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The Increment
The New York Times “A remarkably timely and pulse-quickening tale of deception, divided loyalty, and moral haziness.”—Raleigh News & Observer
Harry Pappas, chief of the CIA’s Persia House, receives an encrypted message from a scientist in Tehran. But soon the source of secrets from the Iranian bomb program dries the scientist panics; he’s being followed, but he doesn’t know who’s on to him, and neither does Harry. To get his agent out, Harry turns to a secret British spy team known as “The Increment,” whose operatives carry the modern version of the double-O “license to kill.” But the real story is infinitely more complicated than Harry understands, and to get to the bottom of it he must betray his own country.
Harry Pappas, chief of the CIA’s Persia House, receives an encrypted message from a scientist in Tehran. But soon the source of secrets from the Iranian bomb program dries the scientist panics; he’s being followed, but he doesn’t know who’s on to him, and neither does Harry. To get his agent out, Harry turns to a secret British spy team known as “The Increment,” whose operatives carry the modern version of the double-O “license to kill.” But the real story is infinitely more complicated than Harry understands, and to get to the bottom of it he must betray his own country.
401 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2009
252 people are currently reading
1311 people want to read
About the author
David Ignatius
32 books719 followersDavid Ignatius, a prize-winning columnist for the Washington Post, has been covering the Middle East and the CIA for more than twenty-five years. His novels include Agents of Innocence, Body of Lies, and The Increment, now in development for a major motion picture by Jerry Bruckheimer. He lives in Washington, DC.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 240 reviews
September 21, 2011
David Ignatius creates and builds upon an engagingly textured environment of spies and third world nuclear threat to create a realistic and fun espionage thriller. While I'd give Ignatius' effort three starts for the intricacies of the fiction as literature, I'd move it to a solid four stars for the well-woven and well-paced plot.
The story revolves around a young Iranian scientist who sends the CIA a subtly coded message exposing Iran's efforts in developing nuclear weapons. His mode of communication is the "contact us" link available on the CIA's public website. Ignatius writes, "...occasionally the strange people who sent anonymous messages to the CIA were for real. They knew secrets; they were angry at their government, or the security service, or maybe just at the boss down the hall." In this case, the message was very real, and this communication becomes the launching point for Ignatius' tautly written novel.
The story bounces between CIA headquarters outside of Washington, D.C., Iran, London and other points in the Middles East. It's in London where we learn the meaning behind the novel's title. The Increment is the informal and off-the-books British force that's pulled into only the highest of security missions, and the only forces that truly have James Bond's legendary 'license to kill'.
The plot hums along, and the characters, while sometimes clichéd, are believable. The main threads of the story follow an aging America CIA agent in charge of operations in Iran. He's grizzled and jaded, and the most morally consistent and clear of all characters in the story. An old friend and colleague is a senior officer in the British spy agency who's brought in to help with the operation as it moves to Tehran. The Iranian scientist is sincere and sad. While not terrifically deep, Ignatius crafts this character strongly enough that the reader will actually care and root for his success and safety. Few characters are exclusively what they seem. They're a little good, and a little bad. Characteristics lean towards one side or the other based on whose side they appear to support. But as the plot develops, it becomes clear that some larger chess pieces are orbiting around the primary characters.
I don't read particularly quickly, but this story I knocked off in only 3 days. At times "The Increment" is more mystery than adventure, and the thrill is in the creation, build up and execution of Ignatius' well though-through plan. He smoothly slams home a twisty, curvy conclusion that I wasn't expecting. All in all this was a satisfying read for what it is: a fun thriller with a very old-school spy vibe. I definitely recommend this read.
The story revolves around a young Iranian scientist who sends the CIA a subtly coded message exposing Iran's efforts in developing nuclear weapons. His mode of communication is the "contact us" link available on the CIA's public website. Ignatius writes, "...occasionally the strange people who sent anonymous messages to the CIA were for real. They knew secrets; they were angry at their government, or the security service, or maybe just at the boss down the hall." In this case, the message was very real, and this communication becomes the launching point for Ignatius' tautly written novel.
The story bounces between CIA headquarters outside of Washington, D.C., Iran, London and other points in the Middles East. It's in London where we learn the meaning behind the novel's title. The Increment is the informal and off-the-books British force that's pulled into only the highest of security missions, and the only forces that truly have James Bond's legendary 'license to kill'.
The plot hums along, and the characters, while sometimes clichéd, are believable. The main threads of the story follow an aging America CIA agent in charge of operations in Iran. He's grizzled and jaded, and the most morally consistent and clear of all characters in the story. An old friend and colleague is a senior officer in the British spy agency who's brought in to help with the operation as it moves to Tehran. The Iranian scientist is sincere and sad. While not terrifically deep, Ignatius crafts this character strongly enough that the reader will actually care and root for his success and safety. Few characters are exclusively what they seem. They're a little good, and a little bad. Characteristics lean towards one side or the other based on whose side they appear to support. But as the plot develops, it becomes clear that some larger chess pieces are orbiting around the primary characters.
