2024 the best of enemies parents guide review

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The thrilling story of two Cold War spies, CIA case officer Jack Platt and KGB agent Gennady Vasilenko -- improbable friends at a time when they should have been anything but.

In 1978, CIA maverick Jack Platt and KGB agent Gennady Vasilenko were new arrivals on the Washington, DC intelligence scene, with Jack working out of the CIA's counterintelligence office and Gennady out of the Soviet Embassy. Both men, already notorious iconoclasts within their respective agencies, were assigned to seduce the other into betraying his country in the urgent final days of the Cold War, but instead the men ended up becoming the best of friends-blood brothers. Theirs is a friendship that never should have happened, and their story is chock full of treachery, darkly comic misunderstandings, bureaucratic inanity, the Russian Mafia, and landmark intelligence breakthroughs of the past half century.

In Best of Enemies, two espionage cowboys reveal how they became key behind-the-scenes players in solving some of the most celebrated spy stories of the twentieth century, including the crucial discovery of the Soviet mole Robert Hanssen, the 2010 Spy Swap which freed Gennady from Soviet imprisonment, and how Robert De Niro played a real-life role in helping Gennady stay alive during his incarceration in Russia after being falsely accused of spying for the Americans. Through their eyes, we see the distinctions between the Russian and American methods of conducting espionage and the painful birth of the new Russia, whose leader, Vladimir Putin, dreams he can roll back to the ideals of the old USSR.

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Twelve; First Edition (October 2, 2018)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 352 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1538761319
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1538761311
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.3 pounds
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6.38 x 1.13 x 9.38 inches
Reviewer: Kindle Customer
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: Powerful Story!
Review: Well written. I learned so much about things that I previously had no intellectual knowledge of. The Musketeers warmed my heart, and the outcome for Genya was so deserving.This is a story that will forever be imprinted in my brain. I look forward to seeing the movie, which this book so richly deserves.Lynda DavisWesley Chapel, FL

Reviewer: Tennis Player
Rating: 4.0 out of 5 stars
Title: A true story, delivers a unique perspective to the consequences in espionage
Review: The book had a slow start for me, but once you get into it, it's a griping tale, and gives the reader several insights, a) how the long game is played, how recruitment takes place, the motives in becoming an asset, the brutal consequences of getting charged by the KGB/ FSB and how one particular case lead to a remarkable turn of events. It's a true story that covers about 35 years.

Reviewer: Julie Marie Totsch
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: Best Cold War Book
Review: I have read quite a few books on the Cold War, CIA, and KGB. This is by far the best of the lot. In this book, you will read a tale that sounds more like a movie than a true story. The friendship between Marine/CIA man Jack "Cowboy" Platt and his KGB counterpart, Gennady Vasilenko, form a friendship that we wish we could have with someone, much less someone who is on the other side of the Cold War. Toss in an unlikely friendship with an amazing American actor and a cast of real people from the FBI, CIA, and KGB and this is a can't put down book. On another note, this book reminds you that there are real people involved in protecting our country and traitors to our country, such as Hassen, Ames, and Snowden are truly the worse of the worse.One note: this book touches on the true stories written in other books I've read, such as "The Main Enemy" by Milt Bearden & James Risen. The bibliography at the end lists books that, if you haven't read, you should.

Reviewer: Kris B
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: A great spy thriller!
Review: This book was everything I wanted it to be and more. It reads as a psychological thriller with all the shadowy moving pieces. The story of Jack and Gennady is a tangled web of failed recruitment and genuine friendship, forged in the often treacherous shadows of espionage in the cold war. Not only have I loved this book, but so have my co-workers and friends.If you like factual books that read like novels, this is for you. If you're interested in real-life stories of espionage, this is for you. If you ever wondered what the KGB was actually like, this book is for you. If you want to know how the CIA rooted out moles, this book is for you. AND, if you're curious how Robert Dinero could help keep you alive, this book is for you.

Reviewer: William N. McDonald
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: Extensively researched - good read
Review: Very real account of the events leading up to the apprehension of two American traitors, Aldrich Ames and Robert Hansen as told to the authors by people who were involved. More importantly, a very real account of the people who were agents on both sides: how they operated and how it affected their personal lives and families. Extensive research by the authors brings the story to life and illuminated some of the unsung hero’s of our CIA and FBI.

Reviewer: John O'Rourke
Rating: 4.0 out of 5 stars
Title: Great, quick read
Review: Fascinating story, but sort of anti-climactic.

Reviewer: R.L. McKinney
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: A Real World Spy Thriller!
Review: "Best of Enemies" is a fantastic read of a real-life espionage thriller. It reveals the human story of two men; one from the CIA, the other KGB. Despite being Cold War "warriors" they establish an enduring friendship that complicates their lives. It is a compelling story, well-written and a most enjoyable read. I highly recommend it and suspect that Hollywood will eventually turn it into a movie.

Reviewer: DC
Rating: 3.0 out of 5 stars
Title: Good Read when Nothing Is On TV
Review: Good and interesting story about spy’s and their techniques. Learned a lot. Not an exciting story and won’t make it to film. But worth reading.