The Peregrine Spy

By Edmund P. Murray

Frank Sullivan, an occasional contract employee of the CIA, has been recruited again-this time for work in an Iran where the Islamic revolution of 1978-79 is already well underway. Frank's assignment is to work for the Agency under US Air Force cover while officially serving as a propaganda adviser to the Iranian military. As Frank conflicts with an agency bureaucracy seeking field reporting that justifies Washington's already-determined conclusions, he gains a growing awareness of the inadequacy of American intelligence on the revolution's real nature. And as he witnesses the overrunning of the American embassy by militants, he realizes how intertwined his job has become with his life. Trying to survive a chaotic civil war is the least of Frank's problems as he becomes involved in efforts to recruit a high-level Russian KGB agent and to learn the identity of a mole back at Agency headquarters. But the closer he gets to the objects he pursues, the more likely it becomes that he won't make it out alive. Set during the final days of the Shah and the consolidation of power under Ayatollah Khomeini, "The Peregrine Spy "is a stunning novel of a time and place that has never left the public conscious. It is also a keenly told story of the inner workings of the CIA and the extent of its reach.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 031230367X
• ISBN13: 9780312303679
• Release Date: April 2004
• Publisher: Thomas Dunne Books
• Length: 464 Pages
• Weight: 1.86 lbs.
• Dimensions: 9.7" x 1.4" x 6.4"

Customer Reviews

Excellent Novel

I read this at the beach about a year ago. I thought it was a fascinating book. It seemed to be give a more realistic view of how a CIA agent works out of the embassy. The setting is Iran at the time that the Shah is deposed, which to me was a fascinating setting. I also thought it was well written, well paced novel (despite what others have said).

Incredible, more so, because it is real!

I defer to the other reviewers, who gave 5 stars.To their reviews I add that this book was so good, I wanted more! To me, that's a sign of an excellent story.The liner notes on the Hardcover quotes Mario Puzo as saying that Ed Murray is a "born novelist" and Puzo is not exaggerating!Hopefully, Mr. Murray will give us more of the same in the future!Thanks for an incredible read; and incredible ride!

More than a good spy novel

This is a spy novel so good that it transcends the genre, the way Scott Turow transcends the legal thriller genre. The writing is superb, the observations and ironies are sublime, and the characters - American, Iranian, and Russian - spring to life with very realistic dialog and subtle depth. The setting is Iran during the transition from the Shah to the Ayatollah, which is very timely considering the transition occurring in Iraq right now. This is not a comic-book, James Bond style spy story, but a very realistic portrayal of how "spies" and intelligence gathering really work. It's especially revealing if you want to understand how the U.S. intelligence community can get it so wrong, even when their agents get it right.

Gripping and timely reading

Murray's scary and informative thriller casts a searing light on the fuming Islamic world of the Middle East. The book is about a potentially explosive situation stoked by a horribly misguided US administration that is often fed distorted and conflicting information by an intelligence community blind to truth, ignorant of history and more concerned with infighting than creating a secure world. Is this book about 1978-79, or today?The large cast is finely drawn, with each character given telling particulars that are often humorous, sometimes biting, but always essential to revealing the inner person and their contorted motives in a fevered, unsettled time."Atmospherics" (in CIA parlance) flowing from Murray's pen put the reader right in the gut of Tehran, abundant with a swirl of sounds, smells and flavors that intoxicate the mind trying to figure out who is to be trusted.Send a copy to your Congressional representative today!