Overworld

September 20, 2004
As Kolb spins a tale of international intrigue in which he does everything from accompany Muhammad Ali on a mission to free American hostages in Beirut to introduce Nicaraguan president Daniel Ortega to an Indian holy man, it's awfully tempting to consider him a hoaxster à la Chuck Barris—but all it takes is a little online research to produce corroborating details. Kolb actually is connected to international arms dealer Adnan Khashoggi by marriage; stories in Indian newspapers confirm that government wants him in connection with a plot against a former premier involving that same holy man. Pretty soon, a reader will believe that Kolb, the son of a Cold War intelligence operative who grew up in post-WWII Japan and Germany, really was recruited by legendary spy Miles Copeland because his jet-setting lifestyle put him in all the right places. Slangily written from a safe house "on a sunny shore," Kolb's recollection of his training in the fundamentals of spycraft is a particularly engrossing section that will leave readers convinced they know enough to run their own clandestine operations. It's the centerpiece around which he weaves a slew of anecdotes stretching back to WWII, producing a cumulative effect that renders the whole story so amazing that readers will conclude that even the wildest bits—like his taking credit for rewriting the blueprints for the Iran-Contra arms-for-hostages deal—have got to be true. Agent, Joel Gotler
. (Oct. 7)

Forecast:
As Bond-like as Kim Philby, but with a decidely American accent, Kolb could turn out to have a sleeper hit; film rights have been bought by Mark Canton of Atmosphere Entertainment.

January 1, 2004
Son of a top U.S. spymaster, Kolb skipped the family business to become Muhammad Ali's agent, then found that his business contacts led him back into espionage.

Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.

October 15, 2004
A secret agent's memoir has a built-in credibility problem. But some basic parts of Kolb's remarkable life appear to be true: his father was a senior U.S. intelligence agent, he absorbed the style if not the specifics of the game from Dad (he would eventually work with the CIA), he befriended and represented the retired Muhammad Ali for years, and he became a member of the inner circle of Saudi magnate Adnan Khashoggi. All this became a heady cocktail for Kolb, and it will be for readers, as we are seductively, seamlessly guided through a life of first-class travel and lodging, intimate encounters with the world's movers and shakers, and a peek into the mindset of a spy. It all seems too easy, and it was: Kolb eventually worked the wrong deal, finding himself an apparent target for assassination by Indian secret police and living in a Florida safe house, from where he says he wrote this book. A great read, but consider the source.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2004, American Library Association.)