While there have been other books about Aldrich Ames, Circle of Treason is the first account written by CIA agents who were key members of the CIA team that conducted the intense "Ames Mole Hunt." Sandra Grimes and Jeanne Vertefeuille were two of the five principals of the CIA team tasked with hunting one of their own and were directly responsible for identifying Ames as the mole, leading to his arrest and conviction.

Jeanne's story --Sandy's story -- Overview of SE operations -- The Polyakov case : the beginnings -- The Polyakov case : the middle -- The Polyakov case : the end -- Early major cases -- Later major cases -- Things begin to go wrong -- First attempts -- CIC formation -- Beginning of the focus on Ames -- The investigation gets new life -- Ames emerges as a major focus -- The FBI takes over -- Reactions to the arrest of Ames -- Ames the person, Ames the spy -- Hanssen and Ames : a comparison -- Final thoughts.