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The Increment
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Review
'Written with fluency and a delicate touch for the details of diplomacy and intelligence, it reeks of authenticity. It's fiction, but it might just not be. Not to be missed' Daily Mail.
'David Ignatius is the writer CIA officers most admire for his authenticity' Daily Telegraph.
'David Ignatius is the writer CIA officers most admire for his authenticity' Daily Telegraph.
Review
'Written with fluency and a delicate touch for the details of diplomacy and intelligence, it reeks of authenticity. It's fiction, but it might just not be. Not to be missed' Daily Mail. 'David Ignatius is the writer CIA officers most admire for his authenticity' Daily Telegraph.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
14 of 14 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
Ignore the cover art for this book, which hints at an action packed plot involving military hardware and cool men in shades. If you're looking for the sort of muscular, boys-own adventure produced by the likes of Chris Ryan or the technologically focused fiction of Dale Brown or Stephen Coonts then The Increment will come as a disappointment.
This is a book that tries very hard to stay based on reality and which focuses more on traditional spy-craft than explosions, gunfights and cutting edge technology. The world of The Increment is one of covert meetings with informers, agents and powerbrokers, of greys rather than blacks & whites and where a happy ending is never guaranteed. This is a world where the facts can be twisted to serve the politics and where allies such as Britain and the USA can sometimes have very different agendas.
If that all sounds rather dull and boring trust me it isn't. With stakes that couldn't be higher The Increment is packed fulled of tension and, in its own way, action. Its also got enough twists to keep you wondering who exactly is playing who and unsure of what the eventual outcome will be.
There are weaknesses of course. David Ignatius is very good at the detail of the world of espionage and the plot he sets up is well conceived. It would appear however, that he also sees himself as a great writer of characters and he tries hard to imbue all of the leads with extra psychological depth. Unfortunately he doesn't really have the talent to carry this off and his efforts to fill out the backstories and motivations of the likes of Harry Papas often feel trite and clumsily tacked-on and are rammed home without any real subtlety. This was also a flaw for me with Ignatius' last book 'Body of Lies' and once again with The Increment the best characters are actually the ones where he doesn't try to hard and just lets them develop naturally as the book progresses.
Despite this however, The Increment remains an excellent and highly enjoyable tale of espionage that recognises that the world of global politics is complex, that people's motives are not always pure and that often as not you don't achieve the outcome you originally sought but have to settle for what you can get. As such it both entertains and makes the reader think, for which the author is to be commended.
This is a book that tries very hard to stay based on reality and which focuses more on traditional spy-craft than explosions, gunfights and cutting edge technology. The world of The Increment is one of covert meetings with informers, agents and powerbrokers, of greys rather than blacks & whites and where a happy ending is never guaranteed. This is a world where the facts can be twisted to serve the politics and where allies such as Britain and the USA can sometimes have very different agendas.
If that all sounds rather dull and boring trust me it isn't. With stakes that couldn't be higher The Increment is packed fulled of tension and, in its own way, action. Its also got enough twists to keep you wondering who exactly is playing who and unsure of what the eventual outcome will be.
There are weaknesses of course. David Ignatius is very good at the detail of the world of espionage and the plot he sets up is well conceived. It would appear however, that he also sees himself as a great writer of characters and he tries hard to imbue all of the leads with extra psychological depth. Unfortunately he doesn't really have the talent to carry this off and his efforts to fill out the backstories and motivations of the likes of Harry Papas often feel trite and clumsily tacked-on and are rammed home without any real subtlety. This was also a flaw for me with Ignatius' last book 'Body of Lies' and once again with The Increment the best characters are actually the ones where he doesn't try to hard and just lets them develop naturally as the book progresses.
Despite this however, The Increment remains an excellent and highly enjoyable tale of espionage that recognises that the world of global politics is complex, that people's motives are not always pure and that often as not you don't achieve the outcome you originally sought but have to settle for what you can get. As such it both entertains and makes the reader think, for which the author is to be commended.
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
I had greatly looked forward to this book as a contemporary thriller based on the present situation in Iran and American and British involvement; I felt this would be a promising subject and am a keen student of happenings in Iran. The author went to some trouble in his use of Tehran street names to convince the reader of his familiarity with the city, although I suspect the information was obtained through research of maps rather than personal experience of the city. Whilst I know nothing of the machinations of the CIA and British intelligence I found it all somewhat predictable - the debonair British officer, the world weary American, even the Iranian interrogator. I found the characters, whether Iranian, American and British, to be flat and stereotypical; I lost interest in them and what happened to them. What should have been enthralling became a chore and the inconsistent points of view irritated me.
7 of 8 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
I've read all this author's spy stories, and I think this is possibly his best so far. It is a good combination of spy procedural methods and exciting action. More so than usual with his stories. I wonder, if judging by the cover, this one is aimed more at the action loving reader market. If so, they should not be disappointed. It is also a cautionary tale on recent politics. As always with his books, the setting, in this case, Iran, is conjured up so well.
I see no point in spelling out the plot as some do. All I will add is that in my humble opinion as a general reader,
it has a gripping, and realistic ending. I read it within two weeks.
I see no point in spelling out the plot as some do. All I will add is that in my humble opinion as a general reader,
it has a gripping, and realistic ending. I read it within two weeks.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
The Increment
My first read of this author and certainly not going to be the last. I was hooked by the pace and intigue straight away. Read more
Published 8 months ago by T. Wolstencroft
Question of tsate
Bought on someone else's recommendation. Not my cup of tea but they loved it so you'll have to decide for yourself.
Published 14 months ago by Nicholas D. H. Parkes
Awful!
Unless you want to know the internal workings of the CIA and other organisations avoid like the plague. Read more
Published 20 months ago by Mr. T. M. J. Fisher
2 and 1/2 stars
Other reviewers have defined this book as realistic. It might be so (although not being a secret agent nor an Iranian dissident I am not in a position to confirm), but the outcome... Read more
Published 21 months ago by Max
raises many questions
'The Increment' is not an SAS type action thriller - as a previous reviewer points out - so the cover is definitely misleading. Read more
Published 23 months ago by Dr. Robert A. Josey
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