For anyone who really knew Ashraf Marwan, it was probably not a surprise when he fell from his apartment balcony in June 2007…What led to his death was the bigger mystery. Was it suicide? Or was he trying to escape the two men who some witnesses said were also on his balcony that day? And if it was murder, there were numerous possibilities…Scotland Yard never cracked the case, and neither does Uri Bar-Joseph…in his trenchant, serpentine account of the Egyptian's years as a spy for Israel. But The Angel: The Egyptian Spy Who Saved Israel is so packed with jaw-dropping and intimate details about the life of a man Mossad code-named "the Angel" that it seems only a minor failing that Bar-Joseph wasn't able to nail down the exact circumstances of how that life ended…Bar-Joseph has done a laudable job synthesizing the voluminous Israeli government information about Marwan, always keeping his eye for some of the outrageous—even absurd—turns of events in a high-stakes drama.
The Angel: The Egyptian Spy Who Saved Israel
Narrated by Neil Shah
Uri Bar-JosephUnabridged — 11 hours, 33 minutes
The Angel: The Egyptian Spy Who Saved Israel
Narrated by Neil Shah
Uri Bar-JosephUnabridged — 11 hours, 33 minutes
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Overview
Drawing on meticulous research and interviews, Uri Bar Joseph pieces together Marwan's story. In the process, he sheds new light on this volatile time in modern Egyptian and Middle Eastern history, culminating in 2011's Arab Spring. The Angel chronicles the discord within the Israeli government that brought down Prime Minister Golda Meir-but the story doesn't end there. Marwan eluded Egypt's ruthless secret services for many years until somebody talked. Five years later, his body was found in the garden of his London apartment building. Police suspected he had been thrown from his fifth-floor balcony, and thanks to explosive new evidence, Bar-Joseph can finally reveal who, how, and why.
Editorial Reviews
Trenchant, serpentine…. Packed with jaw-dropping and intimate details…. Bar-Joseph has done a laudable job of synthesizing the voluminous Israeli government information about Marwan, always keeping his eye for some of the outrageous—even absurd—turns of events in a high stakes drama.” — New York Times Book Review
“A trenchant account of the career of a master spy.” — New York Times Book Review Editors’ Choice
“A trenchant, serpentine account of the career of the Yom Kippur mole.” — New York Times Book Review, “9 Thrillers (One True) That Times Editors Think You Should Read This Summer”
“Uri Bar-Joseph, a political science professor at the University of Haifa and an expert on Israeli intelligence, has written a fast-paced narrative that rivals the best spy fiction. The critical difference is that the story is real.” — San Francisco Gate
“This is the best spy story I’ve ever read—and it’s all true. Uri Bar-Joseph weaves a suspenseful tale of the dangerous life—and mysterious death—of a spy who did nothing less than change the course of history in the Middle East. You won’t be able to put it down.” — Howard Blum, New York Times bestselling author of The Last Goodnight and Dark Invasion
“Eye-opening…. A lucid and compelling glimpse into the world of espionage and the functioning—or malfunctioning—of leaders.” — Wall Street Journal
“This is a remarkable story of Israel’s greatest spy ever, and an intelligence disaster that almost doomed the state. Deeply reported and powerfully told, The Angel is a must-read espionage saga.” — David Hoffman, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of The Dead Hand and The Billion Dollar Spy
“This remarkable book reveals to us a hidden history, showing how little we actually know of events we thought we understood. One of the most exciting—and surprising—books on Israel I’ve read.” — Yossi Klein Halevi, author of National Jewish Book Award winner Like Dreamers
“Remarkable…. Partly a spy thriller, The Angel is also an invaluable account of major historical figures.” — The Weekly Standard online
“A fascinating read into the wilderness of mirrors of espionage, with a laser focus on one of Israel’s greatest spies.… A tremendous case study for any student of intelligence, geo-politics, or history. The book should be required reading for any special agent or intelligence officer.” — Fred Burton, New York Times bestselling author and VP Intelligence, Stratfor
“Ashraf Marwan was the most valuable source the Mossad had ever recruited.… Bar-Joseph’s fascinating book is an accurate and reliable account of the career of one of the 20th century’s most important spies.” — Maj. Gen. (Ret.) Zvi Zamir, Former Mossad Director (1968-1974)
