Spy the Lie - Review

How can you tell a truth from a lie? Is it in the body posture? The direction of the eyes? Tiny expressions on the face? Every poker movie has taught us how to look for someone's tell. Can it really be that easy? A collection of retired CIA officers named Philip Houston, Michael Floyd, Susan Carnicero and Don Tennant have written a book called Spy the Lie. In it they describe the techniques developed for the Central Intelligence Agencies professional integrators. Each chapter examines the different aspects of lie detection, truth telling and the art of deception. This is an entertaining book that seems to exhaust the topic of telling the truth and asking good questions. Each one of the four authors contributes to the discussion without breaking the flow of the book beyond repair. There is a constant stream of  anecdotes; not of which include the likes of Jason Borne or Jack Bauer. The authors share their ideas in a clear and succinct way and they don't seem to linger to long on any given topic.

I would recommend reading this book. The principles discussed are relevant to anyone and provide insight into human behavior. The authors help you understand how to ask good questions that get to the bottom of things quickly. I had a lot of take aways from the reading of Spy the Lie and think that you might get something out of it yourself.