If you love the gritty details of real special operations, I think you will love this revealing chronicle of the mostly true life of a genuine MI-6 operative. Nicholas Anderson spins an engaging fictional tale based on his real life. I am the sort of reader that puts a book down if it doesn't grab me early. I did not have that problem with NOC. The author's style is unconventional, but very compelling at a visceral level. The editing is a little rough around the edges, but it so fits with the story line itself that it works well. It is not a speed-read. The level of detail and the use of a lot of Russian names and phrases requires some concentration. However, it will reward the patient reader. Now, only about 2/3 of the way through the book, I am settling into the writing style and looking forward to each evening's episode. It is a good read. I am looking forward to the next book in the series.

Nicholas Anderson’s book ‘NOC Non-Official Cover: British Secret Operations’ would make a most remarkable achievement of fiction — a protagonist who is a former MI6 officer and, latterly, a “freelance” British agent with a licence to kill, whose conscience about working for an organisation believing themselves to be “above the law” leads him to reveal the nefarious deeds he committed in the name of national security — except that the enigmatic author claims every word is the God’s honest truth and that he himself is the agent in question. Like paprika in a well-seasoned goulash, the ambiguity is what gives this exceptional book its added spice and lifts it head and shoulders above the normal run-of-the-mill spy yarn.

Anderson (presented as a pseudonym, like the majority of names in the book) tells us in the first few paragraphs about his signing of the Official Secrets Act, which forbids all employees of The Secret Intelligence Agency of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland of ever talking or writing about their work. This necessitates his choice of presentation of his memoir as “informed fiction.” Anderson’s frustration at having to adopt this ruse is obvious in his, somewhat defensive, introduction. But is this a double bluff? When he throws out the challenge to investigative journalists “… to closely follow my story: They will see the truth emerge…” is he merely piling on the mystery to tantalise us?

As one progresses through the text — resisting the temptation to run to Google every other paragraph to check on Anderson’s facts — we soon realize it doesn’t matter a damn if this is a true story or not. What matters is it’s an intriguing and informed narrative that grabs the reader and pulls them along for a fascinating, insightful and sometimes philosophical glimpse into a world of which few of us are even aware, but that is totally credible by virtue of Anderson’s exceptional writing skills. There are tense and hugely entertaining scenes. Characters are finely drawn. Anderson’s own personality and character is gradually revealed as a fully rounded, sympathetic individual with definite opinions, with which the reader might not agree but can’t help but concede have been formed by experience that is extreme and rare.

As Anderson writes: “In the end there’s not a lot of difference between history and fiction because the former has been written with the latter in mind.” By book’s end we know this for a fact because we’ve been taken beyond mind-boggling events to a greater understanding of their underlying significance, regardless of their veracity. Like all good books, fiction and non-fiction, we emerge from Anderson’s pages with a world empathy we may not have had before we started. An awesome (in the true sense of the word) read for more than just the cloak-and-dagger spy book fan.

In ancient Sparta, when King Leonidas would receive a plea for help from neighboring allies he would send one lone Spartan soldier. If Sparta existed today, that lone Spartan would be author Nicholas Anderson. I have read Navy SEAL books (No easy day, lone survivor, The red circle, American Sniper)... I've read John Le Carré (The Spy Who came in from the cold, Tinker Tailor, A most wanted man)... I've read books on generals,(The Operators, David Patraeus by Gericke)... I've read books on Delta (Kill Bin Laden, inside delta force)... All these books are amazing but to me NOC is a book that's in a genre of its own. As I got close to the end I started savouring chapters like fine wine! All the other negative reviews on here are BS. I went against the grain and purchased it and just bought NOC TWICE his second book.