I don't read particularly quickly, but this story I knocked off in only 3 days. At times "The Increment" is more mystery than adventure, and the thrill is in the creation, build up and execution of Ignatius' well though-through plan. He smoothly slams home a twisty, curvy conclusion that I wasn't expecting. All in all this was a satisfying read for what it is: a fun thriller with a very old-school spy vibe. I definitely recommend this read.
October 20, 2009
A very good spy novel which is also about real politics and the real world. An Iranian nuclear scientist has decided to risk everything to alert the West that Iran is still working to build nuclear bombs. He sends an email to the CIA to let them know, and the email eventually lands in the lap of Harry Pappas, a career spy, who brings it to the attention of Fox who is more of a political appointee. Fox alerts the White House, which decides that this information can be used as the starting off point for attacking Iran. Pappas suspects that this will lead to the death of the Iranian asset, and that Fox and the White House will get many Americans killed in an ill advised war that is unnecessary if the Iranians are really not far along in the research to find weapons.
Pappas asks the Director of Operations of the CIA for more time and gets 2 weeks. Pappas asks an old friend of his, a British spy for help. The Brit, arranges for a special forces team, composed of his very attractive girlfriend and two other British Arabs (the so-called Increment) to penetrate Iran and get the scientist out so he can be questioned by Pappas to find out how far along the Iranians are in their nuclear weapons program. At the same time, the Brit, takes Harry to meet a friend of his Kamel Atwin, an Arab billionaire arms trader who is involved in a secret plot to sell sensitive material to the Iranians, which eventually breaks down and causes calculations of the Iranians to be off. Pappas, plans with his Iranian asset a way to mess up the Iranians weapon program even more and sends the asset back to Iran.
Kamel has his own agenda, of course, and its up to Pappas to figure out what is going on when the plan works in part but is screwed up in other ways.
The novel is really a good view of how the players on the world stage work and how a principled CIA agent has to use whatever means he can to do his job --gather intelligence and support American interests in the face of those who want to use the intelligence for their own ends.
Pappas asks the Director of Operations of the CIA for more time and gets 2 weeks. Pappas asks an old friend of his, a British spy for help. The Brit, arranges for a special forces team, composed of his very attractive girlfriend and two other British Arabs (the so-called Increment) to penetrate Iran and get the scientist out so he can be questioned by Pappas to find out how far along the Iranians are in their nuclear weapons program. At the same time, the Brit, takes Harry to meet a friend of his Kamel Atwin, an Arab billionaire arms trader who is involved in a secret plot to sell sensitive material to the Iranians, which eventually breaks down and causes calculations of the Iranians to be off. Pappas, plans with his Iranian asset a way to mess up the Iranians weapon program even more and sends the asset back to Iran.
Kamel has his own agenda, of course, and its up to Pappas to figure out what is going on when the plan works in part but is screwed up in other ways.
The novel is really a good view of how the players on the world stage work and how a principled CIA agent has to use whatever means he can to do his job --gather intelligence and support American interests in the face of those who want to use the intelligence for their own ends.
April 20, 2025
I kind of plowed through this spy thriller pretty quickly as the story had me really engaged. It's about a disillusioned scientist in Iran who wants to warn the CIA about Iran's progress and lack of progress on building a nuclear bomb. He's fed up, worried and wants to get out. I thought it was quite a good story but then it took a really unexpected turn for me as we approach the conclusion. Then after all that I just don't know how I feel about how it all ends.
June 7, 2021
Harry Pappas, head of the Iran division at the bumbling CIA, is given a piece of intel from a "virtual walk-in:" a Tehran nuclear scientist emails a list of numbers showing how close Iran is to having a nuclear weapon. Or maybe it shows that Iran's nuclear program has stalled. Harry's preppie, warmongering rival Arthur Fox and his allies at the National Security Council and White House are ginning up for sanctions at a minimum, bombs max. The weak-willed, apathetic head of the CIA, a retired admiral, sits in his office fondling ship models and wondering why he took the job. Privately he sides with Harry, who believes the data show the program has stalled rather than succeeded, but he won't stand up to the White House. He gives Harry two weeks to find evidence that war isn't warranted. Harry flies to London where his SIS counterpart, a dapper masochist, can rustle up some personnel to infiltrate Iran, which the Americans can't. They locate the young scientist Karim and spirit him into Turkmenistan, where he reminds Harry of his son who was killed by an IED in Iraq because Harry never bothered to warn him that he shouldn't be so gung-ho about our Iraqi debacle. Harry is determined not to subject his proxy son to the same fate. It's arranged for Karim to be smuggled back into Iran, to a different nuclear facility, to mess with the computers. Behind the scenes a suave Lebanese, Monet-owning, Isaiah Berlin-reading billionaire arms dealer is pulling all the strings.
