In 2008, almost two decades after the Cold War was officially consigned to the history books, an average American guy helped to bring down a top Russian spy based at the United Nations. He had no formal espionage training. Everything he knew about spying he'd learned from books, films, video games and TV. And yet, with the help of an initially reluctant FBI duo, he ended up at the centre of a highly successful counterintelligence operation that targetted Russian espionage in America.
For four nerve-wracking years, he worked as a double agent, spying on America for the Russians, trading cash for sensitive US military secrets, handing over thumb-drives of valuable technical data, pretending to sell out his country across noisy restaurant tables and in quiet parking lots. Now, for the first time, he will reveal the fascinating mechanics behind his double-agent operation that helped disrupt Russia's New York-based espionage apparatus and forced Moscow to reassign its top operatives.
About the Authors
Naveed Jamali is a reserve intelligence officer in the US Navy. He has spent more than a decade in technology management and continues to consult in the field of big data and security. A life-long New Yorker, he lives with his family in Manhattan, and has no intention of travelling to Russia any time soon.
Ellis Henican is a New York Times bestselling co-author and columnist at Newsday and AM New Yorkas well as a political analyst on the Fox News Channel.
Industry Reviews
"Suspenseful and often uproarious…How to Catch a Russian Spy offers a rare opportunity to share in the intensity, fear and adrenaline rush of working as a double agent, trying to take down a cagey and skilled operative for the world’s most notorious and ruthless gangster regime. Without any formal training, Jamali soon discovers he has all the essential tools of a good undercover: intuition,curiosity, and a jazz-like ability to improvise on the spot. Indeed, by going ‘off-script’ -- both in the way he veers from his parents’ conventional-life expectations and by always keeping his adversary guessing -- Jamali has given us one gem of a comic counter-espionage yarn."
– Douglas Century, New York Times bestselling coauthor of Under and Alone and Takedown
"A gripping true tale of high-level espionage in which the author, Naveed Jamali, impressively displays tradecraft belying his amateur status. His stories of teaming with FBI agent handlers to doublecross Russian spies are nothing short of sensational."
– Robert K. Wittman, former Senior Investigator of the FBI National Art Crime Team and New York Times bestselling author of Priceless and The Devil’s Diary
"So celebrated in American pop culture are the tactics of espionage that even a motivated amateur -- with a talent for improvisation and a taste for Hollywood flair -- can take on a real-life Russian intelligence operative, and best him at his own game.What’s most charming about this page-turning account is Naveed’s honesty about his missteps, and the joy he takes in designing deceptions that actually work. Readers will smile right along with him."
– Lindsay Moran, bestselling author of Blowing My Cover: My Life as a CIA Spy
"One early lesson I learned leading SEAL units is that it’s not enough to begin with a good plan -- an effective operator must adapt to fast-changing conditions and adjust the plan accordingly. Despite his lack of training, Naveed Jamali intuitively grasped that lesson, repeatedly calling on the main weapon in his amateur’s arsenal -- ingenuity -- to deceive his opponent. In a time when our nation’s enemies vigorously troll for information that will give them an edge,it’s comforting to know that American resourcefulness can triumph even out of uniform."
– Rorke Denver, New York Times bestselling author of Damn Few
"The end of the Cold War didn't stop Russia's intelligence operations in America, as Naveed Jamali's amusing tale of his life as an amateur spy deftly illustrates. Corvettes, military secrets swapped in suburban Uno Pizzerias, and a clandestine operation to snare a Russian operative at Hooter's--this is a real-life Get Smart for the twenty-first century."
– Guy Lawson, New York Times bestselling author of Octopus and Arms and the Dudes
"Every now and then, the safety and security of our country depends on an everyday young American doing the right thing. What sets Naveed apart is that he obviously had such a blast doing it. As amusing as it is to read this book and watch an admitted amateur get over on a Russian operative here in the U.S. to steal secrets, it's also sobering to contemplate how many bad actors there are waiting to take advantage of the fact that we live in an open society."
– Frances Fragos Townsend, former Homeland Security Adviser to President George W. Bush
"How to Catch a Russian Spy simply blew me away. Imagine John Le Carre assigning a spy mission to Walter Mitty and you have Naveed Jamali. His fascinating account strips away the glamour of fictional espionage, replacing it with even more provocative reality. Here, spies communicate by Craigslist, thumb drives are as dangerous as a Walther PPK, and agents and handlers meet at Hooters. Viewers of ‘The Americans’ will love this story’s take on the real world of espionage. There are no George Smileys here, but there is a hero whose patriotism is quite stirring."
– Gary Weiss, former Senior Writer for Business Week and bestselling author of Born to Steal
"Apparently goofballs aren't limited to the world of fictional spies -- before there was Sterling Archer,there was Naveed and Oleg. I wish I could steal some of these stories for the show!"
– Adam Reed, creator of “Archer”
"[A] page-turner of a memoir....This highly entertaining read is enhanced by the author's self-deprecating sense of humor."
– Publishers Weekly
