The Perfect Kill: A Personal History of Modern Assassination

Description

What is the definition of assassination? Robert Baer's boss at the CIA once told him, 'It's a bullet with a man's name on it.' Sometimes assassination is the senseless act of a psychotic, a bloodletting without social value. Other times, it can be the sanest and most humane way to change the course of conflict: one bullet, one death, case closed. Assassination has been dramatised by literature and politicised by infamous murders throughout history, and for Robert Baer, one of the most accomplished agents ever to work for the CIA, it's a source of endless fascination. Over several decades, Baer served as an operative, from Iraq to India and beyond. In THE PERFECT KILL, he takes us on a wildly entertaining narrative adventure through a history of political murder, interweaving his first-hand experience and his decades-long hunt for the greatest assassin of the modern age. A true maverick with a captivating personal story, Baer pulls back the curtain to give a glimpse of the underbelly of world politics, and the quiet murderers who operate on the fringe of our society.

Robert Baer is one of the most accomplished agents in CIA history, and a winner of the Career Intelligence Medal. He is the author of four bestselling books, including SEE NO EVIL - the basis for the acclaimed film SYRIANA, which earned George Clooney an Oscar for his portrayal of Baer. He is considered one of the world's foremost authorities on the Middle East and frequently appears on the BBC and all major news outlets. Baer writes regularly for Time.com and has contributed to VANITY FAIR, THE WALL STREET JOURNAL and THE WASHINGTON POST. He is the current national security affairs analyst for CNN.

Baer is a Harrison Ford in a suit, a man who lived for thrills ... At least three-quarters of his book is a romp through his adventures in far-flung, hostile places - SUNDAY TIMES An unsettling eye-opening account ... Baer's tone is brash and his word choice is never far from provocative, but he gets our attention - BOSTON HERALD A provocative book ... Baer leaps from these pages as a zealous and creative man, courageous to the brink of recklessness ... A spy's-eye view of CIA intrigues by one of the agency's best - WASHINGTON POST Entertaining and at times revealing - NEW YORK TIMES Bestselling author Baer has credibility, an appealingly tough style and perfect timing - PUBLISHERS WEEKLY SEE NO EVIL gives a candid portrayal of the people who perpetrated the September 11 attacks and of the bureaucrats who overlooked them ... A must-read as America's war on terrorism expands to new horizons - ARMY TIMES It's in the innocuous detail that Baer's book is telling - OBSERVER Revealing ... offers much eye-opening information. Baer has written a valuable, illuminating book - HOUSTON CHRONICLE