From Publishers Weekly
As Kolb spins a tale of international intrigue in which he does everything from accompany Muhammad Ali on a mission to free American hostages in Beirut to introduce Nicaraguan president Daniel Ortega to an Indian holy man, it's awfully tempting to consider him a hoaxster à la Chuck Barris—but all it takes is a little online research to produce corroborating details. Kolb actually is connected to international arms dealer Adnan Khashoggi by marriage; stories in Indian newspapers confirm that government wants him in connection with a plot against a former premier involving that same holy man. Pretty soon, a reader will believe that Kolb, the son of a Cold War intelligence operative who grew up in post-WWII Japan and Germany, really was recruited by legendary spy Miles Copeland because his jet-setting lifestyle put him in all the right places. Slangily written from a safe house "on a sunny shore," Kolb's recollection of his training in the fundamentals of spycraft is a particularly engrossing section that will leave readers convinced they know enough to run their own clandestine operations. It's the centerpiece around which he weaves a slew of anecdotes stretching back to WWII, producing a cumulative effect that renders the whole story so amazing that readers will conclude that even the wildest bits—like his taking credit for rewriting the blueprints for the Iran-Contra arms-for-hostages deal—have got to be true. Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From The Washington Post's Book World/washingtonpost.com
In the world of espionage it helps to be a mensch. So, at least, asserts Larry J. Kolb, the son of a spy and a man of many faces: He was a former agent for Muhammad Ali (a job that gave him the best "cover" of his career), a stepson-in-law of Saudi entrepreneur Adnan Kashoggi, and a secret-stealer of such versatility that he plied his trade in Lebanon, Saudia Arabia, Iraq, Afghanistan, the Philippines, Nicaragua, Pakistan and India. In Overworld: The Life and Times of a Reluctant Spy (Riverhead, $25.95), Kolb explains the techniques by which he ingratiated himself in so many venues : "If you showed a bit of world-view rather than behaving like a tourist, if you bothered to learn a few sentences of the local language as soon as you arrived, so that, by the time you met the King or Prime Minister or just a delighted porter, you could greet him flawlessly in his own language, if you did not fawn but treated even the exalted like normal people who crawl around on the floor with their grandchildren, if you took flowers for their wives -- you would be well remembered and welcomed back."Kolb learned his craft in part from Miles Copeland, whose career before spying for the CIA included a stint as a trumpeter with the Glenn Miller Orchestra, and his wife, Lorraine, an innocent-looking blonde whose wartime specialties were "blowing up bridges and derailing German trains." Having recruited Kolb, Copeland explained why his training would be less than comprehensive: "Obvious professionalism can be as undesirable in spies as in prostitutes. . . . The KGB were the first to realize this. . . . The Soviets actually taught their agents less rather than more. So when their agents came under spot surveillance -- and almost everyone with access to sensitive materials or facilities is subject to routine spot surveillance -- they didn't display mannerisms which betrayed them and subjected them to full surveillance." And then Copeland added darkly, "Almost no one can beat full surveillance."How to Be a Spook Copyright 2004, The Washington Post Co. All Rights Reserved.

From Booklist
A secret agent's memoir has a built-in credibility problem. But some basic parts of Kolb's remarkable life appear to be true: his father was a senior U.S. intelligence agent, he absorbed the style if not the specifics of the game from Dad (he would eventually work with the CIA), he befriended and represented the retired Muhammad Ali for years, and he became a member of the inner circle of Saudi magnate Adnan Khashoggi. All this became a heady cocktail for Kolb, and it will be for readers, as we are seductively, seamlessly guided through a life of first-class travel and lodging, intimate encounters with the world's movers and shakers, and a peek into the mindset of a spy. It all seems too easy, and it was: Kolb eventually worked the wrong deal, finding himself an apparent target for assassination by Indian secret police and living in a Florida safe house, from where he says he wrote this book. A great read, but consider the source. Alan Moores
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

James Ellroy
A terrific memoir. Larry Kolb explicates the world of espionage and secrets with sagaciousness and savvy. ...a stand-alone original.

Library Journal, November 1, 2004
...a rollicking, stream-of-conscious tour of his remarkable life as an international businessman who...spied for the United States.

Book Description
A vivid and gripping portrait of a spy at every stage of his life and career, from the son of a spymaster who became a spy himself.

