The sometimes shocking, always fascinating history of brainwashing, from the bestselling author of COCAINE

- What would it take to turn YOU into a suicide bomber?
- Do heavy metal LPs contain subliminal messages?
- What was MI6 doing with LSD in the 1950s?
- Does the Unification Church brainwash recruits?
- Is The Manchurian Candidate fact or fiction?
- Is it possible to erase memories, or to implant them artificially?
- How would YOU interrogate a member of Al Qaeda?

With access to formerly classified documentation and interviewees from MI5, MI6, the CIA, the US Army and British Intelligence Corps, BRAINWASH traces the evolution of the world's most secret psychological procedure, from its origins in the Cold War to the height of today's war on terror.

"'An extraordinary book'" - Andrew Marr, Start the Week

"'Gripping' - 5 out of 6 stars" - Time Out

"Meticulously researched and superbly readable" - Robert Douglas-Fairhurst, Daily Telegraph

"'Streatfield does an important service by bringing this curious phase to our attention again. Vivid descriptions of key moments in the story are interspersed with analysis.'" - Christopher Sylvesters, Financial Times

"'Marvellously engrossing . . . Streatfield's narrative control cannot be faulted. You know where every story is going, but how it gets there is always a thrill. His research is formidable.'" - Bryan Appleyard, The Sunday Times