Using exclusive access to key government sources, Shane Harris chronicles the rise of the American surveillance state over the past 25 years and highlights a dangerous paradox: our government's strategy has made it harder to catch terrorists and easier to spy on the rest of us.

"A vivid narrative of a life in intelligence and special operations, from the Cold War to the war on terror. In 1984, Michael Vickers took charge of the CIA's secret campaign against the Soviets in Afghanistan. Inheriting a strategy aimed at imposing costs on Russia, Vickers transformed the campaign into an all-out effort to help the Afghans win their war. More than any other American, he was responsible for the outcome in Afghanistan that led to...