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Missing Man: The American Spy Who Vanished in Iran
In late 2013, Americans were shocked to learn that a former FBI agent turned private investigator who disappeared in Iran in 2007 was there on a mission for the CIA. The missing man, Robert Levinson, appeared in pictures dressed like a Guantánamo prisoner and pleaded in a video for help from the United States. Barry Meier, an award-winning investigative reporter for The New York Times , draws on years of interviews and never-before-disclosed CIA files to weave together a riveting narrative of the ex-agent's journey to Iran and the hunt to rescue him. The result is an extraordinary tale about the shadowlands between crime, business, espionage, and the law, where secrets are currency and betrayal is commonplace. Its colorful cast includes CIA operatives, Russian oligarchs, arms dealers, White House officials, gangsters, private eyes, FBI agents, journalists, and a fugitive American terrorist and assassin. Missing Man is a fast-paced story that moves through exotic locales and is set against the backdrop of the twilight war between the United States and Iran, one in which hostages are used as political pawns. Filled with stunning revelations, it chronicles a family's ongoing search for answers and one man's desperate struggle to keep his hand in the game.
288 pages, Hardcover
First published May 3, 2016
48 people are currently reading
1893 people want to read
About the author
Barry Meier
5 books97 followersAward-winning journalist, ex-New York Times.
Author, Pain Killer, now a Netflix dramatic series, Missing Man, The American Spy Who Vanished in Iran and Spooked, the Rise of Private Spies.
Author, Pain Killer, now a Netflix dramatic series, Missing Man, The American Spy Who Vanished in Iran and Spooked, the Rise of Private Spies.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 42 reviews
May 31, 2021
For anyone who watched the excellent TV miniseries of John le Carré’s The Night Manager, this story may sound familiar. An untrained “consultant” works for a female spymaster on a rogue assignment outside of the regular HQS chain of command, to go after a shadowy but powerful bad guy. But this is the “real world” version, so don't expect a suspenseful but ultimately happy ending. Instead, it’s a realistic portrayal of a well-intentioned amateur who is in over his head and totally out of his league. And the results are as bleak as you’d expect.
None of the lead characters come off particularly well here. Bob Levinson, the captured American, is certainly a sympathetic and heartbreaking figure throughout, but you can’t help but wonder “what the hell was he thinking?” Both the CIA and FBI refused to cooperate with Meier in the writing of this book, so there may be a side to their story that isn’t explained here – but the story as Meier does construct it doesn't reflects well on either organization, who both seem to see Levinson as either an acceptable loss or “not my problem.” (Note: I am reading this at the same time I’m listening to Eric Larson's excellent Dead Wake about the sinking of the Lusitania, and there are depressing parallels between the FBI/CIA response and the British admiralty's similar knee-jerk reaction in circling the wagons and looking for a scapegoat - apparently some things never change.) That said though, both Levinson and his CIA "handler" Anne Jablonski were definitely way off the reservation - there are excellent reasons the CIA separates the spooks from the analysts.
As noted by the book's only other reviewer so far, there are a lot of names to remember and try to keep straight here, but Meier includes a helpful index so you can go back and remind yourself of just who's who. Overall, this is an impressive job of research and a fascinating story very well told - but it is most definitely NOT a “feel good” book, so unlike the tragic Mr. Levinson, you should know up front what you’re getting into.
UPDATE: Having finished the book, I was curious if there was any movement on his case since the book's release. Sadly, there has not been - below is the latest posting on Chris Levinson's "www.helpboblevinson.com" website, dated just 10 March 2016:
"A few days ago, hundreds of people from around the country came together with our family in Florida to demand “Where is Bob Levinson?” and ask how it is possible that, 9 years after being taken hostage in Iran, this wonderful man is still not home. My children and I ask those same questions every day.
"These past 9 years – 3, 288 days – have been harder for our family than anyone could ever imagine. But, as difficult as it has been for us, we know that Bob is living a nightmare that is 100 times worse. We need the United States government and the country of Iran to work together to resolve what happened to Bob and return him safely to his family."
...AND A FURTHER, SIMILARLY DEPRESSING UPDATE A FULL FIVE YEARS LATER - 10 MARCH 2021):
"Fourteen years ago today was the last time Bob Levinson saw freedom. Fourteen years ago today, he was cruelly taken away from everyone he knows and loves, and held with no basic human rights whatsoever.
