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An Ordinary Spy: Summary and book reviews of An Ordinary Spy by Joseph Weisberg, plus links to an excerpt from An Ordinary Spy and a biography of Joseph Weisberg.
An Ordinary Spy A Novel
by
Joseph Weisberg
Hardcover: Dec 2007,
288 pages.
Paperback: Jan 2009,
288 pages.
Mark Ruttenberg may not be fit for the
CIA. Early in his tenure with the agency, he learns about a former operative,
Bobby Goldstein, and becomes curious about the case that led to his termination.
Before he can get to the bottom of what happened, however, he's shipped off to
, where he hobnobs with foreign diplomats and informants, who have
access to information and contacts like the powerful General
, in the hopes of recruiting them as agents. But, when he falls for
the wrong woman, he's quickly sent back to , with nothing to show for
his secretive work but a mysterious postcard with an unknown address on it. Who
sent the postcard, and where is it supposed to lead him? Could this all be an
ops test, with Mark's future hanging in the balance? Soon, he'll have to decide
if righting an old wrong is worth taking a terrible and very personal risk.
Book Reviews
BookBrowse - Amy Reading An Ordinary Spy is deeply engrossing and gratifying, first for the details of spycraft, but lastingly for the contortions to which it puts the reader's mind as it wends its way though its complex moral questions. Full Review (members only, 1111 words).
Kirkus Reviews
In a stab at verisimilitude, large chunks of the novel's text are blacked out, a technique that eventually becomes an irritating stylistic tic on the part of Weisberg. More slack than taut and disappointingly thin in characterization.
Publishers Weekly
Given the quantity of blacked-out material, some readers may be more annoyed than intrigued as they puzzle over the missing information.
Booklist - Thomas Gaughan
There’s no Great Game, no derring-do, and the stresses of the work seem mostly imposed by the culture of the CIA. For those willing to contemplate the anti-Bond view of spying, this is definitely a book to read.
The Washington Post - Patrick Anderson
[A]n odd, well-written and interesting novel, a low-key corrective to all the razzle-dazzle spy tales we've read.
The New York Times - Mark Costello
Among its other satisfactions, this book is surely the best portrait of the working C.I.A. we have had in many years.
New York Times - Mark Costello
Among its other satisfactions, this book is surely the best portrait of the working C.I.A. we have had in many years.
When his daughter, Amy, died suddenly of a heart condition, Roger Rosenblatt and his wife moved in with their son-in-law and their three young grandchildren. His story tells how a family makes the possible out of the impossible.
You are about to travel to Edgecombe St. Mary, a small village in the English countryside filled with rolling hills, thatched cottages, and a cast of characters both hilariously original and as familiar as the members of your own family.
The Postmistress is an unforgettable tale of the secrets we must bear, or bury. It is about what happens to love during wartime, when those we cherish leave. And how every story-of love or war-is about looking left when we should have been looking right.
Masterfully blending true events with fiction, this blockbuster historical thriller delivers a page-turning murder mystery set on the sixteenth-century Oxford University campus.
Kostova's masterful new novel travels from American cities to the coast of Normandy, from the late 19th century to the late 20th, from young love to last love. The Swan Thieves is a story of obsession, history's losses, and the power of art to preserve human hope.
I read this book in two days and found it so refreshing. Although you will learn a great deal about barn owls by reading it, the book is not just ...
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I enjoyed reading this book, however, feel that this is not completely her own ideas. This books remembers me of a cross between 'ghost','Sixth ...
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Lisa See has written a great book! This story is satisfying on many levels, some scenes horrifying, but seemingly truthful, and her handling of the ...
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Amazon 'buy button' rumors abound(Mar 18 2010) Rumors swirled today that Amazon could revoke the buy buttons for books by Simon & Schuster, HarperCollins, Penguin, or Hachette if the major publishers can't...
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Amazon's e-pricing threats(Mar 18 2010) With Apple's iPad launch just weeks away, Amazon raised the stakes again when it threatened to stop directly selling the books of some publishers online...
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An Ordinary Spy
BookBrowse - 
(members only, 1111 words).
Kirkus Reviews
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