Ignatius is very much a Washington insider, though he pretends that Harry can get a table at the Inn at Little Washington (tasting menu $265) on an hour's notice. His prose is serviceable.
November 11, 2022
While waiting for my library to release “Body of Lies”, I tried this, and since David Ignatius is a veteran journalist, it is a readable novel. He showcases the relationship between the intelligence community and political leadership, and the dominance of form versus function, politically. An important reflection which I appreciated.
The regret of the misleading venture into the war in Iraq comes across strongly here, and there is no obstacle to repeating itself. Fiction can be a nice way to think about those aspects and that was Illuminative.
The regret of the misleading venture into the war in Iraq comes across strongly here, and there is no obstacle to repeating itself. Fiction can be a nice way to think about those aspects and that was Illuminative.
November 16, 2017
Washington Post columnist and editor David Ignatius has covered wars, diplomacy, and the intelligence community in a long journalistic career. His reporting infuses the ten suspense and espionage novels he has written over the past thirty years. The Increment, published in 2009, dramatizes the hysteria in the Bush Administration about Iran's program to build nuclear weapons. This engrossing and well-informed novel preceded by several years Barack Obama's successful initiative to contain the program by treaty.
The central figures in The Increment are a young Iranian nuclear physicist who remains nameless for much of the tale and Harry Pappas, the senior CIA officer who runs the agency's Iran division, reporting to the director. The young Iranian, disgruntled about both life and work, "walks in" online to the CIA with high-level information about Iran's nuclear weapons program. An alert young officer routes the information to Harry, triggering a massive effort to contact the sender directly that involves the CIA Director and the White House. Officials at the National Security Council and the President himself leap to conclusions on the basis of the information the young man has sent—and quickly begin moving to bomb Iran's nuclear facilities. Convinced that the information from the walk-in is ambiguous, and terrified by the President's haste, Harry scrambles to delay the attack, in hopes of squelching it entirely. To do so, he must team up with an old friend who is now the chief of staff of MI6, with only flimsy cover from the director of his own agency. He's putting his career on the line by reaching out to another government.
One of Harry's primary concerns is that anything the US does may jeopardize the life of the young Iranian. "'He's trusting the agency,' in other words . . . Not to f--- it up, I mean.'" His assistant responds, "'What an idiot . . . Doesn't he read the newspapers?'" It would seem that David Ignatius' respect for the CIA is not boundless.
It's all too easy for Americans (probably including some in the White House today) to assume that Iran is just another little Middle Eastern country that's easy for the US to push around. In fact, Iran is the world's 18th most-populous country and the 17th largest by landmass. It's home to one of the world's oldest civilizations. For many centuries, the country's historical predecessor, the Persian Empire, dominated the ancient Mediterranean. And, as American government military historian David Crist demonstrated in 2012 in The Twilight War: The Secret History of America's Thirty-Year Conflict with Iran, the US engaged in a low-level shooting war with Iran until only a few years ago, when bilateral diplomacy at last took center stage. (I reviewed Crist's book at "The ugly US-Iran war, past, present, and future.") In other words, it's important to acknowledge the consensus among US military leaders who have contemplated the prospect of invading Iran that it would be a very bad idea.
You might also be interested in "My 10 favorite espionage novels." For additional insight, look online for "17 good nonfiction books about espionage."
The central figures in The Increment are a young Iranian nuclear physicist who remains nameless for much of the tale and Harry Pappas, the senior CIA officer who runs the agency's Iran division, reporting to the director. The young Iranian, disgruntled about both life and work, "walks in" online to the CIA with high-level information about Iran's nuclear weapons program. An alert young officer routes the information to Harry, triggering a massive effort to contact the sender directly that involves the CIA Director and the White House. Officials at the National Security Council and the President himself leap to conclusions on the basis of the information the young man has sent—and quickly begin moving to bomb Iran's nuclear facilities. Convinced that the information from the walk-in is ambiguous, and terrified by the President's haste, Harry scrambles to delay the attack, in hopes of squelching it entirely. To do so, he must team up with an old friend who is now the chief of staff of MI6, with only flimsy cover from the director of his own agency. He's putting his career on the line by reaching out to another government.
One of Harry's primary concerns is that anything the US does may jeopardize the life of the young Iranian. "'He's trusting the agency,' in other words . . . Not to f--- it up, I mean.'" His assistant responds, "'What an idiot . . . Doesn't he read the newspapers?'" It would seem that David Ignatius' respect for the CIA is not boundless.
