The Last Man in Tehran

Kyra Stryker & Jonathan Burke #4

by Mark E. Henshaw

"המוסד, האף-בי-איי והסי.איי.איי משתפים פעולה במבצע נועז באיראן, שנועד לחסל מצבור של נשק גרעיני." כותרת בעיתון? אולי בעתיד. עד אז, "האיש האחרון בטהרן" מתאר באופן מרתק ובדיוק מדהים את מלחמתם החשאית של אירגוני הביון המובילים בעולם בניסיונות ההתחמשות הגרעינית של איראן.
פצצה 'מלוכלכת' מתפוצצת על סיפונה של ספינת מכולה במפרץ חיפה, וממטירה גשם של נשורת גרעינית על העיר. המוסד נחוש למצוא את האשמים ולהענישם – והעקבות מובילים היישר אל טהראן.
בצד השני של האוקיינוס, באגף 'התא האדום',יחידה של הסי.אי.איי, שתפקידה לחשוב מחוץ לקופסה, מוטלת על הסוכנת המבריקה קירה סטרייקר משימה: לאתר חפרפרת בסוכנות הביון. החפרפרת, מתברר, מעבירה מידע רב ערך ל... ישראל. בקצב מהיר ובסדרה של מהפכים מלווים באקשן עוצר נשימה מתאחדים, נפרדים ומתאחדים שוב אירגוני הביון רבי העוצמה במטרה משותפת אחת: לעצור את הגרעין האיראני.

מארק הנשו שירת בסי.אי.איי במשך 16 שנה, מהן שלוש שנים בתא האדום. במהלך שירותו זכה ב-18 ציונים לשבח, ובראשם פרס "גלילאו" היוקרתי, על תרומתו למודיעין הלאומי האמריקני.

Genres: Fiction, Thriller, Espionage, Suspense, Mystery, Audiobook, Novels

322 pages, Hardcover

First published December 26, 2017

Reviews

[Michael Martz · Rating 3 out of 5]

The 4th novel in the Red Cell grouping by Mark Henshaw, 'The Last Man in Tehran', is a decent thriller but uneven in its plot. Realistic action, good tradecraft, and taut dialogue is too often followed by sequences that just don't pass the smell test, at least to me.

Last Man.... starts off with a 'bang', as terrorists explode a 'dirty bomb' in an Israeli port city. It has all the hallmarks of an Iranian attack, so Israel's Mossad begins to run its playbook of assassinations and broader acts of retribution. Concurrently, a mole within the CIA begins to pass information to the Israelis about previously unknown players in Iran's nuclear program. Iran predictably denies responsibility for the dirty bomb and uncharacteristically tries to pass back-channel messages to the Israelis and its allies about its non-involvement. The Red Cell team begins to investigate the mole issue alongside a hard charging FBI agent and is also engaged in an attempt to stop a major war caused by escalating Mossad actions. The end result at a high level is fine, but getting there involved a few acts that I don't think are very realistic. I'll leave it at that.

Henshaw's writing is fine and his real strength in describing tradecraft and the inner workings of government intelligence and law enforcement agencies shines through. As with his previous novel in this series, though, he too often strays into activities and story lines that seem to be implausible. Last Man... is still a very readable and enjoyable novel, but some of the action is just a bit too far out there for me.

[Brett T · Rating 3 out of 5]

Kyra Stryker first joined the "Red Cell," the CIA's quirky think tank, in the 2012 novel of that name. She was a rookie agent hung out to dry for the mistakes of her superiors, but managed with the help of Red Cell curmudgeon Jonathan Burke to demonstrate considerable talent for the work. By the time of 2018's The Last Man in Tehran, Burke has retired and Stryker is the chief of the Cell. But she'll need her old colleague's help -- and no small amount of luck -- to prevent a deadly confrontation between Israel and Iran that's on high boil. Clues following a devastating attack on an Israeli port point to the Islamic Republic, but Kyra and others have heard whispers that things are not as they seem. A mole hunt by the FBI leaves far too many in the Agency unwilling to risk drawing attention to themselves by making decisions or taking risks. Will Kyra and Jonathan be able to head off a war that could leave the entire Middle East a wasteland? Can elements within the clandestine services of the two antagonists walk their nations back from the brink?

Henshaw is a former CIA analyst himself and has a good handle on the "office work" side of intelligence gathering -- after all, the purpose of gathering intelligence is to know what is going on so someone can do something about it. He also gives the bureaucratic side of things solid authenticity. Your office may have politics, but combine imagine what it would be with people whose very business is sneaking out secrets and hiding their own and who've been trained to do so. There's a little less fieldwork than the earlier Red Cell novels, at least by our principals. Still, Kyra travels to Iran to meet with a British asset who might be able to help her learn the source of the attack on Israel.

