I read my first spy novel when I was 16 and traveling through Europe. Actually, my parents and I were floating down the Rhine River for a day trip and I finished The Day of the Jackal by Frederick Forsyth. A few days later we visited Berlin, which was then surrounded by Communist East Germany, and we walked through Checkpoint Charlie. I was forever hooked on the genre after that!

So when I heard that Douglas Waller had written a biography of Wild Bill Donovan, I had to read it. Bill Donovan created the first American spy agency at the outset of World War II. There would be no CIA without its predecessor the Office of Strategic Services (OSS).

The book outlines Donovan’s entire life, including his marriage and children, but obviously focuses primarily on his leadership of the OSS for the four years of its existence. This is where the man created a legacy. And the truth is that his family life was mostly a failure anyway. There isn’t much to love about the man on that front.

It’s hard not to appreciate the work that Donovan did in establishing a different battle front against the Nazi’s and Empire of Japan. I wish the book covered more of the daring endeavors of those efforts. Instead, the book delves deeply into the political infighting of Washington DC before, during and after the war. At times it dragged as Waller outlined the various government agencies battling for control of the intelligence gathering responsibilities. I could have done with less of these shenanigans and more about the actual work the OSS did in the field.

Still, it’s a good book. If you are curious about how the modern intelligence community was formed, it’s a must read.