Synopses & Reviews
The New York Times bestselling author Robert Littell presents a suspenseful and brilliantly topical new thriller that looks at the cycle of political violence in the Middle East. In the near future, an unprecedented Arab-Israeli settlement is brokered by a visionary female president of the United States. But this historic moment is shattered when a well-known fundamentalist rabbi is taken hostage by a legendary Palestinian terrorist. As the Israelis close in, the hostage and the hostage taker develop bizarre bonds and form a terrifying alliance. In the tradition of John le Carré and Graham Greene, Littell dissects the culture of violence by searchingthe corrupted consciences of the people ensnared within it.
Review
"Suspenseful and serious....Authoritative, sharply observed, remarkably evenhanded neither side gets a free pass here and, as usual, first-rate." Kirkus Reviews (Starred Review)
Review
"Littell presents a physical and mental landscape of stark beauty and ugliness, spinning a tale fit to hold its own with Eric Ambler's The Levanter, John le Carre's The Little Drummer Girl, David Ignatius' Agents of Innocence, and Robert Stone's Damascus Gate. Must reading for fans of high-end thrillers." Booklist (Starred Review)
Review
"A searing, thrilling, intelligent and often blackly funny book...[by] the finest American writer of espionage fiction." John Connolly, author of The Black Angel
Review
"[D]espite some strong set pieces, like the torture of a Palestinian militant by Palestinian security agents, Vicious Circle never gains momentum as a thriller." Alex Berenson, The New York Times Book Review
Review
"Drawing on the Torah as often as the Qur'an, the histories of the two men, who could have been inseparable friends in other times, illustrate the history of the region, one tragedy always leading to another." BookReporter.com
Review
"Littell's acute portrayal of their inflamed psychological states illuminates an understanding that goes far beyond the day's headlines." Library Journal
Synopsis
The
New York Times bestselling author Robert Littell presents a suspenseful and brilliantly topical new thriller that looks at the cycle of political violence in the Middle East.
In the near future, an unprecedented Arab-Israeli settlement is brokered by a visionary female president of the United States. But this historic moment is shattered when a well-known fundamentalist rabbi is taken hostage by a legendary Palestinian terrorist. As the Israelis close in, the hostage and the hostage taker develop bizarre bonds and form a terrifying alliance.
In the tradition of John le Carre and Graham Greene, Littell dissects the culture of violence by searching the corrupted consciences of the people ensnared within it.
Synopsis
The New York Times bestselling author Robert Littell presents a suspenseful and brilliantly topical new thriller that looks at the cycle of political violence in the Middle East. In the near future, an unprecedented Arab-Israeli settlement is brokered by a visionary female president of the United States. But this historic moment is shattered when a well-known fundamentalist rabbi is taken hostage by a legendary Palestinian terrorist. As the Israelis close in, the hostage and the hostage taker develop bizarre bonds and form a terrifying alliance. In the tradition of John le Carré and Graham Greene, Littell dissects the culture of violence by searchingthe corrupted consciences of the people ensnared within it.
About the Author
Robert Littell has been compared to such masters as Len Deighton and Alan Furst. A former journalist for Newsweek, Littell is an American living in France.