"Today we are still no closer to finding answers. Iran has stonewalled all efforts to find out what exactly happened to Bob Levinson and coldly denies any responsibility.
"We urge the Biden administration – the fourth presidential administration charged with holding Iran accountable – to make it clear to the Iranian regime that there will be no path to taking a seat at the table of civilized nations without resolving Bob’s case and sending him home."
None of the lead characters come off particularly well here. Bob Levinson, the captured American, is certainly a sympathetic and heartbreaking figure throughout, but you can’t help but wonder “what the hell was he thinking?” Both the CIA and FBI refused to cooperate with Meier in the writing of this book, so there may be a side to their story that isn’t explained here – but the story as Meier does construct it doesn't reflects well on either organization, who both seem to see Levinson as either an acceptable loss or “not my problem.” (Note: I am reading this at the same time I’m listening to Eric Larson's excellent Dead Wake about the sinking of the Lusitania, and there are depressing parallels between the FBI/CIA response and the British admiralty's similar knee-jerk reaction in circling the wagons and looking for a scapegoat - apparently some things never change.) That said though, both Levinson and his CIA "handler" Anne Jablonski were definitely way off the reservation - there are excellent reasons the CIA separates the spooks from the analysts.
As noted by the book's only other reviewer so far, there are a lot of names to remember and try to keep straight here, but Meier includes a helpful index so you can go back and remind yourself of just who's who. Overall, this is an impressive job of research and a fascinating story very well told - but it is most definitely NOT a “feel good” book, so unlike the tragic Mr. Levinson, you should know up front what you’re getting into.
UPDATE: Having finished the book, I was curious if there was any movement on his case since the book's release. Sadly, there has not been - below is the latest posting on Chris Levinson's "www.helpboblevinson.com" website, dated just 10 March 2016:
"A few days ago, hundreds of people from around the country came together with our family in Florida to demand “Where is Bob Levinson?” and ask how it is possible that, 9 years after being taken hostage in Iran, this wonderful man is still not home. My children and I ask those same questions every day.
"These past 9 years – 3, 288 days – have been harder for our family than anyone could ever imagine. But, as difficult as it has been for us, we know that Bob is living a nightmare that is 100 times worse. We need the United States government and the country of Iran to work together to resolve what happened to Bob and return him safely to his family."
...AND A FURTHER, SIMILARLY DEPRESSING UPDATE A FULL FIVE YEARS LATER - 10 MARCH 2021):
"Fourteen years ago today was the last time Bob Levinson saw freedom. Fourteen years ago today, he was cruelly taken away from everyone he knows and loves, and held with no basic human rights whatsoever.
"Today we are still no closer to finding answers. Iran has stonewalled all efforts to find out what exactly happened to Bob Levinson and coldly denies any responsibility.
"We urge the Biden administration – the fourth presidential administration charged with holding Iran accountable – to make it clear to the Iranian regime that there will be no path to taking a seat at the table of civilized nations without resolving Bob’s case and sending him home."
May 30, 2016
It took me a while to finish this book. Not at all because it was boring, but because of the amount of names and information it holds. Many times, you have to read a page several times and go back to check who is who.
Bob Levinson was an FBI agent for 30 years and decided to retire, get his pension and look for other jobs on the side to finance his children studies. As an FBI agent, he was making less than $100,000 a year and it was impossible to send his seven kids to college. His pension would still provide $60,000 a year. Now, he had to find other jobs as some kind of a PI. Of course, Bob thought of the CIA and managed to get a contract with them for another $60,000. With some jobs for tobacco companies worried about the copies of their cigarettes sold in a lot of places in the world plus some other small contracts, he thought he would have enough money to tie the ends.
But amazingly, a lot of the info he gathered would have been especially interesting for the C.I.A. Bob was in friendly terms with the person he connected with at the CIA, Anne Jablonski, and had lots of leads for her. A contract was signed for 80 hours a month and $60,000 a year in 2006.
