Bloodmoney

4.5 Stars: This book works because the spy thriller part -- Sophie Marx is tasked with finding out how someone uncovered the identities of the US' most secret agents -- is just fictional enough that it keeps Bloodmoney from reading like a polemic or another history of the War on Terrorism. Meanwhile, the backdrop for the story is painted with so much detail that the reader actually ends up learning quite a bit about Pakistan and the ongoing War on Terrorism. The book raises important questions about vengeance, cultural understanding, and ending wars, but the author features all viewpoints (terrorist and terrorist hunter alike) so the reader never feels lectured at or bullied.

Regardless of whether the secret, high-tech CIA spinoff part show more is based on reality, this book shines a light on current events in Southern Asia. Ignatius stood in the shoes of each of the characters instead of having it just be Sophie Marx's narrative. She drives the story in that it's her job to uncover the truth, but the world of Bloodmoney is so messy there really are no clear-cut heroes and heroines. As a result, the reader sees the post-9/11 world from a variety of perspectives: the predator drone survivor, the boy from Waziristan who grew up watching the Americans arm the Taliban, the Western-educated Pakistani general, the warrior whose culture is steeped in vengeance, the old guard CIA, the change agent of a new administration, the foot soldiers operating without a big picture view, the civilian called on to help his country, etc.

The book spans the globe, from the San Fernando Valley to London to Waziristan, and Ignatius describes each setting in vivid detail. The descriptions of places I've been were quite accurate and I was able to clearly see the places I haven't been. Ignatius also incorporates proverbs from various cultures. The sayings in Pashto, Punjabi, Urdu, etc add to the depth and cultural authenticity of the story and are a good way to remind the reader that Pakistan is more than the simplistic description you hear on the news.

I appreciate the author's nuanced approach. Religious extremists, evil empires, and Al Qaeda only have bit parts, which is refreshing. In fact, the man responsible for killing American agents is rarely called a terrorist. The reader gets well-developed characters instead of labels. Additionally, this book never felt too political even though it's steeped in current events.

Minor quibble: I thought this was oddly edited. Unnecessary definitions got in the way of the story ("a flash drive is a portable data-storage device that could be plugged into the USB port of any computer") but an entire paragraph in French was left untranslated. Weird.

Bottom line: What better way to stay on top of world affairs than through a well-written and engaging spy thriller? show less

What a smart book! This is an enjoyable tale of espionage chess between American and Pakistani masters. Nothing the protagonists say is ever completely true, and what is false has to be teased out through pain and blood. A rogue scientist hacks into a freelance agency supported at the highest levels of the American government. The head of ISI is pissed off at non-CIA incursions, and the agency itself is sulking about the competition. Then agents start dying. Someone has declared war but noone knows who or why. There's wonderful local color in the Pakistani tribal territories bordering Afghanistan and a scattering of Pashtun curses and history. Readers will enjoy the clandestine meetings in Dubai, Islamabad, Doha, D.C., and other show more locales. Los Angeles is also in the game. The only hesitation is about the author's plucky and youthful heroine, who seems a bit out of her league to play such a major role. The action is far above her pay grade, but she is clueless in her ambition. It's an element that rings a bit false. But she's smart, has good taste in clothes, enjoys fine restaurants, and is brave, so it's not a total loss. show less

To start off, I'm a big Ignatius fan, so these comments are based on comparisons to his previous work. This is a very good novel, but he has set the bar high for himself and Bloodmoney fell a little short.

As with all his books, the details seem to be well-researched and they ring true in most cases. The plot was realistic and held my interest to the end. The only quibbles I have with the novel are these:

- the dialogue seemed off. People, even spies as far as I can imagine, just don't talk like that. I tend to go through dialogue in my mind as though the characters were actually saying it, and it just didn't cut it.
- the characters seemed a bit cartoonish. I don't hang around with spies and billionaires, but the personalities seemed a show more bit exaggerated in this one. In his earlier books, character traits and backgrounds seemed a little more nuanced and believable.
- the ending was just too abrupt. Maybe that's how it would happen in real time, but it just seemed to me that everything came together too well at the end and what would have normally (at least in my imagination) started another cat and mouse series of moves and counter-moves just sort of blew up.

These things didn't make the novel unreadable in any way- I just wish they were up to the standards Mr. Ignatius set in many of his other books. It's definitely a good read. show less

This novel a great read for anyone interested in learning a little about world politics while reading fiction. Not surprisingly, most of the characters are lying or hiding something...the book cover does say "A Novel of Espionage". It did take me awhile to decide who the "good guys" were. I was never entirely sure that I was right!

What I loved:
I loved that today's current events were woven through out this book. I loved the insight it gave into the Pakistani culture, the CIA and other covert operations may or may not be happening in the real world today.

The Pakistani culture is fascinating. This book gave me a better understanding into their ideological concepts of honor and revenge and a lesson about the tribal codes that I had been show more previously unaware of. I also loved the introduction into the language and proverbs of the Pakistanis.

I loved that the main character was female. I liked that she had a little romance on the side. It gave her character some much needed depth.

What I didn't love:
All of the characters were a little flat. They all could use some more development.

Sophie, the main character had a past with the CIA that could have been expanded upon. Her family life was revealed in little snippets of information. The information that was given was interesting and made me what to know more. Give me more! Sophie has the potential to be a great three dimensional character...she just needs a little work!

Overall, I enjoyed this novel and plan to read more of this author!
Thanks to the publisher, W.W. Norton and Company for allowing me to read and review this book. show less

A blacker than black operation that is so far off the CIA books that only the U.S. president and his chief of staff know about it. The idea is that lack of bureacratic oversight and Congressional committees will produce a nimble and adaptable outfit to fight the war on terrorism. Sounds good until operatives become targets and are being killed off. On the homefront none of the staff seems to know how or why the agents are discovered, the head of the outfit plays it close to the vest so no one understands how the organization works or who its field agents are or how they are funded. Inquisitive agent Sophie Marx asks lots of questions and gets no answers. As more field agents are found dead she goes rogue and helps bring all the pieces show more of the puzzle to a satisfying conclusion.

The book is very well written, timely, and the plot is fairly plausible. The characters weren't well drawn and the pacing was quite slow at times. But David Ignatius is an accomplished writer on Washington and the region of South Asia he aptly describes in the book. I enjoyed it. show less

I just never cared about any of the characters. Some minor errors that threw me out of the flow (using "rang off" when writing about American characters, and seriously, hotshot CIA agent uses cassette tapes in his car? Cars had CD players in the 1990s, c'mon.) If I'd believed in any of the characters, I might not have noticed those little weird things.

Good story and by good I mean it is logical. The twist in the end was quite unexpected, which is another plus. Author seems to know Pakistan well. On the downside some characters seem stereotypical.