David McCloskey

Biography

David McCloskey is a former CIA analyst turned Sunday Times bestselling novellist. He worked in CIA field stations across the Middle East throughout the Arab Spring. He also co-hosts The Rest is Classified podcast, with Gordon Corera, which explores stories from the world of spies and espionage and is downloaded over three million times each month.

At the CIA, David wrote regularly for the President's Daily Brief, delivered classified testimony to Congressional oversight committees, and briefed senior White House officials, ambassadors, military officials and Arab royalty. He conducted a rotation in the Counterterrorism Center focused on the jihad in Syria and Iraq. After leaving the Agency, he turned to writing, becoming the best-selling author of spy thrillers including Damascus Station, Moscow X, The Seventh Floor, and The Persian, novels that are in print in over a dozen countries. Damascus Station was a finalist for the International Thriller Writer's award for Best First Novel and a Financial Times Best Summer Book.

David examines how to think about the world like a CIA officer, understanding what really informs strategy, and unpacking major geopolitical trends from instability in the Middle East to competition with China and the geopolitical implications of AI. His framework helps leaders cut through the noise, politics and short-termism of the news cycle to focus on what really matters. He also explores the realities of espionage, cutting through headlines and Hollywood depictions to explain what the CIA actually does and the challenges facing the Agency in the 21st century. Drawing from his experiences at Langley and as a novelist, David also reflects on the realities of the espionage business, and how storytelling principles can improve communication, leadership and decision-making.