First published 1997
Eric Truell works the intelligence beat for a major newspaper, cultivating sources deep inside the CIA. He believes these relationships give him access to the biggest stories in Washington. But Truell discovers that getting close to spies means playing by their rules, not his own. His sources begin feeding him information that serves their agenda rather than the public interest. The line between journalist and asset starts to blur as Truell finds himself manipulated by the very people he thought he was using. He must choose between his career ambitions and his integrity as a reporter. David Ignatius draws on his experience as both an acclaimed novelist and award-winning journalist to create an authentic portrait of how intelligence agencies seduce members of the press. The story explores what happens when a reporter's worst professional mistake becomes a personal catastrophe.
Genres: fiction, mystery, crime, contemporary, thriller, espionage
Vibes: suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: unreliable-narrator
333 pages · Hardcover · Random House