The Pickle Factory : A Tall Tale of the CIA

Sam R. Oyken

ISBN 13: 9798991641524

Published by Foundation Publishing Group Sep 2026, 2026

About this Item

Neuware - The Pickle Factory Eats Its OwnKRAY (not his true name) is a nonofficial-cover (NOC) operator for the CIA-a field officer who works without embassy backup, relying on nerve and ingenuity to recruit and run foreign agents for his country. Then Headquarters calls him home and drops him into its own maze, where initiative is a liability and successful operators are resented for creating work. At first, Kray plays along, hoping to outlast his bureaucratic tour and get back to real operations.But the NOC program's success brings in a new congressional windfall-a multimillion-dollar stream earmarked to train more NOCs. Headquarters sees its moment. To keep the cash flowing, they must make sure it never produces anything that might tempt Congress to shut that spigot off.Enter Project GOOWIKI (the 'Transformational Human Resources World-Wide Outreach Program'). The plan: spend every penny on consultants, stack headquarters with new hires, and promote layers of supervisors to manage them. Fieldwork No way. Effective foreign operators only cause headaches HQ doesn't need.Then a forward operating base abroad explodes. Officers and agents die. Headquarters springs into action-not to fix the problem, of course, but to cover its own backside. Meanwhile, Kray's reputation sinks exactly as intended. And when he returns to the field to find out if any of GOOWIKI's '2,000 NOCs' actually exist, Headquarters figures this may be the perfect time to solve the Kray problem. Permanently.Fast, sharp, and bone-dry funny, D.M. Glennon's vast comic debut is Catch-22 with a security clearance, A Confederacy of Dunces with a nation on the line. Bureaucrats obsess over 'Funny Names,' mandatory trainings ('Talking On The Telephone,' 'Talking With Foreigners'), and cafeteria upgrades, while competence quietly bleeds out in the corner. Underneath the irony runs a hard moral line: contempt for cowardice, anger at waste, and respect for those who actually risk their lives for their country. None of which plays well-or at all-at the Pickle Factory.

Seller Inventory # 9798991641524

Bibliographic Details

• Title: The Pickle Factory : A Tall Tale of the CIA
• Publisher: Foundation Publishing Group Sep 2026
• Publication Date: 2026
• Language: English
• ISBN 13: 9798991641524
• Binding: Buch
• Condition: Neu
• Dimensions: 229W x 153H x 14D millimeters 229 millimeters width by 153 millimeters height by 14 millimeters depth
• Weight: 359 grams

About this title

Synopsis

THE PICKLE FACTORY DEVOURS ITS OWN

KRAY is a nonofficial cover CIA case officer—an overseas NOC operator who works without embassy backup, relying on nerve and ingenuity to recruit and run foreign agents. That is until Headquarters summons him home and drops his naive keister into a dizzying bureaucratic maze, where initiative is taboo and solid officers get torpedoed.

KRAY’s bosses seize on a congressional bonanza—a multibillion-dollar money stream earmarked to field more NOCs. Enter Project GOOWIKI, the “Transformational Human Resources Worldwide Outreach Program.” The covert plan: Spend every penny on consultants and donuts, stack managers on top of managers, and advance nincompoops. KRAY begins to glimpse that the one thing missing is actual spies.

When seven CIA officers die in an overseas suicide bombing, top Headquarters apparatchiks spring into action—not to hit back, but to cover their own broad backsides. Meanwhile, KRAY’s career corkscrews downward. And his return to the field gives Headquarters the perfect opportunity to solve the KRAY problem. Permanently.

Fast, sharp, and bone-dry funny, Sam R. OYKEN’s vast comic debut is Catch-22 with a security clearance, A Confederacy of Dunces with a nation on the line. Bureaucrats obsess over mandatory trainings, cafeteria upgrades, and birthday cakes, while competence quietly bleeds out in a corner. Underneath the laughs and the irony runs a hard moral line: contempt for cowardice, anger at waste, and respect for those who actually risk their lives for the country. None of which plays well—or at all—at the Pickle Factory.

About the Author

Following a decade-long private-sector career, Sam R. OYKEN worked for more than 13 years with the U.S. government [REDACTED]. This work included years overseas [REDACTED], [REDACTED], time as a [REDACTED] instructor [REDACTED], and [REDACTED]. OYKEN, [REDACTED], has lived and worked in 44 countries and currently spends time in the U.S. and Central Europe. The Pickle Factory is OYKEN’s first book under that pseudonym.

CIA’s Publications Review Board has reviewed, censored, and approved this author biography.