As Donald Trump positioned himself at odds with the Central Intelligence Agency in the early months of his presidency, many people wishing for an end to Trumpist madness may have wound up rooting for the creepy forces of the CIA. Whether or not the tension between Trump and the agency continues, it’s wise to look beyond the headlines to see the reality of the CIA. That reality is laid bare in three recently published books examining some dark truths about this American spy agency, which remain still largely unknown to most of the everyday people the CIA theoretically protects.

Joel Whitney’s Finks is reviewed alongside Douglas Valentine’s The CIA As Organized Crime and Nicholas Schou’s Spooked: How the CIA Manipulates the Media and Hoodwinks Hollywood at January Magazine.