By Way Of Deception

Interesting insider view of the Mossad; a somewhat biased perspective, but a fascinating read

Reviewed in the United States on June 3, 2017

It's incredible that Victor Ostrovsky's memoir of life inside one of the most secretive intelligence agencies on earth is still eminently readable and selling well since it was first published in 1990. Kindle and paperback versions are still available via Ostrovsky's own small press publishing house. Having read several books about the Mossad, I was looking for something different. I heard of Ostrovsky via YouTube -- where a treasure trove of Ostrovsky interviews and speeches can be found on subjects ranging from Israeli national security to intelligence operations to post-911 counter-terrorism (for many years he was the go-to man for news agencies looking for a Mossad insider). I found his books and discovered Ostrovsky's work is certainly different. Because unlike other memoirs by former Mossad agents, "By Way of Deception" is the personal narrative of a disgruntled former katsa (case officer), one who left the service under a cloud, with bones to pick and unafraid to name names. For a variety of reasons, some alarming, others somewhat self-serving, Ostrovsky fell out with his employer and eventually left Israel for the life of a writer and artist in Arizona USA. I won't spoil the reader by trying to explain all the whys because I think people should read his book. Besides being a memoir, Ostrovsky shares organizational and supposed tradecraft secrets that one assumes must have been highly classified at the time of publication (unless his entire publishing career is just a huge disinformation campaign -- a real possibility!). He also shares some conspiratorial concepts about secret intelligence agencies that will be familiar to readers of Victor Suvorov (KGB/GRU), Lev Timofeyev (KGB), Fletcher Prouty (CIA), David Talbot (CIA) and others worth comparing with. Ostrovsky is a decent non-fiction memoirist but having read his fiction before (several self-published novels; not very well written) I assume Claire Hoy did the heavy lifting to make this the fast-moving and fascinating read that it is. But it's Ostrovsky's book nonetheless. In fact, Ostrovsky followed this up with a sequel, The Other Side of Deception, that I hope to read soon. I know a little about intelligence myself and have spent some time in Israel so this book was right up my alley. But it's so well-written that even newcomers to these subjects will find it enjoyable. But be warned. His revelations are messy, disturbing and he is undoubtedly biased. But this book is still recommended. Highly.

The personal experiences Ostrovsky relates seem implausible. My general impression is that he seems bitter about being kicked out after failing to complete his first real mission satisfactorily. It's likely that he actually was a Mossad katsa but that he just wasn't that great at it. I don't buy the idea that he met someone in a bar who was willing to spill his guts about a PLO operation, warned his bosses, and they just ignored him. Maybe it happened but it's not very likely.
He seems to trace all Israel's problems back to Mossad. Ostrovsky's personal story isn't all that interesting but the second half of the book has some redeeming stories. Although the narratives are clearly influenced by Ostrovsky's personal opinions about the Mossad, at least these are independently verifiable to some extent.
My main complaint is that his story makes him look great and the Mossad look horrible. It just smacks of a disgruntled employee or somebody who's too full of themselves.