Rating: 
Summary: Revealing but light
Review: Mendez has lived a worthy career that earned him the right to be taken seriously in his exciting book. Although filled with the excitement of espionage - it isn't all mundane politics and bureaucracy - there is a great deal that is left unsaid. Significantly, as a true company man, Mendez reveals little that is negative about his agency, and fails to share the deeper cost of a life filled with so many lies. However, for readers interested in the U.S. intelligence community and the international influence it has had in the last few decades, this book offers true insights and the voice of experience. David R. Bannon, Ph.D.; author "Race Against Evil."
Rating:
Summary: Every Mufti Aint Mufti
Review: mendez' book throws a new light on the spy business which has not been exploited very well in other fiction about spycraft - the value of disguise. not since watching 'the killing fields' in which dith pran keeps mumbling 'ankertill brewer' over and over, has the drama of exfiltration been so dramatically portrayed. i found it very interesting to consider the possibilities now open in identity theft and spoofing given the role of hollywood effects artists in disguise anticipating the technology mendez describes (which must already be quite dated). if eddie murphy can do it, the cia could be having a field day. think about it, does anyone know what michael dorn (worf) really looks like? in these days as we chase down individuals in a global 'war' on terrorism, understanding this bag of tricks add a new and fascinating dimension to our thought process. this is a very worthwhile book to consume.
Rating: 
Summary: Interesting & Personal
Review: Mr. Mendez has put together an interesting collections of his personal experiences working in the CIA. There is nothing here to shock or get excited about but it is at once interesting, exciting and informative, and lets outsiders peek behind the curtain of real-life covert field operations. Whether by design or due to faulty memory, some of his tales are not told just they way they happened and times and places have been fudged, but none of that takes away from the stories nor the readers pleasure. Not great literature but a good read never the less. Chiu Hse Yu, Lecturer in Law, LLB (NUS), School of Business, Singapore Management University.
Rating:
Summary: A Heart-Thumping Read
Review: Mr. Mendez has shared with his readers a very real sense of what it was to be inside the CIA, and then inside some of their most exciting (and up to this point) secret operations. It is interesting that the CIA has allowed these stories to be told now, but in fact, after reading them, it is apparent that the intelligence equities are not affected. In each case the or foreign source has been safely rescued and resettled or the case has been finalized, once with the ultimate sacrifice on the part of the asset. I was thoroughly caught up in these tales of rescue and escapes from danger. It is amazing that these true stories are even more exciting than the Clancey books. His first book is a definite must read and will be on my Christmas gift list for several of my friends.
Rating:
Summary: The Master Of The CIA Tells All
Review: My Secret Life in the CIA by, Antonio Mendez, shows the truth of the CIA from a man who lived it. Put away all of your spy books such as James Bond, and read what the intelligence world is truly like. This top-level operative tells how he helped people escape deadly situations in East Asia, the Cold War, and Tehran. I love spy stories and this one is the best I have ever read because I now know the truth. Mendez, at a younger age, thought of himself as an artist and a competent spy. When he got older he applied for a job in the Central Intelligence Agency, Technical Services Division. A few weeks later he recieved a letter telling him to report to CIA Headquarters. Everyone he met along the way didn't seem like the kind of person you would think to work in the CIA. A quote by Sun Tzu that is used in the book says, "Spies must recruit men who are intelligent but appear stupid; who seem dull but are strong in heart." These are the sort of things you learn from a man who lived the truth of the CIA. Many spy books I have read seemed to be very intersting. When reading them I always wondered, is any of this true? After reading this book I don't have to ask that question any longer. The real James Bond of the intelligence world was granted permission to tell his story. He is one of the fifty all-time stars of the spy trade and that is what is fascinating. For the first time the CIA has let a top-level operative tell all and it is a story everyone should read. This book shows fatal situations and how Mendez worked throught them. The story is true and that is what makes it intersting. If you want to know the truth about the CIA, I suggest you read about the master of disguise, Antonio J. Mendez
Rating: 
Summary: Boring.
Review: Slow, boring reading. I kept waiting for it to get exciting but it never did!! There is very little real 'meat' unless you are interested in becoming a hollywood makeup artist!
Rating:
Summary: Spymaster
Review: The ambitious Mendez rose from his roots in a Nevada mining camp to become one of the top 50 agents in the CIA's first 50 years. His stories, based on his real-life adventures, crackle more than than many spy novels and movies. The CIA authorized Mendez to write this book, which casts the Company in a favorable light as the rescuer of double agents on the run and Americans caught in a revolution. With deft descriptions, Mendez portrays cities and operations in the Far East, the Middle East and Communist Moscow. Relying on Hollywood techniques, Mendez became the master of disguise who could make a Soviet agent unrecognizable to a KGB associate. The writing is straightforward and fast-paced.
Rating:
Summary: The Master of Disguise Tells a Masterful Story
Review: The book is well written making it a quick and interesting read. Tony details behind the scene facts that have never been exposed before. He provides an insight into the spy world that ended the cold war. I have read several books on the CIA and this is by far the best one I have read.
Rating:
Summary: A Good Spy Story
Review: The Master of Disguise is a collection of events that Tony Mendez experienced over his long career with the CIA. While one experiences confusion and lulls with some of the tangents loosely laced throughout the book, this is still quite a good read. I would have to say that my favorite parts are in chapters 8 and 9 that tell of the scariest predicaments, the high-stakes risks, and the personal understanding needed to be a success at the spy game. If you're curious about some of the things that went on in shadows of the Cold War, it's a book that is worth your while.
Rating:
Summary: Finally, Literature to go with the Business
Review: The Spy business is murky at best, but this book is an attempt to lift the corner of the page and allow a little light into the inner workings of the business. As one who was there, now retired, I am proud of Tony's efforts to put a human face on the espionage business and describe how the wheel turns, the every-day details that are never included in the Mission Impossible type caper movies. This is real, or was real, and is a fascinating read.
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