Abdon pallasch chicago sun-times subscription

If you have never met a real spy in person — and who has? — you nevertheless carry an image of a spy in your mind and it may be that of James Bond, Napoleon Solo, Jason Bourne, George Smiley or maybe some combination of those and others.

There are a lot of fictional spies but none of them can prepare you for Dave Rupert, the compelling real-life centerpiece of a 12-part podcast series called “Underbelly: The Rebel Kind,” currently unfolding on various platforms.

New episodes come every Wednesday, each roughly an hour in length.

I certainly don’t want to spoil any of the edge-of-your-chair excitement of this tale, and though I was not an enthusiastic podcast fan until this show, I will do my best to get you to plug into this audio marvel without giving away many of the details that will keep you hooked.

In addition to having no experience with espionage and without political or religious affiliation, Rupert was not exactly the blend-into-the-wallpaper