Bob kept sending more and more memos and emails to Anne, asking for more funding and promising great results. When you read the mails exchanged between Bob and Anne, it feels like the usual dance between a man and a woman, the man pushing for more, the woman trying to slow him down, without telling him to get lost. It feels like Anne hoped getting information from Bob, but without paying, or paying as late as possible. For Bob, though, in dire need of money, all those mails he got as answers, telling him he was wonderful and his info was greatly appreciated just fueled his desire to serve his country and improve everything...
In the beginning of 2007, Bob wanted to get to the island of Tisch, which belongs to Iran, but can be accessed by foreigners without a visa to meet with a radical-Islamist who could give him good tips.
He went to Dubai, left for a day on the island and vanished. Since March 2007, Bob has disappeared. A video of him was sent by his captors -no matter who they are to his family in 2011, nothing since.
The CIA contested any involvement with Bob, until the trail of paper and electronics trapped them.
But in the 9 years since he disappeared, Nothing has permitted to find or trace Bob. Is he still alive? who knows?
Difficult not to be shocked by Kerry's discussions with Iran when Bob's name was not even mentioned. Difficult to accept Iran's exigences of liberation of their prisoners in the US, without the US making the same demands for Bob. But according to the book, that is what happened.
The great weakness of this book is the lack of ending. Bob is still, if alive, into the hands of Iran or Iran's friends, and nobody knows anything.
It leaves you with the feeling you left earth for a few hours and immersed yourself in a world of corruption, blackmail, lust and money, lots of money... to then come back were you started, not knowing anything more.
Of course, the book is disappointing. I kept hoping something new would happen, though I googled Levinson, and read no one knows what happened.
Maybe, one say, we will learn the truth. For now, I'm left with a very unpleasant feeling that you cannot trust anybody.
Bob Levinson was an FBI agent for 30 years and decided to retire, get his pension and look for other jobs on the side to finance his children studies. As an FBI agent, he was making less than $100,000 a year and it was impossible to send his seven kids to college. His pension would still provide $60,000 a year. Now, he had to find other jobs as some kind of a PI. Of course, Bob thought of the CIA and managed to get a contract with them for another $60,000. With some jobs for tobacco companies worried about the copies of their cigarettes sold in a lot of places in the world plus some other small contracts, he thought he would have enough money to tie the ends.
But amazingly, a lot of the info he gathered would have been especially interesting for the C.I.A. Bob was in friendly terms with the person he connected with at the CIA, Anne Jablonski, and had lots of leads for her. A contract was signed for 80 hours a month and $60,000 a year in 2006.
Bob kept sending more and more memos and emails to Anne, asking for more funding and promising great results. When you read the mails exchanged between Bob and Anne, it feels like the usual dance between a man and a woman, the man pushing for more, the woman trying to slow him down, without telling him to get lost. It feels like Anne hoped getting information from Bob, but without paying, or paying as late as possible. For Bob, though, in dire need of money, all those mails he got as answers, telling him he was wonderful and his info was greatly appreciated just fueled his desire to serve his country and improve everything...
In the beginning of 2007, Bob wanted to get to the island of Tisch, which belongs to Iran, but can be accessed by foreigners without a visa to meet with a radical-Islamist who could give him good tips.
He went to Dubai, left for a day on the island and vanished. Since March 2007, Bob has disappeared. A video of him was sent by his captors -no matter who they are to his family in 2011, nothing since.
The CIA contested any involvement with Bob, until the trail of paper and electronics trapped them.
But in the 9 years since he disappeared, Nothing has permitted to find or trace Bob. Is he still alive? who knows?
Difficult not to be shocked by Kerry's discussions with Iran when Bob's name was not even mentioned. Difficult to accept Iran's exigences of liberation of their prisoners in the US, without the US making the same demands for Bob. But according to the book, that is what happened.
The great weakness of this book is the lack of ending. Bob is still, if alive, into the hands of Iran or Iran's friends, and nobody knows anything.
It leaves you with the feeling you left earth for a few hours and immersed yourself in a world of corruption, blackmail, lust and money, lots of money... to then come back were you started, not knowing anything more.
Of course, the book is disappointing. I kept hoping something new would happen, though I googled Levinson, and read no one knows what happened.
Maybe, one say, we will learn the truth. For now, I'm left with a very unpleasant feeling that you cannot trust anybody.
