If you love spy novels, and I do, this is a great read.
Set in the recent past, and as the title indicates, partly in Iran, the characters in this novel are Israelis, Zionists, and Jews from the diaspora who are fighting not to be exterminated by the governments of other Middle Eastern states.
Full disclosure, there is a lot of violence and almost all of the main players are morally gray—it is a spy novel, so that is to be expected. Besides the compelling narrative of espionage and the exploration of why and how real people get involved, it is also a beautiful story of the search for home.
The Persian of the title is a Jewish dentist living in Sweden, who has been recruited by The Mossad to an elite assassination squad targeting members of the Iranian Intelligence service who are running an assassination group aimed at Zionists.
Essentially a game within a game, with enormous stakes. Our dentist has been captured during a failed op and is now writing his confession for his captors. He will tell us his story, but he decides what he will leave in for his torturers.
Suffice it to say, there is love, betrayal, family, and a lot of soul searching. Written by a former CIA analyst, it has the ring of realism, and keeps you on the edge of your seat for sure.
Highly recommended!