Henshaw has a handy hand with an action scene and doesn't take the easy routes with his different characters even if they walk some familiar ground. Rather than pulling stock character quirks off the shelf to differentiate them from each other, he takes the time to explore their backgrounds and give them some depth.

Original available here.

[Trevor Wickie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another strong outing and topical. Thoroughly enjoyed it

[Jack Laschenski · Rating 5 out of 5]

The 4th Henshaw book about the CIA and the world's bad guys (Iran in particular)

And a very tough woman: Kyra Stryker.

Kyra Stryker could reduce James Bond to a sobbing ruin without shedding her clothes!!!

[Paul · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another great story by Mark Henshaw. I have enjoyed the entire "Red Cell" series. Mr. Henshaw's stories move along at a nice pace. Not too wordy or lacking in content. A lot of the CIA/Espionage/Covert Ops authors could take a lesson from Mr. Henshaw knowledge within the story and pros.

[Mike Worley · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 stars, really good read, I look forward to reading the next installment.

[Bookreporter.com Mystery & Thriller · Rating 4 out of 5]

CIA agent Kyra Stryker has been promoted to the position of Red Cell Chief, a division of the CIA that deals with terrorism. Just after being given the promotion, the Middle East is sent into chaos when a "dirty bomb" is set off in a port in Israel. The Israelis believe that the attack came from Iran, and they send the Mossad, their intelligence service, into a defensive attack against Iran. It soon becomes clear that some agent in the CIA has gone rogue and is helping the Mossad. This truly is an act of treason and must be stopped.

Kyra goes to Tehran on assignment, on a mission to figure out what is happening in the Middle East. The CIA is convinced that a certain man is the mole, but Kyra is not so sure. She enlists the help of two former co-workers: now-retired Red Cell Chief Jonathan Burke and his wife, ex-CIA Director Kathryn Cooke. In the process of getting to the truth, Kyra's life is put in danger on multiple occasions, and others are put in harm's way as well.

Author Mark Henshaw brings real-life drama to THE LAST MAN IN TEHRAN through his experiences as a CIA analyst. The storyline is related to past events in Tehran, when 60 Americans were held hostage in the American embassy for 444 days. The book begins at that American embassy, which is not unoccupied.

The subject matter here is quite scary, as one could see something like this play out in real time, especially in the Middle East. That part of the world is a tinderbox, and things could go south very quickly. Henshaw provides a disturbingly realistic scenario of what could transpire there or anywhere else.

Reviewed by Christine M. Irvin

[Savsandy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Destruction in the Middle East

Early in the opening chapters of “The Last Man in Tehran” there’s a line that epitomizes Israel’s tragic reality and sets the tone for this book: “There has never been a day in our history when we have not been at war.” Author Mark Henshaw deftly brings the reader inside the bureaucracy of the CIA to let us see for ourselves how it reflects our daily reality. The chillingly complex plot focuses on Matthew Hadfield who feels betrayed and abandoned by the bureaucracy he works for. His feelings of abject desperation and isolation are palpable as he takes the first steps that lead him down a path from which there is no return. When a dirty bomb nearly levels the port of Haifa, all fingers point toward Iran as the culprit. Israel’s Mossad goes into action to avenge the death and destruction it caused and what ensues could potentially shift the balance of power in the middle east. Since the U.S. is Israel’s staunchest ally, the CIA plays a pivotal role in trying to head off Mossad’s retaliation. Jonathan Burke temporally comes out of retirement to again team up with Kyra Stryker in The Red Cell as they begin to piece together who did what and why. There are a few great action scenes that’ll have you on the edge of your seat but, despite the inherent dangers, the pacing is a bit uneven. Still, it’s a good enough thriller that I want to go back and read the first three books in The Red Cell series.

[Mary Kniep · Rating 5 out of 5]

I haven't read an espionage book for several years and I rarely write reviews. But I will for this book. It is rated 5 not because it is a literary tome, but because it is well-written and a thoroughly good book holding my interest straight through to the conclusion in record-time. I spent several years in Tehran, Iran as a small child and what Mr. Henshaw writes is accurate.

There is no need, in my opinion, to dissect and regurgitate details of the book as the synopsis is clear. What the author writes about the countries is factual. The story is a spell-binder, easy-to-read, yet full of detail that makes perfect sense.

