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A disappointing read whose premise seemed at first intriguing. Written by an admiring author in puppy love of ex-government officers–MI-5, CIA, KGB–who are now unemployed due to (take your pick): 1) the collapse of the Soviet Union, 2) strategic downsizing, or 3) frustration with bureaucracy. They set up shop in the “civilian world” by breaking numerous laws, disgracing their former services, and seeking out the highest buck like a pack of hyenas. I actually feel bad for their respective countrymen who they use for information under the auspices of friendship and loyalty (mind you these are the same countrymen who paid their previous government salaries.) A pity, the classic abuse of power after leaving public service, this book is a showcase of sell-outs. I give it 2 stars based on the shock value how many of these spies are lurking around as moles in a variety of companies, pretty eye-opening. Instead of being glorified, these guys should be locked up. Compelling topic, but written from the wrong point of view with a partisan slant.
Rating: 2 / 5

Businesses have a long tradition of going to great lengths to maintain an advantage on their competitors (think of the old line “Does Macy’s tell Gimbel’s?”), but with “Broker, Trader, Lawyer, Spy” Eamon Javors demonstrates how that goes well beyond the typically thought of “competitive benchmarking.” When I worked in telecommunications I was witness to the lengths my own company would go to in order to gain a competitive advantage, and the stories here sound fairly familiar. And it’s not just multinationals and Fortune 500 companies that are doing it; businesses of all sizes get in on the act. As Javers points out repeatedly many companies are unbelievably lax in handling and disposing of sensitive information and how easily they make it accessible to their competitors. The information age has only exacerbated the problem for companies who’ve proven inept at securing their networks, email, and discarded computers. But technology has allowed those engaging in corporate espionage to move beyond passive collection of information to more active means of gathering data, even utilizing social networks such as LinkedIn and Facebook for their purposes. There truly are no bounds for espionage and again, it is simply amazing the amount of information readily available for the taking.

What’s also amazing is that no one has taken on this subject, and especially covered it with such flair. Javer’s writing is very crisp and lively, keeping the reader engaged and dying to read more of these exploits. In many respects the corporate espionage going on today isn’t far removed from state-sponsored spying and espionage and employs many of the same techniques and technologies. The proliferation of free agent spies is also quite surprising as corporations can’t be sure whether they could become double-agents and flip equally valuable information to other corporations. In the end it becomes a wilderness of mirrors, but endlessly fascinating. Javers spends little time on the ethics or morality of spying and espionage, but there’s little point in pondering it since so much of what is gathered is given so freely. “Broker, Trader, Lawyer, Spy” is a great lively read that’s hard to put down and it will certainly make you think twice about how much information you’re making readily available! I’ve given it five stars in spite of some editing problems with the advance copy I’d read. From other comments I’ve seen it appears it still suffers from some editing errors, but they only slightly detract from this otherwise fascinating read.

Rating: 5 / 5

I’ve always been a fan of learning about the spy game. And I had always heard stories of how it pertained to the corporate world but never anything in depth. When I heard of this book, I expected a book based on facts that would place you squarely in the modern day corporate espionage arena. What I got, though, was something entirely different.

The book is a way too condensed version about the history of private eyes and how they’re being used in today’s fashion, with an extremely heavy concentration on the history aspects and who’s connected with who. When I say “way too condensed”, it is because it feels compact and hard to follow. You can read two paragraphs and it will jump through a complicated web of 15 people to get to where the author wants you to be. At times, all the names and connections can grow confusing. It also has a disorganized feel that seems to jump all over the place. You’ll learn about the Pinkertons in the 1800’s, follow them through a spiderweb of contacts to modern day, then jump back to 1800, all within 10 pages.

The book can also be dry at times, as it is written by an investigative reporter and never seems to shed it’s journalism feel to become an in depth, captivating story. I’m not saying all journalists who are also authors write this way but this is definitely how Mr. Javers does in this case. It feels that most of the book follows a pattern like this…for 300 pages. Interweb was owned by John. John was a former CIA detective of 30 years and had known Russ. Russ brought Fred and Hank aboard, both NSA veterans, who then recruited Steve. Steve, allegedly, worked with Aaron, best friends of Garth. Now that Garth was aboard with Interweb, they could finally recruit Bob. The men went to work in an office in Washington, DC.

If you are extremely interested in the corporate espionage world or a private investigator history buff, I’d recommend it. But outside those qualifications, it doesn’t warrant the full retail price tag.
Rating: 3 / 5