In Obscura Part I: Adventures in the World of Intelligence

In Obscura is a savory literary confection detailing its author's move from the light of day in publishing and journalism into the "dark" world of the CIA's clandestine analysis, counterterrorism, and black site work . via Damascus, the Golan Heights, and Hollywood. A National Geographic fieldworker based in Los Angeles, Theroux doubled as a practitioner of a hidden profession-translation-and found kindred spirits in other hidden professionals, the stunt actors who double as movie stars.
When he takes things a step further, into the entirely covert world of intelligence, he gives us a guided tour of the upside-down world where fame is anathema and career success is measured by deeper and darker assignments. Inspired by Hollywood memoirs that explain in nuts-and-bolts fashion the world of movie making to cinema buffs, Theroux writes In Obscura as a nuts-and-bolts account of what CIA officers do all day-whether they report to work at Headquarters, the White House, or a war zone.