Read it. And then think about it. What seems a simple story may not be so simple. Have not read any of Mr. Henshaw's previous novels, but I so enjoyed this one that I intend to read all of the others if they are as good. I only found one error in the book his editors missed. Pretty good. There are usually several in most novels.

I am somewhat confused by the Henshaw's bio. There appear to be some discordant information as there are two distinct bios of the author floating around the internet. The bio on his website reads somewhat differently than the one used on this site and other areas on the internet. Which one is accurate?

[Wdmoor · Rating 4 out of 5]

This can be read as a stand-alone novel.

Absorbing and enjoyable and even a bit daring as Mr Henshaw moves the pieces around of a successful series. Jonathon Burke and his damaged knee only play a limited role as Kyra Stryker steps up, but The Last Man in Tehran has a much broader scope of characters than Mr Henshaw's other novels.

Mixed in with an excellent story is an interesting look at Iran (which helped explained the recent unrest there), a discouraging look at the cya bureaucratic nature of the CIA, and how a mole hunt is conducted within the CIA (but more so how moles come to betray their country).

New characters are introduced including a brash and thoroughly unlikable FBI agent named Rhodes... his deeply unpleasant personality strongly resembles Ben Rhodes, Deputy National Security Advisor for Strategic Communications for U.S. President Barack Obama. I suspect that's not a coincidence.

Hadfield is a tragic and fascinating character and his reasons for his actions are haunting. I hope we see more of Gavi Ronen and his protege Salem.

[Denise · Rating 4 out of 5]

Narrated by George Newbern who just has a great voice for these types of spy thrillers. I have not read any others in this series and while it might have laid some groundwork, it wasn't entirely necessary to understand the story. This main protagonists in the series are part of the Red Cell (which is the CIA’s out-of-the-box think tank). Kyra is a young tough agent that worked her way up the chanin of command very quickly and Jonathan, now retired, is a gruff no-nonsense kind of a guy.
THe book starts off with an attack on an Israeli port and goes from there. Given the current issues that are happening in the middle east, this books does not really put Israel in a postive light as Mossad (Israel Intelligence Agency), is offing their enemies at will and in some creative ways. The descriptions of a dirty bomb attack in Haifa and the subsequent assassinations were a bit graphic. This seems. Probably a good read alike for Clancy's Jack Ryan Series. Brad Thor or Vince Flynn

[SueChor · Rating 3 out of 5]

Really this book is a 31/2 star book, with an interesting plot, good adventure, and some understandably motivated characters. I enjoyed looking up some of the details, for example Kish Island in Iran, where the wealthiest Iranians live and play. Kyra Stryker managed an adventure here, but not with the devastating capture she’s experienced in other novels. The story is fast, the action satisfying, there’s some critique of government bureaucracy, but ultimately it’s not an outstanding book. What’s missing? Is it the ultimate sympathy and connection to a protagonist? Is it a little cold? Or is there just not enough depth of meaning, beyond the thrill of another spy story? Something along these lines . . . hard to read about the Mossad after reading one of Daniel Silva’s elegant Gabriel Allon tales. However, the friendship between the two spymasters here was a really nice touch, if slightly improbable.

[Vance King · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars for this one. Mr. Henshaw really scratches my John le Carre/Tom Clancy-borne itch. This is movie ready spy/techno fiction at its breezy best. There isn't a lot of depth to the characters (honestly, the details of what happens when a bomb goes off gets more text-time than most characters get in back story). But the quick pace and narrative-driven writing works well. And I have to appreciate his efforts to omit explicit language and sex, while not straying away from graphic violence. This novel also tugged at my heartstrings near the end, which was an unexpected bonus. Well done!

[Jonathan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Actually, this is probably closer to a 3.5-star book. It’s a great story, but with the amount of previous things that referenced, it’s not the best entry point into the series. This is because, while some series gives context to previous events, this series just kind of references previous events and assumes a lot of foreknowledge on the part of the reader when it doesn’t contextualize things that happened in the three previous books, which ties into over half of the throwback references. It’s still a good and interesting read, but the foreknowledge aspect can alienate new readers.

[Ella · Rating 4 out of 5]

I finally finished this series. It was a good companion to reading the prize longlists that I've been working through (much more slowly than others.)

And I'm going to say that this final book made the first three worth reading. I'd quibble with the name of the series, given Jon has been mostly absent from the last few books, but again this is a timely plot, more realistic in character actions and sympathetic every way I look at it.

But it mostly does what it's supposed to do: entertains.

