The Increment

Narrator Dick Hill and author David Ignatius jump back into the spy game with the new chief of the CIA's Office of Iran Operations, Harry Papas. Hill's even and controlled pacing belies the tension that builds as Papas investigates an email from a Tehran scientist, Dr. Ali, who hints that Iran continues to pursue nuclear weapons. Hill quickens his pace and draws the reader into the netherworld of an undercover team called "The Increment" as they race to get Ali out of Iran before an unnecessary war can begin. This thrilling story of high-level intrigue is greatly enhanced by the ever-reliable Hill. R.O. (c) AudioFile 2009, Portland, Maine

March 23, 2009
Bestseller Ignatius (Body of Lies
) explores America’s escalating cold war with Iran in a thriller sure to draw comparisons to le Carré’s The Spy Who Came In from the Cold
. When Harry Pappas, the new CIA chief of the Iran Operations Division, receives an unsolicited e-mail from an alleged Tehran scientist who calls himself “Dr. Ali” that implies Iran has in fact continued with its nuclear weapons program and is “an imminent threat to global peace,” he shares the information with his superiors only to find an administration bent on warmongering. Having vowed never again to play a role in a senseless conflict that could potentially kill thousands of innocents, Pappas, whose only son was killed while serving in the second Iraq War, must somehow identify Dr. Ali, get him out of Iran and mine his knowledge before the U.S. blunders into another unnecessary war. While the realistic story lines build to a somewhat predictable ending, this remains a page-turner of the highest order.