--- product_id: 3624615 title: "Agents of Innocence: A Novel" price: "$U1837" currency: UYU in_stock: true reviews_count: 13 url: https://www.desertcart.uy/products/3624615-agents-of-innocence-a-novel store_origin: UY region: Uruguay --- # Agents of Innocence: A Novel **Price:** $U1837 **Availability:** ✅ In Stock ## Quick Answers - **What is this?** Agents of Innocence: A Novel - **How much does it cost?** $U1837 with free shipping - **Is it available?** Yes, in stock and ready to ship - **Where can I buy it?** [www.desertcart.uy](https://www.desertcart.uy/products/3624615-agents-of-innocence-a-novel) ## Best For - Customers looking for quality international products ## Why This Product - Free international shipping included - Worldwide delivery with tracking - 15-day hassle-free returns ## Description A "superlative spy novel" ( New York Times ) by the author of the bestselling espionage thrillers Body of Lies and The Director . Agents of Innocence is the book that established David Ignatius's reputation as a master of the novel of contemporary espionage. Into the treacherous world of shifting alliances and arcane subterfuge comes idealistic CIA man Tom Rogers. Posted in Beirut to penetrate the PLO and recruit a high-level operative, he soon learns the heavy price of innocence in a time and place that has no use for it. Review: One of the Finest Spy Novels Ever Written - "Agents of Innocence" is not just a spy thriller—it’s one of the best espionage novels I’ve ever read, right up there with Le Carré’s "Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy" and "The Honourable Schoolboy." What sets this book apart is that, while a work of fiction, it is a thinly veiled retelling of real events and real figures from the Middle East in the 1970s. Ignatius uses the novel form as a way of telling truths that history books and official records often obscure. The result is a story that feels as authentic as it is compelling. Ignatius has a journalist’s eye for detail and a novelist’s gift for pacing. His characters breathe with life—recognizable as composites of real players on the stage of Middle Eastern politics—while his settings pulse with the chaos, danger, and fragile trust that defined the region at that time. What impressed me most was that he avoided inserting his own political ideology. Instead, he presents events and decisions in all their moral ambiguity, leaving readers to grapple with the same difficult trade-offs that intelligence officers faced. Reading "Agents of Innocence" today feels especially timely. The novel is a reminder that the dilemmas faced then—balancing hard choices, cultivating trust with unlikely partners, and navigating moral gray zones—are still with us. Our government today could stand to learn from the lessons contained in this story: namely, that human relationships and a nuanced understanding of culture are far more powerful tools than brute force or ideology. David Ignatius proves here that he is not only a superb reporter but also a truly great writer. This is an intellectually satisfying, historically grounded, and utterly gripping novel of espionage. For anyone who values the very best in spy fiction, Agents of Innocence is essential reading. Review: American Intelligence in the Middle East in the 1970s - "Agents of Innocence" by David Ignatius is quite a good story. I suppose it's even better if you're old enough to remember most of the events that happen in the story (from 1969 to 1983), in the Mid-East, and especially in the country of Lebanon, in which this story occurs. It spans the presidencies of Nixon, Ford, Carter and early Reagan. Much of the time, the tale reads like a non-fiction, almost documentary, account of Ignatius's fictional characterization of that explosive era, which ended with the United States more-or-less withdrawing its few troops and much of its citizenry from Lebanon in 1984 -- with its tail between its legs. If readers think that Benghazi in September 2012 was horrific, they have short memories about embassy bombings indeed. Benghazi was nothing compared to what happened in Lebanon. This book is not a page-turning thriller, nor does it chronicle a series of killings and revenge. Nope, rather, it's kind of a slow-moving tale of the workings of the CIA, the Palestinians, and American intelligence operations in the area during these years. The main character, CIA agent Tom Rogers, is well-drawn: he's handsome, tall, slender, sly, almost charming, and quite clever. He speaks fluent Arabic. He makes few mistakes even when bucking the smothering, incomprehensible system for which he works. The only mistake (failure) Ignatius as a writer makes is trying to give Rogers a personal life, including a high school-like affair with a Lebanese woman. We could have done without that. His family