It's all too easy for Americans (probably including some in the White House today) to assume that Iran is just another little Middle Eastern country that's easy for the US to push around. In fact, Iran is the world's 18th most-populous country and the 17th largest by landmass. It's home to one of the world's oldest civilizations. For many centuries, the country's historical predecessor, the Persian Empire, dominated the ancient Mediterranean. And, as American government military historian David Crist demonstrated in 2012 in The Twilight War: The Secret History of America's Thirty-Year Conflict with Iran, the US engaged in a low-level shooting war with Iran until only a few years ago, when bilateral diplomacy at last took center stage. (I reviewed Crist's book at "The ugly US-Iran war, past, present, and future.") In other words, it's important to acknowledge the consensus among US military leaders who have contemplated the prospect of invading Iran that it would be a very bad idea.
You might also be interested in "My 10 favorite espionage novels." For additional insight, look online for "17 good nonfiction books about espionage."
December 1, 2014
This is not half a good book; at best it is about one third of a good book.
The early chapters, portraying a clapped-out CIA riven with jealousy and internal plotting, works on a sub-Le Carre level. A likely-looking villain appears to be one Arthur Fox but he will disappear from the book without trace or explanation.
The scene setting in Tehran is acceptable. Trouble sets in when a British secret service team (The Increment, though the title is never explained) gets involved. Now we we are into stereotypical evil - The Crazy One, all plastic surgery and deformity. Worse, Mr Big appears, a mastermind who collects stolen Impressionist paintings and first editions. This mastermind has fleets of private planes available and instantly when needed in a remote part of Turkmenistan, a minibus with a secret compartment. From sub-Le Carre we have descended into sub-Ian Fleming.
Characterisation is minimal. The CIA man swears a lot, the Brit says "Old boy" frequently but no more often than the Lebanese businessman says "My dear."
To cap it all, the author was not paying attention to what his spell checker was up to. Otherwise we would not have had a boat giving another "a wide birth" or someone having "a target in his sites."
The early chapters, portraying a clapped-out CIA riven with jealousy and internal plotting, works on a sub-Le Carre level. A likely-looking villain appears to be one Arthur Fox but he will disappear from the book without trace or explanation.
The scene setting in Tehran is acceptable. Trouble sets in when a British secret service team (The Increment, though the title is never explained) gets involved. Now we we are into stereotypical evil - The Crazy One, all plastic surgery and deformity. Worse, Mr Big appears, a mastermind who collects stolen Impressionist paintings and first editions. This mastermind has fleets of private planes available and instantly when needed in a remote part of Turkmenistan, a minibus with a secret compartment. From sub-Le Carre we have descended into sub-Ian Fleming.
Characterisation is minimal. The CIA man swears a lot, the Brit says "Old boy" frequently but no more often than the Lebanese businessman says "My dear."
To cap it all, the author was not paying attention to what his spell checker was up to. Otherwise we would not have had a boat giving another "a wide birth" or someone having "a target in his sites."
May 5, 2013
Interesting book about spies fighting to stop their enemies from developing into nuclear power.
Only downside to the book is the conclusion - prime minister steps out and exposes the entire operation to the media, how they manage to thwart the efforts of their rival state by direct sabotage (even names service responsible) and then state that they will prevent any other nation from further interfering because enemy is now tamed (? I mean come on...) and this does not provoke no reaction from anyone in the world (!?! again, please ...)
Imagine somebody from the government steps out and says that they sabotaged by direct attack their rivals, they disclose it to the world (so it is not just knowledge in the close community) and everybody says - Oh, they blew them ... now gimme that pepper.
These are things conflicts are ignited about. I do not know what the author was thinking about but ending seems childish to say the least and seems like unnatural ending for the novel itself (considering other elements described in it).
Good thriller but ending is deeply flawed.
Only downside to the book is the conclusion - prime minister steps out and exposes the entire operation to the media, how they manage to thwart the efforts of their rival state by direct sabotage (even names service responsible) and then state that they will prevent any other nation from further interfering because enemy is now tamed (? I mean come on...) and this does not provoke no reaction from anyone in the world (!?! again, please ...)
Imagine somebody from the government steps out and says that they sabotaged by direct attack their rivals, they disclose it to the world (so it is not just knowledge in the close community) and everybody says - Oh, they blew them ... now gimme that pepper.
These are things conflicts are ignited about. I do not know what the author was thinking about but ending seems childish to say the least and seems like unnatural ending for the novel itself (considering other elements described in it).
Good thriller but ending is deeply flawed.