June 9, 2017
This book was okay and fairly interesting. It didn't feel like it flowed that well much like my review. It also ended rather abruptly, sort of like
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February 2, 2020I'm sorry for this man's family. They obviously love him very much and it is devastating to have him go missing, then later to be informed that he is alive but shackled and being held for ransom.
& at the same time this long drawn-out saga is not particularly surprising and, in fact, is exactly what you might expect to happen to someone who goes into a forbidden zone in a hostile country.
In hundreds of pages this book tells the story of an American man (businessman or CIA we don't know) who goes to a forbidden part of Iran (for personal profit? in service to the CIA?), & then he goes missing. I found everything else in the book fluff.
Subsequent to the publication of this book, we learn he is now being held as a captive.
Google his name "Robert Levinson" and you can get the gist of the story and skip this book.
Here's a timeline of his story provided by CNN: https://www.cnn.com/2014/03/05/world/...
& at the same time this long drawn-out saga is not particularly surprising and, in fact, is exactly what you might expect to happen to someone who goes into a forbidden zone in a hostile country.
In hundreds of pages this book tells the story of an American man (businessman or CIA we don't know) who goes to a forbidden part of Iran (for personal profit? in service to the CIA?), & then he goes missing. I found everything else in the book fluff.
Subsequent to the publication of this book, we learn he is now being held as a captive.
Google his name "Robert Levinson" and you can get the gist of the story and skip this book.
Here's a timeline of his story provided by CNN: https://www.cnn.com/2014/03/05/world/...
October 29, 2019
I would like to thank Barry Meier and the publisher for providing me the opportunity to review this book.
I tired reading this book on vacation and I could not get into it. The premise is very interesting. This is an area of history of which I know little about. Maybe my lack of backdrop for the setting made it a hard read. It didn't read very story like for me. I had an advanced copy and this could have been rectified in the final print. Maybe the book picks up once you get over this hump.
Since I did not finish it I gave it a 1 star review. However, maybe a sunny beach on an Oceanic Island was not the setting to read this in. If you are interested I would recommend you give it a try :)
I won this book in a Goodreads giveaway in exchange of an honest review.
I tired reading this book on vacation and I could not get into it. The premise is very interesting. This is an area of history of which I know little about. Maybe my lack of backdrop for the setting made it a hard read. It didn't read very story like for me. I had an advanced copy and this could have been rectified in the final print. Maybe the book picks up once you get over this hump.
Since I did not finish it I gave it a 1 star review. However, maybe a sunny beach on an Oceanic Island was not the setting to read this in. If you are interested I would recommend you give it a try :)
I won this book in a Goodreads giveaway in exchange of an honest review.
October 29, 2019
I would like to thank Barry Meier and the publisher for providing me the opportunity to review this book.
I tired reading this book several times and I could not get into it. The premise is very interesting. This is an area of history of which I know little about. I just couldn't get past the first 40 pages or so. It didn't grip me and read very factual. I had an advanced copy and this could have been rectified in the final print. Maybe the book picks up once you get over this hump.
Since I did not finish it I gave it a 1 star review. However, if this book is maybe more to your genre it may work for you :)
I won this book in a Goodreads giveaway in exchange of an honest review.
I tired reading this book several times and I could not get into it. The premise is very interesting. This is an area of history of which I know little about. I just couldn't get past the first 40 pages or so. It didn't grip me and read very factual. I had an advanced copy and this could have been rectified in the final print. Maybe the book picks up once you get over this hump.
Since I did not finish it I gave it a 1 star review. However, if this book is maybe more to your genre it may work for you :)
I won this book in a Goodreads giveaway in exchange of an honest review.
February 16, 2022
Overall I found this to be a fairly interesting book. However, the first third of the book was very, very tedious. Almost too much background information and so many names that never reappear in the book. Makes me wonder why the author felt it necessary to include so much extraneous information.
The story definately "picks up" after Bob Levinson goes missing and is interesting as well as infuriating (due to the actions of some of our government agencies).
All that being said, the story needed to be told and I'm glad the author chose to do so much investigation so he could tell it as authentically as possible.
The story definately "picks up" after Bob Levinson goes missing and is interesting as well as infuriating (due to the actions of some of our government agencies).
All that being said, the story needed to be told and I'm glad the author chose to do so much investigation so he could tell it as authentically as possible.
