Beirut Station Two lives of a spy

This taut, nuanced spy thriller centered on Lebanese American CIA agent Analise Assad further establishes Vidich (The Matchmaker) as a new master of the genre. During the 2006 Israel-Hezbollah War, Analise is assigned to a joint mission by the CIA and Mossad, Israel's national intelligence agency, to assassinate Hezbollah militant Najib Qassem. After she aborts the original operation to avoid killing bystanders, she must formulate a new plan to eliminate Qassem before U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice visits Beirut to broker a cease-fire. Posing as a UN interpreter, Analise infiltrates Qassem's inner circle as a volunteer at the school his children attend. As the timeline of Analise's plan and Rice's arrival converge, she becomes the target of terrorist bombings, Israeli retaliation, and even a treacherous CIA mole, all while struggling not to fall for the New York Times reporter she's seduced in attempts to throw him off her scent. Vidich ably describes daily life in a war-torn setting and convincingly highlights the dangers Analise faces as a woman in her position. He brings the action to a satisfying conclusion but leaves a few threads dangling, opening the door for future installments. Fans of Eric Ambler, Graham Greene, and John le Carré will be eager for more. Agent: Will Roberts, Gernert Company. (Oct.)

Blood flows in Beirut as an American spy tries to stop a killer. In 2006, civil war rages in Lebanon, and Lebanese American Analise Assad is a spy for the CIA. Her non-official cover is with the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees and she leads "two lives, one open and known, a lady working for the United Nations, the other a mask known only to Mossad and the CIA's station chief." She is at the end of her tour and is glad to be moving on, but the CIA extends her stay for two months. President George W. Bush is sending Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice to Beirut to broker a peace deal, and Analise must stop a terrorist named Najib Qassem who plans to assassinate her. Qassem is deemed to be such a serious threat that he "can't be allowed to live," and to find him Analise exploits his love for his 13-year-old soccer-playing grandson. Kill Qassem? Of course, Analise thinks, but don't take out innocent civilians with him. Don't blow up a neighborhood to get one person. Mossad's David Bauman--and Israel--are less discriminating. "We both love Lebanon," he tells Analise, "but we hate what it has become." She has an uneasy working relationship with Bauman, an experienced spy. At one point when he makes a suggestion about her future, she reflects that "she knew him better the more he lied." Meanwhile, car bombs explode, and Israel attacks the suburbs of Beirut. During all this, Analise's marriage is crumbling, and she occasionally goes to bed with a story-hungry news reporter named Corbin. He would betray a friend before he would sacrifice a scoop. The Mossad station chief sums up what keeps the blood flowing in the streets: "In our work it is better to avenge the dead than mourn them." There is plenty of death to avenge in this tense, fast-moving novel. Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.