A true page turner Tracy Walker went right from college to the CIA her adventures as an agent her view of historic moments and to make this book even more involving she shares her personal life.For me I got caught up in her life and could not put it down.#netgalley#st.martinspress

Wow I loved this. I expected your run-of-the-mill military autobiography but it was extremely well-written and paced perfectly. I was interested the entire time and got the perfect mixture of experience Tracy's work, personal life, home life, and life around her job. I thoroughly enjoyed this and can't wait to share it and eventually buy a physical copy for myself!

Wow. That's really the best way to describe this phenomenal book. It's eye-opening and very difficult to put down. Read it and reap. You will never look at our government or the world in the same way again.

This was a fascinating read! I didn't expect the critique that occurred with the agency change! So refreshing to read the truth about federal government agencies! The redacted information did not deter from the story and in fact, added to the overall sense of intrigue! Thank you to Tracy Walder for her service as a CIA agent and now as a teacher of young minds. I would recommend this biographical account to all young women from middle school to adults; and to anyone else interested in the factual account of a USA spy! The author is candid and honest about her time in federal government service and about growing up as a young woman dealing with bullying because of her differences! I highly recommend this factual story!

The Unexpected Spy was Tracy Walder’s memoir of her years as a counterterrorism officer in the CIA, especially in the aftermath of 9/11, and as a special agent in the FBI. This was written, of course, without revealing any classified information.
The content was riveting, personal, and at times humorous. The author recounted her many journeys across the world and in the United States to gather information in order to protect against terroristic attacks. It was interesting to read a first hand account of the deception regarding the invasion of Iraq, their WMD, and how the CIA became the government’s scapegoat.

Being highly intelligent, blond, and female, Tracy also had to deal with sexism. The author met people that respected her and those that tried to belittle her role and intelligence by referring to her as Malibu Barbie. Tracy, however, not only dealt with sexism in that African nation, but also in the United States when she joined the FBI and encountered their misogynistic attitude. The instructors and members of her class also had a hard time believing her spy career with the CIA even though everything was in her file.

The author also included interesting personal stories such as: overcoming floppy baby syndrome, a target of bullies for many years, a member of USC’s Delta Gamma sorority, and most recently a history teacher in an all girls high school where she empowers her students -both academically and through her own life lessons.
This was an exceptional read and highly recommended.

Another in a series of women serving the US . . . If you like this one, try Jet Girl by Caroline Johnson and Formation by Ryan Leigh Dostie. These other two are more military, but some similar themes.

The Unexpected Spy was well written and takes the reader back to before the author was recruited, which is a part of true spy stories that is often overlooked, but that I found fascinating.

Entertaining memoir.

A real life hero who overcomes a lot of obstacles to become a successful CIA and FBI agent helping fight terrorists and criminals. Tracy starts out the story as a sorority girl at USC and takes it to fighting the war on terror while overseas coming face to face with many people who wish the Western world ill will. She also works with intelligence agencies to share intelligence gathered by the US in an attempt to help others stop terrorism. This book unfortunately showed me sexism is still a big part of life in the military. A good book for those who are interested in the subject matter but will never be able to be part of it.
Thank you Netgalley,Tracy Walder; Jessica Anya Blau and St. Martin's Press for the ARC for my honest review.