Robert Littell has been called "our" (Yanks, that is) John Le Carre. The book bears the legend "a novel of the CIA". The former, I think even the British will agree, is more than accurate. The latter is a gross understatement. At close to 900, absolutely never dull, pages, this book, which essentially spans the entire Cold War history of the organization, is THE novel of the CIA. Always even-handed, always engrossing, this is not only a corking novel, but a brilliant history of our recent times. I am prone to recommend books I like as things people "should" read. This is, as they say in blurbsville, an absolute "Must" read for any serious spy novel afficianado.
