Agents of Innocence

The factional strife in Lebanon feeds on rumor, deliberate lies, and half-truths, and spawns mercenaries and agents of every ideological stripe. Most share a harsh morality that allows terrorism to advance. A very few others are committed to relationships built on trust, honesty, and a sense of mutual responsibility. One such is Tom Rogers, a CIA agent who penetrates a prime Palestinian unit and makes a secret agreement with a young deputy chief of Fatah intelligence. This first novel is a suspenseful account of the excruciating ambiguity of the undertaking. Ignatius, a former Middle East correspondent for the Wall Street Journal, writes with a fatalistic affection for his subject and deep understanding of its complexity. As a storyteller, Ignatius deploys drama, pace, and character to make this a spy novel of formidable power. Barbara Conaty,