September 3, 2014
Wow! Another home run for David Ignatius. This book was published in 2009 and is one man's view of the messes that governments make and the power of individuals with influence and money. It is just as valid today as it was 5 years ago when detailing the lack of strategy of any government in the world - except for MORE POWER, MORE CONTROL. The mystery is complex, a lot of people die and there is such evil that the reader has to pause now and then to try to think of good things in the world. If you like mystery, suspense, spies, government messes, and delightful characters, get this book. Ignatius depicts one wonderful character, a CIA agent with a strong moral system and a valid ethical stance.
April 25, 2012
I read this shortly after it came out. The main character reminds me of Andrew Bacevich for sad reasons that rouse my ire at Cheney et.al.. But the real mystery of the novel is its publication date, May 2009, relative to the discovery of Stuxnet, June 2010, given the description of a worm that destroys Iraq's nuclear program in the book. Ignatius is either Nostradamus or someone high up in the CIA or White House or an Intelligence Committee, is whispering in his ear.
July 1, 2025
Great book and super relevant to the recent Iran news!
September 30, 2020
Fascinating for the Date Written!
A spy novel, through and through, The Increment is a fascinating look at a complex political situation. Though it is fictional, it was published January 2009... about a year and a half before Stuxnet was revealed to the world. This is not Stuxnet, but the author delves into some mild ideas of industrial sabotage for Iran's nuclear program. I won't spoil the story line, but it centers around the USA dealing with Iranian attempts to develop a nuclear program that move across the border into Turkmenistan. The Brits are involved and things get ugly.
The author not only deals with then cutting edge ideas of war, peace, and cold war, but some poignant human interest issues are in the mix. Its a fun read, but when read with hindsight post Stuxnet, it probably seems more realistic than it would have seemed at time of writing. I enjoyed it thoroughly, and added the Kindle to my Audible for whisper-sync. The narration was done well, in a voice you would expect for your typical old-school spy novel.
I read this for my stop in Turkmenistan after ditching my planned read of The Revenge of the Foxes, which was pure drivel. That may be a bit harsh when I never made it very many pages into that book before casting it aside. But, here we are. And, I have no regrets for switching after such an intriguing segue into The Increment by David Ignatius. I finished this yesterday, and my next read arrived in the mailbox today: a paperback copy of The Language of the Birds by Alisher Nava'i, a classic piece of Turkish literature from 1499 for my journey northward to Uzbekistan.
A spy novel, through and through, The Increment is a fascinating look at a complex political situation. Though it is fictional, it was published January 2009... about a year and a half before Stuxnet was revealed to the world. This is not Stuxnet, but the author delves into some mild ideas of industrial sabotage for Iran's nuclear program. I won't spoil the story line, but it centers around the USA dealing with Iranian attempts to develop a nuclear program that move across the border into Turkmenistan. The Brits are involved and things get ugly.
The author not only deals with then cutting edge ideas of war, peace, and cold war, but some poignant human interest issues are in the mix. Its a fun read, but when read with hindsight post Stuxnet, it probably seems more realistic than it would have seemed at time of writing. I enjoyed it thoroughly, and added the Kindle to my Audible for whisper-sync. The narration was done well, in a voice you would expect for your typical old-school spy novel.
I read this for my stop in Turkmenistan after ditching my planned read of The Revenge of the Foxes, which was pure drivel. That may be a bit harsh when I never made it very many pages into that book before casting it aside. But, here we are. And, I have no regrets for switching after such an intriguing segue into The Increment by David Ignatius. I finished this yesterday, and my next read arrived in the mailbox today: a paperback copy of The Language of the Birds by Alisher Nava'i, a classic piece of Turkish literature from 1499 for my journey northward to Uzbekistan.
August 12, 2018
The days when a stranger walks into CIA headquarters to offer vital information about an enemy state, are apparently over. Now that person contacts the American agency by email. Still, having an Iranian nuclear scientist dangle some insider info is tantalizing to veteran spooks and politicians alike. Once things get moving the action shifts from Langley, Virginia to London and ultimately to Tehran. Plans go awry. Endings are sudden and bloody. Mr. Ignatius seems to have a bit of insider knowledge as to how the spy agencies actually operate, however this tale lacks the inscrutable subtlety of a classic LeCarre thriller.
October 7, 2024
4/5. Twisty, twisted spy-craft at its best when the CIA receives a "virtual walk-in" from Iran, a young scientist supposedly working in a bomb program who sends a message through the agency's website. His newly assigned handler, an experienced agent carrying his own emotional baggage, discovers more than he bargained for in a slippery case with lots of outside -- and inside -- interference as he tries to woo the scientist into a face-to-face meeting. I just love this author! Washington Post columnist David Ignatius covered the Middle East and the CIA for more than 25 years and it shows in the details about place and culture. He writes in a spare, straightforward style reminiscent of Hemingway, keeping the story moving without bogging down in technological details and interpersonal drama.
