NOVEMBER ENJOYMENT READING
Covert Entry:
Spies, Lies, and Crimes Inside
Canada's Secret Service By Andrew Mitrovica
Covert Entry: Spies, Lies, and Crimes Inside Canada’s Secret Service
by Andrew Mitrovica
Narrative Non-Fiction
368 pages
4 out of 4 stars recommendation ★★★★
by Andrew Mitrovica
Narrative Non-Fiction
368 pages
4 out of 4 stars recommendation ★★★★
“Lie, Deny, and Then Act Surprised”
Covert Entry: Spies, Lies and Crimes Inside Canada’s Secret Service written by Andrew Mitrovica, is a non-fiction narrative following the life of John Farrell, a former undercover operative for the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS). In 1984, Canada established CSIS as the first civilian spy security in hopes to replace the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP). However the newly born secret service inherited the same depravity and criminality. Farrell offers us the insight into the CSIS’s highly classified operations, which aren’t so “top secret”. Farrell is a firm believer in the “Ways and Means Act” by which the CSIS conducts their operations, which states “if you have a way to get things done, the means---legal or not--- are justified.” Over the course of the book we get the inside view into what it is like to be a real covert operative and at what cost intelligence officers are willing to gain one piece of information for their operation, even if it means theft or breaking the law. We also discover the officers’ abuse of intelligence, such as when a high-ranked officer asked Farrell to steal a copy of the RCMP exam and help his daughter cheat her way into the system. As the book progresses we learn about Farrell’s experiences as a security guard and prison warden, as well as his career as a covert-op; and his involvement with shutting down the local Italian mafia, taking out Russian spies, and stalking Sikh terrorists. But the life as a spy isn’t always so great. Farrell describes the times he had to intercept and open private mail, sleep in a rat infested apartment to spy on a target, and even inspect people’s trash daily. This book will definitely have you reevaluating your morals after. At times you will become so immersed in the world of espionage, that it may start to feel like an action movie; and in multiple instances some of the bystanders in the book begin clapping as they too think an action movie is being filmed. Covert Entry elaborately details Farrell’s rough childhood and his journey from a slick crook to a highly-accredited criminologist.