Larry Kolb was born into a house of spies. Raised all over the world as the son of a high-ranking American spymaster, Kolb was taught by his father to think, look, and listen like a spy. But when Kolb himself was recruited to join the CIA, he declined, choosing instead to pursue a career in business. He became, among other things, Muhammad Ali's agent, a role that turned out to be a circuitous route back to the world of espionage.

With friends like Ali, Kolb had invitations to the parties, palaces, boardrooms, and bedrooms-especially in the Middle East-of many of the world's wealthiest and most powerful people: political leaders, arms dealers, global opinion-makers. Kolb's extraordinary access made him irresistible to legendary spymaster and CIA cofounder Miles Copeland. Beginning with secret negotiations with the Ayatollah Khomeini and a covert mission to Beirut to negotiate the release of an American hostage, Kolb found his way back to the family business, becoming Miles Copeland's eyes and ears and sometimes mouth in Libya, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Iraq, Afghanistan, Nicaragua, Peru, the Philippines, and Pakistan.

Unlike any book before it, Overworld captures what it genuinely means and feels like to be a spy--from the practical to the emotional, revealing how the world of espionage and covert statecraft actually works-and exposing the dark heart of a life spent betraying confidences. In itself an adventure story of the highest order, Overworld reads like the best of John le Carré --but it's all true.

FROM THE PUBLISHER

A vivid and gripping portrait of a spy at every stage of his life and career, from the son of a spymaster who became a spy himself.

Larry Kolb was born into a house of spies. Raised all over the world as the son of a high-ranking American spymaster, Kolb was taught by his father to think, look, and listen like a spy. But when Kolb himself was recruited to join the CIA, he declined, choosing instead to pursue a career in business. He became, among other things, Muhammad Ali's agent, a role that turned out to be a circuitous route back to the world of espionage.

At Ali's side, Kolb had invitations to the parties, palaces, boardrooms, and bedrooms-especially in the Middle East-of many of the world's wealthiest and most powerful people: political leaders, arms dealers, global opinion-makers. Kolb's extraordinary access made him irresistible to legendary spymaster and CIA cofounder Miles Copeland. Beginning with secret negotiations with the Ayatollah Khomeini and a covert mission to Beirut to negotiate the release of an American hostage, Kolb found his way back to the family business, becoming Miles Copeland's eyes and ears and sometimes mouth in Libya, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Iraq, Afghanistan, Nicaragua, Peru, the Philippines, and Pakistan.

Unlike any book before it, Overworld captures what it genuinely means and feels like to be a spy--from the practical to the emotional, revealing how the world of espionage and covert statecraft actually works-and exposing the dark heart of a life spent betraying confidences. In itself an adventure story of the highest order, Overworld reads like the best of John le Carré --but it's all true.

FROM THE CRITICS

Publishers Weekly

As Kolb spins a tale of international intrigue in which he does everything from accompany Muhammad Ali on a mission to free American hostages in Beirut to introduce Nicaraguan president Daniel Ortega to an Indian holy man, it's awfully tempting to consider him a hoaxster a la Chuck Barris-but all it takes is a little online research to produce corroborating details. Kolb actually is connected to international arms dealer Adnan Khashoggi by marriage; stories in Indian newspapers confirm that government wants him in connection with a plot against a former premier involving that same holy man. Pretty soon, a reader will believe that Kolb, the son of a Cold War intelligence operative who grew up in post-WWII Japan and Germany, really was recruited by legendary spy Miles Copeland because his jet-setting lifestyle put him in all the right places. Slangily written from a safe house "on a sunny shore," Kolb's recollection of his training in the fundamentals of spycraft is a particularly engrossing section that will leave readers convinced they know enough to run their own clandestine operations. It's the centerpiece around which he weaves a slew of anecdotes stretching back to WWII, producing a cumulative effect that renders the whole story so amazing that readers will conclude that even the wildest bits-like his taking credit for rewriting the blueprints for the Iran-Contra arms-for-hostages deal-have got to be true. Agent, Joel Gotler. (Oct. 7) Forecast: As Bond-like as Kim Philby, but with a decidely American accent, Kolb could turn out to have a sleeper hit; film rights have been bought by Mark Canton of Atmosphere Entertainment. Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.

Library Journal