Spy the Lie: Former CIA Officers Teach You How to Detect Deception

Philip Houston · Michael Floyd · Susan Carnicero · Don Tennant

Jul 2012 · Macmillan Audio · Narrated by Fred Berman

About this audiobook

Three former CIA officers—among the world's foremost authorities on recognizing deceptive behavior—share their proven techniques for uncovering a lie

Imagine how different your life would be if you could tell whether someone was lying or telling you the truth. Be it hiring a new employee, investing in a financial interest, speaking with your child about drugs, confronting your significant other about suspected infidelity, or even dating someone new, having the ability to unmask a lie can have far-reaching and even life-altering consequences.

As former CIA officers, Philip Houston, Michael Floyd, and Susan Carnicero are among the world's best at recognizing deceptive behavior. Spy the Lie chronicles the captivating story of how they used a methodology Houston developed to detect deception in the counterterrorism and criminal investigation realms, and shows how these techniques can be applied in our daily lives.

Through fascinating anecdotes from their intelligence careers, the authors teach readers how to recognize deceptive behaviors, both verbal and nonverbal, that we all tend to display when we respond to questions untruthfully. For the first time, they share with the general public their methodology and their secrets to the art of asking questions that elicit the truth.



Spy the Lie is a game-changer. You may never read another book that has a more dramatic impact on your career, your relationships, or your future.

Ratings and reviews

I liked this audiobook a lot. I especially like the anecdotes and varying mini case-studies they present to the listener. But I'm left with a few questions. Most specifically, where were these three CIA agents in 2002-2007 when the CIA believed that they could extract the truth from suspected terrorists by torturing them? Do any of these three have anything to say for that part of recent history? I think this issue above all others should be addressed at least casually in this book. So following the authors' own roadmap, here's my verdict: This book contains a "Lie of omission". Signs of deception: diverting our attention to what the subjects wish we were asking rather than what we actually are. Further signs of deception: subjects appeal to likeability and appeal to their own authority. "Of course we're honest. We even wrote the book on it."

blatant writer bias.

This book has changed my life for the best.

About the author

Philip Houston, a twenty-five-year veteran of the Central Intelligence Agency and a recipient of the Career Intelligence Medal, is a nationally recognized authority on deception detection, critical interviewing, and elicitation. He has conducted thousands of interviews and interrogations for the CIA and other federal agencies, and is credited with developing a detection of deception methodology currently employed throughout the U.S. intelligence and federal law enforcement communities.

Michael Floyd is a leading authority on interviewing, detection of deception, and elicitation in cases involving criminal activity, personnel screening, and national security issues. In a career spanning more than thirty-five years, he has served in both the CIA and the National Security Agency, and founded Advanced Polygraph Services, where he conducted high-profile interviews and interrogations for law enforcement agencies, law firms, and private industry.

Susan Carnicero, a former security officer with the CIA specializing in national security, employment, and criminal issues, is an eminent authority on interviewing, detection of deception, and elicitation. Trained as a forensic psychologist, she is the developer of a behavioral screening program used extensively in both the public and private sectors, and is currently involved in conducting high-level screening interviews within the U.S. government.

Don Tennant is a former National Security Agency analyst and business/technology journalist. As editor in chief of Computerworld, he won a variety of national journalism awards, including the Timothy White Award for Editorial Integrity and the Jesse H. Neal National Business Journalism Award from American Business Media.

Fred Berman is a five-time winner of the AudioFile Earphone Award for Audiobook Narration and the recipient of the 2013 Audie Award for narration in Spy the Lie. He has read a number of audiobooks for young listeners, including Judy Blume's Soupy Saturdays with The Pain & The Great One and Andrew Clements's The Last Holiday Concert. He has also narrated the audiobooks for Robert Kirkman's popular series, The Walking Dead.