“Makes a convincing case that Marwan not only never misled the Israelis, but was actually astoundingly valuable to them.… Highly detailed…. Rewarding to anyone interested in Middle East intrigue.… Fascinating.” — Dan Raviv, Moment Magazine
“Intriguing…. The author…shows great empathy for a man who was in turn respected, reviled, and almost certainly murdered. Well-researched and candidly told, this book deserves shelf space next to volumes on Vladimir Vetrov and Kim Philby.” — Kirkus Reviews
“Establishes beyond doubt that Marwan was the spy who most benefitted Israel in the 1970s and 1980s…. This work will be of great interest to readers trying to understand the byzantine world of international intelligence.” — Library Journal
“A fascinating read, possibly the best study ever written on espionage and the Yom Kippur War.” — Jewish Chronicle
“Gripping . . . . Drawing on research and extensive interviews with people who experienced events firsthand, The Angel sheds new light on a crucial period in the history of modern Egypt and the Middle East, as well as the origins of 2011’s Arab Spring.” — Jewish Book Council
“Bar-Joseph addresses the key question that for decades has haunted the intelligence community as much as the public….[he] draws a historical and a psychological picture of Marwan that analyses his motivations.” — AlJazeera.com
“Required reading—as a terrible warning—for everyone involved in intelligence.… A terrific book. It has all the tension, plot twists, and dramatis personae of a spy novel, only the story is real.” — Washington Free Beacon
“Captivating…. A tale of espionage at the highest level.” — National Interest.org
“Few things satisfy the appetite for suspense like a true-life spy story as thrilling and intriguing as the best fictional ones.… Bar-Joseph’s writing, and this translation, offer an extremely compelling tale. — Haaretz
“[Ashraf Marwan’s] intriguing life and suspicious death are detailed in Uri Bar-Joseph’s fascinating new book…. which features extensive research and interviews with those who knew Marwan.” — Jewish News
Uri Bar-Joseph, a political science professor at the University of Haifa and an expert on Israeli intelligence, has written a fast-paced narrative that rivals the best spy fiction. The critical difference is that the story is real.
Trenchant, serpentine…. Packed with jaw-dropping and intimate details…. Bar-Joseph has done a laudable job of synthesizing the voluminous Israeli government information about Marwan, always keeping his eye for some of the outrageous—even absurd—turns of events in a high stakes drama.
Eye-opening…. A lucid and compelling glimpse into the world of espionage and the functioning—or malfunctioning—of leaders.
This is the best spy story I’ve ever read—and it’s all true. Uri Bar-Joseph weaves a suspenseful tale of the dangerous life—and mysterious death—of a spy who did nothing less than change the course of history in the Middle East. You won’t be able to put it down.
This is a remarkable story of Israel’s greatest spy ever, and an intelligence disaster that almost doomed the state. Deeply reported and powerfully told, The Angel is a must-read espionage saga.
This remarkable book reveals to us a hidden history, showing how little we actually know of events we thought we understood. One of the most exciting—and surprising—books on Israel I’ve read.
A fascinating read into the wilderness of mirrors of espionage, with a laser focus on one of Israel’s greatest spies.… A tremendous case study for any student of intelligence, geo-politics, or history. The book should be required reading for any special agent or intelligence officer.
Remarkable…. Partly a spy thriller, The Angel is also an invaluable account of major historical figures.
A trenchant account of the career of a master spy.
Eye-opening…. A lucid and compelling glimpse into the world of espionage and the functioning—or malfunctioning—of leaders.
A fascinating read, possibly the best study ever written on espionage and the Yom Kippur War.
Bar-Joseph addresses the key question that for decades has haunted the intelligence community as much as the public….[he] draws a historical and a psychological picture of Marwan that analyses his motivations.
Captivating…. A tale of espionage at the highest level.
Few things satisfy the appetite for suspense like a true-life spy story as thrilling and intriguing as the best fictional ones.… Bar-Joseph’s writing, and this translation, offer an extremely compelling tale.
Ashraf Marwan was the most valuable source the Mossad had ever recruited.… Bar-Joseph’s fascinating book is an accurate and reliable account of the career of one of the 20th century’s most important spies.