July 29, 2021
Intrigante jogo de espiões que nos transporta para um mundo oculto para a maioria da população.
October 5, 2023
When a former director of the CIA praises a novel about the CIA and says that company agents admire the author's work you don't know quite what to make of it. A phrase that comes to mind is "well, he would, wouldn't he?" but there is a slight odour of LeCarre that increases my inclination to accept the story as being close to what might happen in the circumstances described. I remember the whole are the Iranians continuing bomb experiments or aren't they? confusion and the fear that was engendered.
As well as Smiley and company there is also a lingering whiff of James Bond, that is not quite so believable, but it adds the sex element that seems to be necessary in spy stories. The Increment team have to be described as unbelievably good, accurate and experienced to make the plot move at the speed it needs. Good not to have the Iranians portrayed as just emerging out of a medieval past and the various cultural groups portrayed with the inter-group rivalries that must exist.
In books of this sort we're always told it is entirely fiction, blah, blah, but this one was so clearly possible that the cold shivers went down my back. Putting genies back in bottles came to mind as I got to the end. I hope all spies eventually .feel as Harry Pappas does, although that may merely prove how naive I am.
As well as Smiley and company there is also a lingering whiff of James Bond, that is not quite so believable, but it adds the sex element that seems to be necessary in spy stories. The Increment team have to be described as unbelievably good, accurate and experienced to make the plot move at the speed it needs. Good not to have the Iranians portrayed as just emerging out of a medieval past and the various cultural groups portrayed with the inter-group rivalries that must exist.
In books of this sort we're always told it is entirely fiction, blah, blah, but this one was so clearly possible that the cold shivers went down my back. Putting genies back in bottles came to mind as I got to the end. I hope all spies eventually .feel as Harry Pappas does, although that may merely prove how naive I am.
August 31, 2025
This was a very taut and realistic, thriller, which is just this relevant today as when it was written.
September 25, 2025
I didn't quite get the ending
July 17, 2012
John LeCarre (when he is good) writes gritty, depressing and heavily realistic books about espionage. Robert Ludlum, on the other hand, wrote breathless thrillers with outrageous characters and plot twists. Somewhere in the middle between these two extremes is David Ignatius. "The Increment" begins when an Iranian scientist contacts the CIA through a link on its website -- a link that really exists. That begins a series of events that could bring the world to war once again.
The star of the book is really the country and culture of Iran, which Ignatius has visited. It tells of a highly conservative country where the police wink at satellite dishes that beam in dirty movies on the TV sets of private citizens, and of a people who hate the U.S. and Britain, but can't get enough of our music and movies. I would not have believed it, but it corresponds well with Robert Baer's non-fiction book, "The Devil We Know".
The plot here is a good one. It all struck me as realistic until the introduction of "The Increment", a team of SIS agents tasked with carrying out the mission in Iran. At the point, things seemed to switch from LeCarre to Ludlum. The characters and their actions did not really strike me as all that believable. However, the action is very entertaining and suspenseful.
Less entertaining is the preachy tone regarding Iraq -- yes, Iraq. Ignatius is clearly critical of the real-life war in Iraq and has his character do a tedious build-up to war that is really meant as a commentary on Iraq. Fortunately, while it is sprinkled throughout the book, it does not dominate the plot. However, just about everyone agrees that Iraq was a mistake, so Mr. Ignatius, spare us the lecture.
On the whole, however, this is pretty good page turner with some good characters and backstory drama behind the main plotlines. I always like to learn a thing or two, so I appreciated all of the research and color about Iran. "The Increment" is worth the time to read, and you might even learn a thing or two.
The star of the book is really the country and culture of Iran, which Ignatius has visited. It tells of a highly conservative country where the police wink at satellite dishes that beam in dirty movies on the TV sets of private citizens, and of a people who hate the U.S. and Britain, but can't get enough of our music and movies. I would not have believed it, but it corresponds well with Robert Baer's non-fiction book, "The Devil We Know".
The plot here is a good one. It all struck me as realistic until the introduction of "The Increment", a team of SIS agents tasked with carrying out the mission in Iran. At the point, things seemed to switch from LeCarre to Ludlum. The characters and their actions did not really strike me as all that believable. However, the action is very entertaining and suspenseful.
Less entertaining is the preachy tone regarding Iraq -- yes, Iraq. Ignatius is clearly critical of the real-life war in Iraq and has his character do a tedious build-up to war that is really meant as a commentary on Iraq. Fortunately, while it is sprinkled throughout the book, it does not dominate the plot. However, just about everyone agrees that Iraq was a mistake, so Mr. Ignatius, spare us the lecture.