[Scarlett Mari · Rating 2 out of 5]

The story is ok but it’s badly written. Disconnected. Inaccurate. The details about Iran were very inaccurate and not properly researched.
Every single road sign and street sign in Iran is both in Farsi and English and has been so for at least 20 odd years.
There are no pubs in Tehran.
And So on and so on.
The writer just looked at a map and wrote his story around it. If he had even watched a travel show, he would’ve learnt more about the country.
The story itself had good potential but it was not researched well enough.
If you want accurate stories, read other authors such as Le Carre and Daniel Silva.

[Michael Gorelik · Rating 5 out of 5]

I usually do not give 5 stars easily.
and realized that this is part of a series just after finished reading it.
So it definitely stands on it own.
when I first started the book, I was sure this was yet another Israel chasing Iran and vice versa
But this is a much different story, and the reason that I liked it is not just the spies and so, but the actual human stories that are the core of this book.
Not sure yet if I wanna go back and read the previous ones of the series yet, as the characters really stand well as they are on their own

[Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was as good as “The Red Cell”; Henshaw’s best since the first Stryker novel. Treason, ambition, tons of action...I flew thru this in one sitting. Great way to end a not-so-great year of reading.

I didn’t read enough this year after starting a new job in last April, and all the real life political drama to read about...between the two, it just wasn’t my best year of books. Making a New Year’s resolution to change that in 2018.

[Jackie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another winner by Mr. Henshaw. And seriously, thank you so much for keeping your commitment to keep the language clean. I not only admire your determination, I am grateful!

A couple lines I particularly liked:

" I'm afraid we all need hope as much as we need food. A person's soul can starve to death."

And "But someone who looks like that coming on to me would've been a triumph of hope over experience."

[Dallas · Rating 5 out of 5]

A spy story with a heart?

Once again Mark Henshaw does a great job writing what appears to me to be a realistic spy novel. It is not all about shooting, stabbing and torturing but instead is about people. Real people, some doing wrong on purpose and some doing right even when inconvenient. This Book is well worth the time to read and could potentially teach you something worth knowing.

[Lee · Rating 3 out of 5]

The fourth Red Cell book starts off with Haifa being infected with radiation by a bomb. Israel is out for vengeance against the Iranians who they hold responsible and being aided by a mole inside the CIA. Kyra is tasked with helping the FBI find the mole. When her suspicions run counter to the FBI’s she must place herself at risk to find out the truth. Good read.

[Craig Wakefield · Rating 4 out of 5]

The fourth book in a series, but the first book that I have read in the series. The potential horror of a dirty bomb exploding in the world is enough to write a story around. Ramp up the tension though when that bomb explodes in Israel, a country that seems to have trademarked the word "vengeance."

Can our hero and heroine prevent the spread of terror and war throughout the world? Yes.

[Warren Thoms · Rating 4 out of 5]

It is just a hair under 4 stars. Lots of action but also a lot of thought as well. The different discussions with the Israeli side of view, the USA side of view and then the Iranian side of the story was interesting. Krya was the main character in this and it was also interesting about how allies treat each other. Also reading this as things get a bit iffy with Iran in Iraq.

[John Wilkinson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Didn’t see it coming!

The structure of this multi-layered story is enthralling. Then, add the wonderful flow and style of the prose. Seriously did not see the resolution(s) until they were masterfully unfolded. The story is laced with hope, and with examples of the goodness of people in unanticipated ways and places . . . even in the context of terrible conflict.

[Dan Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

Kyra Stryker has barely settled into the job when an attack on an Israeli port throws the Middle East into chaos. The Mossad—Israel’s feared intelligence service—responds with a campaign of covert sabotage and assassination, determined to protect the homeland. But evidence quickly turns up suggesting that a group of moles inside Langley are helping Mossad wage its covert war.

[Roger Scherping · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a very good book. The characters are consistent, the plot interesting, and the insights into the world of espionage insightful. But I give the book a 4 only because the agents couldn't figure out that Matt had been married to Sam! All they had to do was look in their personnel files! Some spies.

[Ari Somers · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was a quick fun read. I didn’t realize it was part of a series and worked well as a stand alone story. It wasn’t spectacular but it held my interest & I wanted to find out how it ended. I’ll definitely be checking out more books by this author.

[Beth · Rating 5 out of 5]

The fact that the author mentions Arabic when speaking about the language in Iran makes the rest of his research, and some of his other suggestive details questionable. Iranians speak Farsi not Arabic

[Brett Hanes · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great Spy Fiction!

This is a great espionage story from one of my favorite authors in the genre. Great insight into the current state of Iran. Highly recommended.

[Jim Cerone The Perfect Host DJ MC · Rating 4 out of 5]

A spy novel, yes, but not a “thriller.” Only a few action sequences within a densely woven plot. Overall a satisfying story.