Gripping . . . . Drawing on research and extensive interviews with people who experienced events firsthand, The Angel sheds new light on a crucial period in the history of modern Egypt and the Middle East, as well as the origins of 2011’s Arab Spring.
Required reading—as a terrible warning—for everyone involved in intelligence.… A terrific book. It has all the tension, plot twists, and dramatis personae of a spy novel, only the story is real.
[Ashraf Marwan’s] intriguing life and suspicious death are detailed in Uri Bar-Joseph’s fascinating new book…. which features extensive research and interviews with those who knew Marwan.
Makes a convincing case that Marwan not only never misled the Israelis, but was actually astoundingly valuable to them.… Highly detailed…. Rewarding to anyone interested in Middle East intrigue.… Fascinating.
A trenchant account of the career of a master spy.
Trenchant, serpentine. . . . Packed with jaw-dropping and intimate details. . . . Bar-Joseph has done a laudable job of synthesizing the voluminous Israeli government information about Marwan, always keeping his eye for some of the outrageous even absurd turns of events in a high stakes drama. —New York Times
A trenchant account of the career of a master spy.
06/01/2016
Israeli University of Haifa political science professor, author (The Watchman Fell Asleep), and former Israel Defense Forces (IDF) intelligence analyst Bar-Joseph presents the history of the rise, clandestine exploits, immense success, and eventual fall (from the balcony of his fifth floor London apartment in 2007) of Ashraf Marwan. Marwan was the son-in-law to former Egyptian president Gamal Abdel Nasser, adviser to Anwar Sadat, and agent for the Israeli Mossad in the critical era of the 1973 Yom Kippur War. This book, one of several written about Marwan in the past dozen years, establishes beyond doubt that Marwan was the spy who most benefitted Israel in the 1970s and 1980s, and not a double agent, as contended by his family and Egyptian defenders. Bar-Joseph also demonstrates that the Israeli military was caught by surprise on Yom Kippur in 1973 owing to their inability to believe and act effectively on what Marwan clearly reported to them, and that Eli Zeira, the then-head of IDF military intelligence, was responsible both for that intelligence failure and the much later exposure of Marwan as a spy. VERDICT This work will be of great interest to readers trying to understand the byzantine world of international intelligence as it affects Israel.—Joel Neuberg, Santa Rosa Junior Coll. Lib., CA
2016-05-05
A detailed biography of Ashraf Marwan (1944-2007), an Egyptian national and Israel's most vital informant. According to Bar-Joseph (Political Science/Univ. of Haifa; The Watchman Fell Asleep: The Surprise of Yom Kippur and Its Sources, 2005, etc.), Marwan was an ordinary man with grand ambitions. His frustration with Egyptian politics led him to contact Mossad, Israel's intelligence network. What is surprising is how early this occurs in the book. In the first chapter, the author covers his parentage, youth, marriage to President Gamal Abdel Nasser's daughter, and daring decision to betray his own government. Equally surprising is how difficult this process was, given the complex Cold War landscape; at first, his plea was ignored. In order to explain this landscape to his readers, Bar-Joseph dedicates much of the book to the bellicose relationship between Egypt and Israel, spotlighting the importance of Marwan's espionage. As Mossad director Zvi Zamir once put it, Marwan was "the greatest source we ever had." The most intriguing part of the book is the third act, when Marwan is slowly unmasked. Without a doubt, he helped save innumerable Israeli lives, but he is also described as an egotist and thrill-seeker, and he was clearly paid well for his services. Early on, Bar-Joseph addresses the big question: why he would do something so dangerous and unpatriotic. "His behavior included a need for stimulus, which often drives people to take risks, whether physical or emotional," he writes. "Some people take up rock climbing, skydiving, or bungee jumping. But Marwan was not drawn to the sporting life; instead he indulged in both gambling and, later, in unsavory business deals; or in taking needless risks in his contacts with the Israelis." The author writes from an Israeli perspective, but he shows great empathy for a man who was in turn respected, reviled, and almost certainly murdered. Well-researched and candidly told, this book deserves shelf space next to volumes on Vladimir Vetrov and Kim Philby.
Product Details
| BN ID: | 2940171274535 |
|---|---|
| Publisher: | Tantor Audio |
| Publication date: | 04/25/2017 |
| Edition description: | Unabridged |
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