Overworld: The Life And Times Of A Reluctant Spy - Tapa blanda

This gripping memoir by a former American intelligence operative is a vivid portrait of a spy at every stage of his life and career.

Raised in various countries around the world as the son of an American spymaster, Larry Kolb tells how his father taught him to think, look and listen like a spy, and how a friend and colleague of his father attempted to recruit him to the CIA. Kolb declined, choosing instead to become an international businessman. His early success - in his mid-twenties he became an agent for several professional athletes, including Muhammad Ali - brought him into contact with many of the world's wealthiest and most powerful men, making him irresistible to master spy and CIA co-founder, Miles Copeland. When Copeland later tried to recruit him, Kolb accepted, and soon he was involved in covert intrigues in Beirut, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Afghanistan, the Philippines, Nicaragua, Pakistan and India.

Peopled by larger than life characters such as Adnan Khashoggi, Imelda Marcos, Rajiv Gandhi and Ronald Reagan, OVERWORLD is a real-life adventure story of the highest order which offers compelling insights into the danger, glamour and psychology of espionage - as well as an extraordinary glimpse into the real corridors of global power.

Spying has always been portrayed as a glamorous occupation. Overworld is where the truth meets the fiction...

Larry Kolb's life reads like it's been ripped from the pages of a spy thriller. The son of an American spymaster, Kolb is shown the basics of tradecraft at his father's knee. He is taught to think, look and listen like a spy. And it is no surprise when the CIA approaches him barely out of his teens. But Kolb declines and instead becomes a highly successful sports agent for athletes including Muhammad Ali, which brings him into contact with some of the world's wealthiest and most powerful people.

But the CIA always get their man. Master spy and CIA co-founder, Miles Copeland, sees the opportunity that Kolb's tireless globetrotting represents. When Kolb relents and finally takes the job, he is soon embroiled in covert intrigues in Beirut, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Afghanistan, the Philippines, Nicaragua, Pakistan and India.

Peopled by larger-than-life characters such as Adnan Khashoggi, Imelda Marcos, Rajiv Gandhi and Ronald Reagan, Overworld is a real-life adventure story, offering a unique and compelling picture of the danger, glamour and psychology of espionage - as well as an extraordinary insight into how the wheels of global power really turn...