Hitz, Frederick P. The Great Game: The Myth and Reality of Espionage.

HITZ, Frederick P. The great game; the myths and reality of espionage. Random House, Vintage. 210p. illus. notes. index. c2004. 0-375-72638-1. $13.00. A

What are the differences between the way spies operate in the real world of the CIA and NSA and their foreign equivalents, and the way espionage is portrayed in movies and books? Hitz, who worked at the CIA for 21 years and has since become a university professor, answers that question based on his own experience and his extensive research. His answer is that real life is often even more bizarre than fiction, with only a few fantastic exceptions. The author dissects espionage into separate components, such as its bureaucracy, its craft, its heroes and villains. In each case he examines fictional and actual spies, using real-life examples like Kim Philby, Aldrich Ames and Robert Hanssen and comparing them to characters from John Le Carre, John Forsyth and Ian Fleming. He also looks at types of espionage, like spying on allies a la Jonathan Pollard, terrorism and espionage, and spying for excitement, for revenge or simply for money.

Hitz's style and his mixing of fiction and fact show a remarkable knowledge of spy literature and the modern history of espionage as well as the workings of the current espionage industry. The notes at the end of the book are extensive, as are the quotations from literature interspersed throughout the book. Nola Theiss, Sanibel, FL