By David Horner
Published by Allen & Unwin   http://www.allenandunwin.com
RRP $59.99 in hardcover  ISBN 9781743319666

The Spy Catchers is the first of three volumes of The Official History of ASIO. Author of Volume I, David Horner AM, is Professor of Australian defence history in the Strategic and Defence Studies Centre at ANU. Volume II is being written by Dr John Blaxland while Volume III, which was not in the original plan, will be authored by Dr Rhys Crawley, originally the research officer on the project.

The publication of histories of the British services MI5 (2009) and MI6 (2010) prompted the interest of ASIO leadership in a similar study. Not surprisingly the books even look similar. Described by Kim Beazley, currently Australian Ambassador to the USA, as ‘one of our most important official histories’, this book will feature in Australian Defence Magazine’s Books of Interest pages, April 2015.