The Targeter: My Life in the CIA, Hunting Terrorists and Challenging the White House

Former CIA analyst and targeting officer Bakos chronicles her search for terrorist Abu Musab al-Zarqawi in an uneven if occasionally gripping memoir. Bakos joined the CIA in 2000, and her first major assignment was to track al-Zarqawi, who initially “found al Qaida’s approach to jihad far too moderate” and later helmed the group in Iraq. She recounts interrogations from Iraq in the summer of 2003 in vivid detail, such as hiding in a dark passageway to eavesdrop on a burly Iraqi intelligence officer nicknamed Evil Hagrid. In August that year, Bakos returned to CIA headquarters, and here she describes the inner workings of the department, which, unfortunately, don’t hold the same suspense as the on-the-ground action. Bakos astutely observes the sexism in CIA meetings (her suggestions were better received when delivered by male coworkers) and the disarming power women interrogators had over jihadists. She retired before al-Zarqawi was killed by a U.S. air strike in 2006, so her recount of the event lacks the insider details that fuel the book’s best moments. Despite the subtitle’s reference to challenging the White House, there are few details regarding executive branch interactions. This memoir will appeal to those curious about the CIA’s inner workings, but as a CIA thriller it misses the mark. [em](June) [/em]