April 25, 2019
Here is the non-fiction account--pieced together from interviews, emails and notes--of a US citizen, former FBI agent, who was working as a contractor for the CIA. He went to meet with a source on the island of Kish (controlled by Iran) where he was abducted and ...????? It is not an easy read. There are lots and lots of people involved, organizations, government agencies and the family of the missing man. Just heartbreaking for them! There is not closure--either for the family or for the book.
July 13, 2019
If this book makes me this angry and frustrated, I can't imagine how Bob's family feels. They have handled all of this with such grace and strength, I don't know if I could have done the same. I still hope this has a happy ending for them.
So bizarre to read about people I know, I think when most people read stories like this, they are moved and then put the book down and forget, or only remember if it's mentioned in the news. But these are real people who have no answers and cannot escape the nightmare.
So bizarre to read about people I know, I think when most people read stories like this, they are moved and then put the book down and forget, or only remember if it's mentioned in the news. But these are real people who have no answers and cannot escape the nightmare.
February 15, 2022
The author writes for the New Yorker, which I thought would be a sure fire guarantee for a really good read. But what I ultimately learned about myself is that something that captures my interest for a long form article doesn't necessarily sustain my interest in the length of a book. Nothing wrong with the book, just me.
It's shocking, given the lessons of September 11, how poorly the CIA and FBI coordinate even when in the service of saving an American abducted abroad. It was shameful to read about.
It's shocking, given the lessons of September 11, how poorly the CIA and FBI coordinate even when in the service of saving an American abducted abroad. It was shameful to read about.
November 6, 2016
A thriller of a read about Bob Levinson, a CIA contractor who went missing in 2007 after heading into Iran to meet with a secret contact. He remains missing to this day, presumably held by Iran or forces allied with the government, though Iran denies knowledge of his whereabouts or current condition. This book does not much new information for those who have followed the case closely, but it is a great summary and an easy read for espionage lovers who want to better understand the case.
February 20, 2018
For someone who has closely followed the Bob Levinson saga, I found this book to be not just accurate, but to include lots of new information. After reading this, no one can doubt for a moment that Bob remains a hostage to elements at the very top of the Islamic State of Iran leadership, cynically manipulating him and torturing his family.
August 20, 2023
This book disappointed me: although the text reflects careful research and interviews, the structure and pace fell short. The ending also came abruptly, and offered little insight into either the systemic problems with the many, siloed US intelligence agencies; nor into the geopolitical relations that led to the abduction and subsequent confusion.
February 27, 2018
Factual recounting of the disappearance of CIA contractor Robert Levinson in Iran. The author doesn't have to editorialize to make a case for how unwieldy and dysfunctional the intelligence apparatus is in this country and all over the world, really.
July 17, 2019
The first half of this book is a really interesting look at FBI and CIA intelligence collection via personal relationships tdeveloped with the criminal underworld. The book slows for me once Robert Levinson vanishes in Iran, though it is alarming to see how poorly the FBI and CIA work together.
January 26, 2022
Not normally my type of book, but I found this story to be really well paced and interesting. If you're not really into politics, it may be a lot to take in but the overall story kept me interested. I can't imagine what his family went through.
August 20, 2022
It felt like the book was written as a PR move to stir up renewed interest in the case. The information felt stretched to make a page minimum. But, it was interesting. I felt better for the family after learning on Wikipedia that in 2020 they received a judgment of $1.6b.
March 17, 2018
Sorry. I couldn't get into this.
April 2, 2019
It was disappointing because you never know the answer to the hostage crisis.
February 2, 2021
A painful and powerful book.
February 24, 2022
This is so tragic. The ending was quite abrupt.
March 21, 2022
A very sad account of the ups and downs and inaction of various governmental entities regarding the search for a CIA contractor in Iran.
April 12, 2022
Very believable and realistic, but almost one dimensional in that a heavy amount of the source materials are emails and media articles
December 18, 2022
Sort of like an unfunny and much higher stakes version of Burn After Reading.
September 9, 2016
A Jewish-American undercover agent with FBI and CIA backgrounds goes to an Iranian tourist island. Bad idea. He disappears. Overwrought family back in U.S. tries to elicit information about him. Nothing. FBI also belatedly tries. Again nothing. Criminals, arms traffickers and con men. CIA infighting, bumbling and confusion. FBI incompetence and sloth. What kept me going was "Is he alive and will he be released?" Many foreign proper names inhabit this book and I had trouble keeping track. A reference list would have helped.
