John Braddock, The 24th Name

This is the second Kindle Single that I've read by John Braddock, a former CIA guy. The first was his nonfiction piece A Spy's Guide to Thinking, which I liked because he explains a system of thinking—DADA: data to analysis to decision to action—by unpacking the thought processes and decision-making that would be involved in a real-life scenario, a subway mugging.

The 24th Name is similar in that Braddock's discussing thought processes and decision-making, but now he's doing so through fiction. This Single tells the story of a former spy who's unofficially gone back in the game.

Two of his "cases" are described in stories that wrap around one another. Here's the sort of writing that I like a lot:

When someone asks you a direct question about your purpose, you have three options:

1. Tell the truth
2. Lie
3. Deflect

When you're a spy, you usually choose Option 3. And if you need to, Option 2. You keep your purpose secret. You keep it secret because when the enemy knows your purpose, they can reason backward to your tactics. They can figure out what you're going to do next.

But when you meet an ally, you tell them your purpose. You tell them, so they can help you get there faster.

Option 1, if they're an ally.
Option 2, if they're an enemy.
Option 3, if you're not sure.

I looked at the woman and chose option 1.

I love this for some reason. I'm a sucker for lists, I guess. Oh! There's also a clever meta bit in the last chapters that will have you wondering what the author is up to when he's not writing.