracy Walder, Jessica Anya Blau

Narrated by: Devon Sorvari

Length: 8 hrs and 10 mins

Publisher's summary

A highly entertaining account of a young woman who went straight from her college sorority to the CIA, where she hunted terrorists and WMDs

"A thrilling tale...Walder’s fast-paced and intense narrative opens a window into life in two of America’s major intelligence agencies." (Publishers Weekly, starred review)

When Tracy Walder enrolled at the University of Southern California, she never thought that one day she would offer her pink beanbag chair in the Delta Gamma house to a CIA recruiter, or that she’d fly to the Middle East under an alias identity.

The Unexpected Spy is the riveting story of Walder's tenure in the CIA and, later, the FBI. In high-security, steel-walled rooms in Virginia, Walder watched al-Qaeda members with drones as President Bush looked over her shoulder and CIA Director George Tenet brought her donuts. She tracked chemical terrorists and searched the world for weapons of mass destruction. She created a chemical terror chart that someone in the White House altered to convey information she did not have or believe, leading to the Iraq invasion. Driven to stop terrorism, Walder debriefed terrorists - men who swore they’d never speak to a woman - until they gave her leads. She followed trails through North Africa, Europe, and the Middle East, shutting down multiple chemical attacks.

Then Walder moved to the FBI, where she worked in counterintelligence. In a single year, she helped take down one of the most notorious foreign spies ever caught on American soil. Catching the bad guys wasn’t a problem in the FBI, but rampant sexism was. Walder left the FBI to teach young women, encouraging them to find a place in the FBI, CIA, State Department or the Senate - and thus change the world.

A Macmillan Audio production from St. Martin's Press

©2020 Tracy Walder (P)2020 Macmillan Audio

Critic reviews

"The Unexpected Spy will get wide attention, and deserves it. It will give readers a different, more vivid, and more human idea of the actual work of spying, counter-intelligence, and dealing with terrorism. It will be especially important to young women who are considering this kind of career." (James Fallows at The Atlantic, author of Blind into Baghdad)

"A well-written, engaging memoir, a serious and candid inside view of two enigmatic and significant institutions from a woman's perspective." (Booklist)

"Tracy Walder's The Unexpected Spy is an engaging and thoughtful story of service that will inspire generations of young women to come. Tracy's story is particularly moving because it provides a candid but often untold account of the challenges of serving one's nation amid tumultuous times. As a woman in national security, Tracy offers a glimpse into the rewards and risks of actualizing a dream in a male-dominated space." (Lauren Bean Buitta, founder, Girl Security)

LOVE TO SEE IT

Timely, one-of-kind journey alongside the compelling life of a brilliant, rugged, and inspired American who just happens to be a woman, and a DG to boot.

Stagnant Narration Dries Out Fascinating Memoir

Tracy Walder writes in great (and I mean nearly annoying detail) the key experiences of her career that lead her to a successful career in counter terrorism all over the world and here at home while proving that a woman can do anything and more than men can. While the story can get dry in places, the sterile, monotonous narration turns a multifaceted story into a something with as much interest as the owners manual of a car -important yet dull.

Excellent recount

I loved this book. It may seem cliche, writing about a career in intelligence after leaving, but I thought this was an interesting perspective from, as the title states, an unexpected source. The author's tenure was relatively short, so it feels very much un-jaded and is more youth focused. If you're a college student debating a career in intelligence I feel like this would be a better read than some long tome about the spymasters of yore (though admittedly, I am neither a college student, nor interested in intelligence work).

I played a game with myself as I was listening to the book - she doesn't give names for some of the locations she describes but she does describe certain features of some of the places. I did countless google searches afterwards trying to ascertain what some of these places were and have a couple guesses.

I would've liked it more if the author herself had narrated it (I always prefer this for first-person auto-biographical type books) but the reading is totally fine.

I thank her for her service and wonder if she can cut onions without tearing up.

This is an ok book.

Fair, too much information about herself and not info about herself. One needs only the. First chapter.

It had so much potential…

Tracy’s story is compelling and highlights the many challenges women face in their careers. I was truly saddened by how horribly she was treated in the FBI. What I was disappointed by was her need to identify women by their physical attributes. After the way she had been treated, it seemed odd she would treat these women in that way. The story could have been just as effectively told without that and suffers by it. The repetitive mentions of the fact certain sections were cut out by the CIA became distracting. It could have been handled once in the beginning. Instead, it continually disrupted the narrative.

Tracy accomplished a great deal in her short time with both agencies. The choice of narrator does not match that image. The narrator’s cadence and approach to the material makes Tracy sound a bit like a valley girl.

Alternate Title

I felt this book could have been retitled: ‘(paragraph/section/word) Redacted, CIA Review’
In the cases where this was the case, why not reword or write those redactions in a manner where it is not included in the final product. It takes away from flow of the story, especially in the audio book.

I appreciate the authors story, having been a part of the GWOT in the IC. Just think the reliance on redacted sections took away from parts of the story and told me a lot about the author.

Oy with the redaction

I was 'gifted' this book and it took me a long time to get used to 'cia word redacted'. Enough already. But I was impressed by the situation the author described and I learned a lot. It was a decent book, just the constant distractions of 'work redracted' wasn't cool.

Stunning storyteller

Mesmerizing. Fascinating account of a California girl in the CIA and FBI. Hard to put down. Loved this book

Interesting subject matter

Good insight into the covert world. Holds your interest and delivers as promised. My only criticism is the author could use a bit of humility, gets off-putting.

Very impactful

I thought this was a great and interesting book! I had tears in my eyes at the end, because the author found an awesome way to impact other women from her experiences. I wish the CIA wouldn’t have redacted a bunch like others mentioned, but I didn’t find it impacted the overall story and I was still curious to find out the ending. Thanks for your work, Tracy! Very interesting life you’ve lead and continue to do so!