July 20, 2016
Please note that this book review was heavily redacted by the CIA's Publication Review Board.
This is an excellent book about the disappearance of Bob Levinson, a retired FBI agent [text was redacted here]. This story hits close to home for me, as I was working at the CIA when Mr. Levinson vanished. A lot of the details in the book bring back old memories, [text was redacted here]. At the time, I was new to the office I was working in, [text was redacted here]. Years later, while posted on a field assignment, I attended a meeting with Senator Bill Nelson. I watched as Senator Nelson asked the very puzzled group about Mr. Levinson. All of the officers in the group were completely bewildered by the inquiry, [text was redacted here]. The meeting left me with a very bad taste in my mouth.
Reading this book left me saddened by the disgraceful way that Mr. Levinson’s case was handled by all of the agencies involved. [text was redacted here]
The book reads like a spy thriller, including intricately woven webs of deceit and a cast of characters seemingly straight out of a Hollywood film. [text was redacted here]
I also truly wish that the story had a happy ending.
This is an excellent book about the disappearance of Bob Levinson, a retired FBI agent [text was redacted here]. This story hits close to home for me, as I was working at the CIA when Mr. Levinson vanished. A lot of the details in the book bring back old memories, [text was redacted here]. At the time, I was new to the office I was working in, [text was redacted here]. Years later, while posted on a field assignment, I attended a meeting with Senator Bill Nelson. I watched as Senator Nelson asked the very puzzled group about Mr. Levinson. All of the officers in the group were completely bewildered by the inquiry, [text was redacted here]. The meeting left me with a very bad taste in my mouth.
Reading this book left me saddened by the disgraceful way that Mr. Levinson’s case was handled by all of the agencies involved. [text was redacted here]
The book reads like a spy thriller, including intricately woven webs of deceit and a cast of characters seemingly straight out of a Hollywood film. [text was redacted here]
I also truly wish that the story had a happy ending.
June 15, 2016
A superbly reported and unsparingly told account of a former F.B.I. agent, Robert Levinson, who took one risk too many, and the civil servants who failed him when he disappeared in Iran. This has been compared to a spy novel, but with a cast of characters that includes a broken down arms dealer; a Russian oligarch who possesses everything but permission to travel to America; a Kurdish big shot with ties to a terrorist leader; a fugitive American assassin who likes Ray Charles and Chris Rock; crooked representatives of the Islamic Republic of Iran; and C.I.A. bureaucrats who found the truth very inconvenient, it must have been difficult to separate fiction from fact. Yet the author does a consummate job, and still tells a great story.
June 22, 2016
Barry Meier has done a great job putting together this book by getting information from several of the principles who were in on the disappearance of Bob Levinson, an American spy (who at different times worked for both the FBI and the CIA). The author follows Bob's life from before his disappearance through to the present day. The book really had me thinking and at times had me angry regarding the way our government "takes care" of its own.
I received this book free from Goodreads First Reads.
I received this book free from Goodreads First Reads.
July 5, 2016
Spent this July 4th holiday reading this book. Wow. What an important, harrowing read. God bless Bob's family as they continue to be in a state of limbo. Shame on politics for using this man as a pawn in their game. I hope Bob is still alive and is reunited with his family. If he is not, I pray his family gets that closure. I'm sure Bob would give anything to have never gotten on that flight to Kish. So sad. I will continue to follow this story and hope for the best.
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August 2, 2016"For all the money and power at stake in this underworld of global resource-and-espionage intrigue, the story of the missing man is ultimately the story of absurd connections between the world's elites and their minions."
–Jeff Sharlet on Barry Meier's Missing Man: The American Spy Who Vanished in Iran in the Summer 2016 issue of Bookforum
To read the rest of this review, go to Bookforum:
http://bookforum.com/inprint/023_02/1...
–Jeff Sharlet on Barry Meier's Missing Man: The American Spy Who Vanished in Iran in the Summer 2016 issue of Bookforum
To read the rest of this review, go to Bookforum:
http://bookforum.com/inprint/023_02/1...
Displaying 1 - 30 of 42 reviews