On the whole, however, this is pretty good page turner with some good characters and backstory drama behind the main plotlines. I always like to learn a thing or two, so I appreciated all of the research and color about Iran. "The Increment" is worth the time to read, and you might even learn a thing or two.
February 18, 2014
I was handed this book by someone who really wanted me to read it because it apparently gives an excellent real live vantage point into the middle eastern crisis, he said.
The book was interesting in a way because the CIA operations seemed to be realistic in as much as the process of how things work is portrayed. But I found the writing very difficult to get into because the author seemed not to have put much thought into making the characters very engaging. The narrative was jagged and jarring, especially when shifting between the different POVs. And the one love making scene was completely meaningless and I actually laughed out aloud in shock of it actually being there because there was no reason for it, and it was such a horrible half page.
The POV of the Iraqi scientist was written quite well, and pit that against the lead characters half of the storyline, the latter left me wondering if it wouldn't be a better book if it was just written from the point of view of the scientist. He obviously knows that subject much better and developed the character much more completely.
The Harry Pappas part of the story was so.... Ra ra , we are the righteous CIA and so moralistic, was almost funny, to the point that the British intelligence guys seemed to be more interesting to read about. The hidden American moralist agenda left me a little cold.
Actually I could hear the authors opinions on things a little too much through the story, to actually get involved in the narrative too much. Though on first appearances he portrays the Middle eastern characters in the book much more sophisticated and intelligent that their american counterparts, there seemed to me a very hidden layer of modern american orientalism in that portrayal. This also caused me to finish the book with a bitter taste in my mouth.
I have a feeling this man should definitely just stick to journalism. Less chance of those stories appearing like propaganda fairy tales there.
The book was interesting in a way because the CIA operations seemed to be realistic in as much as the process of how things work is portrayed. But I found the writing very difficult to get into because the author seemed not to have put much thought into making the characters very engaging. The narrative was jagged and jarring, especially when shifting between the different POVs. And the one love making scene was completely meaningless and I actually laughed out aloud in shock of it actually being there because there was no reason for it, and it was such a horrible half page.
The POV of the Iraqi scientist was written quite well, and pit that against the lead characters half of the storyline, the latter left me wondering if it wouldn't be a better book if it was just written from the point of view of the scientist. He obviously knows that subject much better and developed the character much more completely.
The Harry Pappas part of the story was so.... Ra ra , we are the righteous CIA and so moralistic, was almost funny, to the point that the British intelligence guys seemed to be more interesting to read about. The hidden American moralist agenda left me a little cold.
Actually I could hear the authors opinions on things a little too much through the story, to actually get involved in the narrative too much. Though on first appearances he portrays the Middle eastern characters in the book much more sophisticated and intelligent that their american counterparts, there seemed to me a very hidden layer of modern american orientalism in that portrayal. This also caused me to finish the book with a bitter taste in my mouth.
I have a feeling this man should definitely just stick to journalism. Less chance of those stories appearing like propaganda fairy tales there.
August 18, 2011
This is a fun and thrilling novel that I came across while reading Obama's War by Bob Woodward, which I had read last year. It is a spy/espionage story about how the west treats intelligence information it receives about Iran. It is loosely based on how the U.S. government rushed to judgement in interpreting intelligence it received from the CIA and interpreted it the way politicians wanted them to mean; rather that what it actually meant.
The main character in the story (the protagonist) is a CIA agent who heads the Iran division. His son was killed in the war in Iraq so he is striving to prevent the U.S. from entering into another unnecessary war with Iran. How he does that is the meat of the story and the imagination of the author only makes it the more interesting to read. The story centers around Iran's nuclear program and how the west (U.S. and U.K.) are dealing with it both publicly and privately. It also incorporate a huge dose of corruption. The main plot is the protagonist's efforts to tamper with Iran's nuclear facility with the help of "The Increment".
It is a true page turner and makes you rethink how the intelligence community interacts with the political leadership of the U.S. The author of this novel is also the author of Body of Lies, which was made into a movie starring Leonardo DiCaprio.
The main character in the story (the protagonist) is a CIA agent who heads the Iran division. His son was killed in the war in Iraq so he is striving to prevent the U.S. from entering into another unnecessary war with Iran. How he does that is the meat of the story and the imagination of the author only makes it the more interesting to read. The story centers around Iran's nuclear program and how the west (U.S. and U.K.) are dealing with it both publicly and privately. It also incorporate a huge dose of corruption. The main plot is the protagonist's efforts to tamper with Iran's nuclear facility with the help of "The Increment".
It is a true page turner and makes you rethink how the intelligence community interacts with the political leadership of the U.S. The author of this novel is also the author of Body of Lies, which was made into a movie starring Leonardo DiCaprio.
