Dead Drop

In Woodward’s lively sequel to 2022’s The Handler, CIA senior operations officer Meredith Morris-Dale hopes to reconcile her failed marriage to retired agent John Dale and bring him back into service, but is recalled to duty when the latest in a string of attacks against Iranian scientists threatens to derail the ongoing Iranian denuclearization talks. An assassination unit of the Mossad has discovered that a hypersonic missile with a possible nuclear payload has been developed by the Iranians for use by Hezbollah terrorists. One man knows all too much about the new weapon: Lt. Col. Kasem Kahlidi, the former chief arms importer for the Iranian regime and current prisoner of the CIA. When the Mossad team attempts to snatch Kahlidi, he escapes, and the CIA suspects John is a compromised foreign asset. With John on the run tracking Khalidi, and the Israelis and Iranians on the hunt for them both, Meredith has an audacious plan to fix everything, if she doesn’t get killed first. A former naval intelligence officer, Woodward brings an insider’s authentic depiction of espionage tradecraft. With its more-than-capable female operatives, this is a refreshing change from the many testosterone-soaked spy thrillers. Agent: Scott Miller, Trident Media Group. (May)