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  • The Spymaster of Baghdad

  • The Untold Story of the Elite Intelligence Cell That Turned the Tide Against ISIS
  • By: Margaret Coker
  • Narrated by: Cassandra Campbell
  • Length: 10 hrs and 48 mins
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars (34 ratings)
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The Spymaster of Baghdad

By: Margaret Coker
Narrated by: Cassandra Campbell
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Summary

Brought to you by Penguin.

The Spymaster of Baghdad is the gripping story of the top-secret Iraqi intelligence unit that infiltrated the Islamic State. More so than that of any foreign power, the information they gathered turned the tide against the insurgency, paving the way to the killing of ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi in 2019.

Against the backdrop of the most brutal conflict of recent decades, we chart the spymaster's struggle to develop the unit from scratch in challenging circumstances after the American invasion of Iraq in 2003, we follow the fraught relationship of two of his agents, the Sudani brothers - one undercover in ISIS for 16 long months, the other his handler - and we track a disillusioned scientist as she turns bomb-maker, threatening the lives of thousands.

With unprecedented access to characters on all sides, Pulitzer Prize-finalist Margaret Coker challenges the conventional view that Western coalition forces defeated ISIS and reveals a story of unlikely heroes, unbelievable courage and good old-fashioned spycraft.

©2021 Margaret Coker (P)2021 Penguin Audio

Critic reviews

"Authentic, moving, visceral, chilling, utterly revelatory, truly masterful. A stunning tour de force by an author who has lived every word of it on the ground. A story of our time that absolutely needs to be told." (Damien Lewis, author of Zero Six Bravo)

What listeners say about The Spymaster of Baghdad

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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Very Interesting

Gives a different and very interesting perspective of the problems facing Iraq over recent decades and the meaningful efforts of many Iraqis to stop the terror and achieve a peaceful existence.

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    5 out of 5 stars
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Brilliant but sad.

Brilliant book about brave, brainwashed, and psychopathic people. I hope Iraq can become a safer country because of the brave ones.

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Super interesting.

The book gives a unique perspective on the life under war in Iraq, and its traumatic effect on peoples life in effort to prevent attrocities. Well written and read. Couldn't put it down.

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1 person found this helpful