February 25, 2018
Basically, this is a well-plotted tale about intelligence agencies (American and British), their successes and failures.It is the agonizing story of success purchased at a high price. Though the author in a final note asserts that it is not a realistic picture of how intelligence agencies work, he could have (and did) fool this reader.
The book is centered on the Iranian nuclear program and though the details are obviously not factual, Ignatius does capture the atmosphere of fear, paranoia, and cruelty that are part of the Iranian modus operandi. The story begins when a young Iranian nuclear scientist decides he can bear the regime no longer and becomes a "virtual walk in" by sending a message to the CIA with inside information about the nuclear program on which he works. This is the triggering event that leads a CIA intelligence officer and a friend in British intelligence in a mad race to contact the agent and debrief him face to face before his intelligence unleashes a war. Along the way they encounter several shadowy figures whose roles are unknown until the book's dramatic conclusion.
The CIA agent around whom the story spins is coming to the end of his career, slowing down somewhat, ready to retire. At times the book mimics his pace, but it certainly holds your interest to the final page.
The book is centered on the Iranian nuclear program and though the details are obviously not factual, Ignatius does capture the atmosphere of fear, paranoia, and cruelty that are part of the Iranian modus operandi. The story begins when a young Iranian nuclear scientist decides he can bear the regime no longer and becomes a "virtual walk in" by sending a message to the CIA with inside information about the nuclear program on which he works. This is the triggering event that leads a CIA intelligence officer and a friend in British intelligence in a mad race to contact the agent and debrief him face to face before his intelligence unleashes a war. Along the way they encounter several shadowy figures whose roles are unknown until the book's dramatic conclusion.
The CIA agent around whom the story spins is coming to the end of his career, slowing down somewhat, ready to retire. At times the book mimics his pace, but it certainly holds your interest to the final page.
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June 21, 2009This was a timely read about an American CIA agent named Harry Pappas who works thwart the development of the Iranian nuclear program. David Ignatius, a reporter for the Washington Post covering the Middle East, knows his subject and tells a compelling story about a would-be Iranian defector who makes himself known to the CIA. While the writing here is often workmanlike and cliched, Ignatius does create an interesting portrait of the various spheres of influence in today's Iran: the clerics, the covert arms dealers, scientists, interrogators, and British and American spies. The story moves along in a predictable manner but it still held my interest. Worth reading if you want to get a view of the subtext of the current events in Iran.
December 5, 2009
This book started out to be rather interesting. It concerns a CIA effort to gain access to the Iranian nuclear program by recruiting an Iranian scientist. The story breaks down once the action gets under way. The part about brittish spy infiltrators sent in to exfiltrate the scientist was a lttle hokey. Ignatius's characters are not very believable. I did like this slightly more than his first book, "Body of Lies" which was made into a motion picture. Ignatius's writing will not make me forget that the master spy story writer is still LeCarre'.
August 17, 2011
Another great espionage novel from David Ignatius. This one revolves around a young scientist in Iran's nuclear program who decides to defect. It's a great look inside Iran and inside the CIA and the British secret service as well. David Ignatius writes some of the most true-to-life espionage fiction around, and he also helps the reader understand the Middle East and how the people there think. Recommended to anyone who likes a good spy novel.
Read
August 4, 2010Unexpectedly good thriller, very realistic to life and as such makes it a difficult book to read as you know, unlike many US thrillers, that the incompetent, war-mongering bastards at the top are going to get their way...
Realistic, well-written thriller which I enjoyed immensely. Definitely better than the normal books in this genre.
Realistic, well-written thriller which I enjoyed immensely. Definitely better than the normal books in this genre.
October 17, 2018
now i am hooked. This was such a great, easy and creative book. i was hooked after the first page.
The characters were easy to fall in love with and follow, along with the story. the author made the mental visions so easy and vivid of the surroundings and the characters actions felt so real.
i would highly recommend this author and this book.
The characters were easy to fall in love with and follow, along with the story. the author made the mental visions so easy and vivid of the surroundings and the characters actions felt so real.
i would highly recommend this author and this book.
June 4, 2015
An American LeCarre spy novel. Your heart breaks several times for Harry Pappas, a man trying to do the right thing (or to figure out what the right thing is) and to fix an unfixable world. I listened to an audio version with the great Dick Hill doing the narration. I am sure that it is a wonderful book to read, but I am always happy to listen to Dick Hill read.
August 5, 2011
Okay...but why name it after a team of British operatives who show up late in the novel and get wasted prior to any form of character development? Boo. Not very stimulating...or I entirely missed the point of the novel. Not worth the time I invested.
July 17, 2015
Although this was written some years ago, it is pertinent now when we are again signing a nuclear treaty with Iran. We know there's so much behind the politics and this helps us know that we really don't want to know all that happens. thank you to those who are involved behind the scenes.
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