Surprise, Kill, Vanish by Annie Jacobsen

Surprise, Kill Vanish My Rating: 3.6

Surprise, Kill, Vanish dives deep into the CIA’s Special Activities Division (SAD), the highly classified, elite branch responsible for some of the most daring black operations in American history. From sabotage and subversion to the morally complex world of assassination, the book explores how SAD has evolved from the president’s guerrilla warfare corps to today’s covert defense force. Jacobsen clearly did her homework, offering fascinating insights into operations that most Americans will never hear about.

However, despite the meticulous research, the book had noticeable flaws. Factual errors: like misidentifying Bob Dole as Speaker of the House, were distracting, and the slow, heavily detailed pace made large sections feel tedious. While there were moments of genuine intrigue and compelling anecdotes, overall the book struggled to maintain momentum.

For those deeply interested in intelligence history and covert operations, Surprise, Kill, Vanish may offer some worthwhile insights, but for readers seeking a gripping narrative, this one might feel more like a slog than a page-turner. We listened to this in the car and Mark enjoyed it more than I did so this may be a "guy's book".