The Handler

Disgraced ex-CIA agent John Dale, the hero of former naval intelligence officer Woodward’s promising if uneven debut, returns to action when a former asset known as Cerberus signals his desire to defect from Iran, where he’s been undermining the country’s uranium enrichment program. Coaxed out of retirement by his ex-wife, Meredith, the head of the CIA’s Counterproliferation Division, Dale reassumes his Reza Shariati alias in order to attempt a dangerous and potentially catastrophic extraction from Iran. The author’s professional background lends credibility to the story, but by cycling through multiple points of view, Woodward slows down the pace as he focuses on such secondary characters as the gorgeous Russian agent leading an SVR hit team anxious to take out Dale, the lieutenant colonel with the Quds branch of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard who wants Cerberus just as badly as the CIA, and Meredith’s corrupt supervisor. The star of the show, however, is Dale. The action scenes featuring the former CIA operative trying to shake off the rust and complete one last mission are what make this spy thriller worth reading. Hopefully, he’ll be back for an encore. Agent: Scott Miller, Trident Media Group. (May)