life is also mostly a distraction to the story. His wife, whose character is developed to a considerable degree early in the book, essentially drops altogether out of the story by mid-book. Pity that. I liked her. She added a different perspective on the life of intelligence officers abroad. Why these writers, including Mr. Ignatius, want to make most Americans in their books look like complete boobs with little to no regard for the culture and customs of the places they work is beyond me. I doubt in real life it is as bad as the Ugly American stereotype, employed here by Ignatius and elsewhere by most other authors of books like this. What's most interesting about this story is its central, though soft, anti-Israel message. Yes, the Black September murders in Munich occur in this book and are some of the focus of the story. But in contrast to say, author Daniel Silva's uber-tiresome flaunting of all Israeli causes, Ignatius boldly paints another picture of Israel, one that is far more balanced than Silva is ever able to establish in his long series starring Israeli super-assassin Gabriel Allon's endless pursuits and murders of all Isarel's enemies (especially his early books about the pursuit of and the killing of all the murderers of the Israeli Olympic team in Munich in 1972). Thus, there is some overlap between early Silva stories and this one. All-in-all "Agents of Innocence" is a very good story, and you the reader must constantly remind yourself that you are reading fiction. Thus, it's a nice historical novel, demonstrating the long and ancient roots of all the problems facing the Middle East today. Even in 2013, little has changed from 1969. The tangle of social, political, cultural, and religious tensions are revealed to be as important to us and as impossible to solve in that era as they are today. I give it a 4 on desertcart's rating scale, though by no means is this book a thriller in the usual style of books in this genre. Rather it is a leisurely fictional read about espionage and intelligence activities in Lebanon on the 1970s. In this book, there's no one to love, few to hate, even fewer to admire, a few to be embarrassed about, and lots to mull over, while cringing at the enormity of the problem the world faces in this region. The ending is sobering. ## Technical Specifications | Specification | Value | |---------------|-------| | Best Sellers Rank | #79,012 in Books ( See Top 100 in Books ) #287 in Terrorism Thrillers (Books) #391 in Espionage Thrillers (Books) #6,036 in American Literature (Books) | | Customer Reviews | 4.3 out of 5 stars 2,819 Reviews | ## Images ![Agents of Innocence: A Novel - Image 1](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/61VdhROihzL.jpg) ## Customer Reviews ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ One of the Finest Spy Novels Ever Written *by S***E on August 28, 2025* "Agents of Innocence" is not just a spy thriller—it’s one of the best espionage novels I’ve ever read, right up there with Le Carré’s "Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy" and "The Honourable Schoolboy." What sets this book apart is that, while a work of fiction, it is a thinly veiled retelling of real events and real figures from the Middle East in the 1970s. Ignatius uses the novel form as a way of telling truths that history books and official records often obscure. The result is a story that feels as authentic as it is compelling. Ignatius has a journalist’s eye for detail and a novelist’s gift for pacing. His characters breathe with life—recognizable as composites of real players on the stage of Middle Eastern politics—while his settings pulse with the chaos, danger, and fragile trust that defined the region at that time. What impressed me most was that he avoided inserting his own political ideology. Instead, he presents events and decisions in all their moral ambiguity, leaving readers to grapple with the same difficult trade-offs that intelligence officers faced. Reading "Agents of Innocence" today feels especially timely. The novel is a reminder that the dilemmas faced then—balancing hard choices, cultivating trust with unlikely partners, and navigating moral gray zones—are still with us. Our government today could stand to learn from the lessons contained in this story: namely, that human relationships and a nuanced understanding of culture are far more powerful tools than brute force or ideology. David Ignatius proves here that he is not only a superb reporter but also a truly great writer. This is an intellectually satisfying, historically grounded, and utterly gripping novel of espionage. For anyone who values the very best in spy fiction, Agents of Innocence is essential reading. ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐ American Intelligence in the Middle East in the 1970s *by D***D on January 27, 2013* "Agents of Innocence" by David Ignatius is quite a good story. I suppose it's even better if you're old enough to remember most of the events that happen in the story (from 1969 to 1983), in the Mid-East, and especially in the country of Lebanon, in which this story occurs. It spans the presidencies of Nixon, Ford, Carter and early Reagan. Much of the time, the tale reads like a non-fiction, almost documentary, account of Ignatius's fictional characterization of that explosive era, which ended with the United States more-or-less withdrawing its few troops and much of its citizenry from Lebanon in 1984 -- with its tail between its legs. If readers think that Benghazi in September 2012 was horrific, they have short memories about embassy bombings indeed. Benghazi was nothing compared to what happened in Lebanon. This book is not a page-turning thriller, nor does it chronicle a series of killings and revenge. Nope, rather, it's kind of a slow-moving tale of the workings of the CIA, the Palestinians, and American intelligence operations in the area during these years. The main character, CIA agent Tom Rogers, is well-drawn: he's handsome, tall, slender, sly, almost charming, and quite clever. He speaks fluent Arabic. He makes few mistakes even when bucking the smothering, incomprehensible system for which he works. The only mistake (failure) Ignatius as a writer makes is trying to give Rogers a personal life, including a high school-like affair with a Lebanese woman. We could have done without that. His family life is also mostly a distraction to the story. His wife, whose character is developed to a considerable degree early in the book, essentially drops altogether out of the story by mid-book. Pity that. I liked her. She added a different perspective on the life of intelligence officers abroad. Why these writers, including Mr. Ignatius, want to make most Americans in their books look like complete boobs with little to no regard for the culture and customs of the places they work is beyond me. I doubt in real life it is as bad as the Ugly American stereotype, employed here by Ignatius and elsewhere by most other authors of books like this. What's most interesting about this story is its central, though soft, anti-Israel message. Yes, the Black September murders in Munich occur in this book and are some of the focus of the story. But in contrast to say, author Daniel Silva's uber-tiresome flaunting of all Israeli causes, Ignatius boldly paints another picture of Israel, one that is far more balanced than Silva is ever able to establish in his long series starring Israeli super-assassin Gabriel Allon's endless pursuits and murders of all Isarel's enemies (especially his early books about the pursuit of and the killing of all the murderers of the Israeli Olympic team in Munich in 1972). Thus, there is some overlap between early Silva stories and this one. All-in-all "Agents of Innocence" is a very good story, and you the reader must constantly remind yourself that you are reading fiction. Thus, it's a nice historical novel, demonstrating the long and ancient roots of all the problems facing the Middle East today. Even in 2013, little has changed from 1969. The tangle of social, political, cultural, and religious tensions are revealed to be as important to us and as impossible to solve in that era as they are today. I give it a 4 on Amazon's rating scale, though by no means is this book a thriller in the usual style of books in this genre. Rather it is a leisurely fictional read about espionage and intelligence activities in Lebanon on the 1970s. In this book, there's no one to love, few to hate, even fewer to admire, a few to be embarrassed about, and lots to mull over, while cringing at the enormity of the problem the world faces in this region. The ending is sobering. ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ A story written over 30 yrs ago that is relevant today *by D***Y on August 9, 2025* A beautifully written ‘fictional’ story, entangled with true events, that gives insight to the Middle East world. Not hard to believe why this world will never change and, as Americans, we have failed to change ingrained values. Many interesting characters. One of the most entertaining was following Levi, an Israeli intelligence officer, as he drops and picks up information. Hilarious. And then there is Frank Hoffman. This character is boisterous and hilariously inappropriate. He also comes up in a later book, The Bank of Fear. Great to see some of his background story. Many characters and storylines that come together to a sad and realistic end. Just the Epilogue chapter is worth reading this book. --- ## Why Shop on Desertcart? - 🛒 **Trusted by 1.3+ Million Shoppers** — Serving international shoppers since 2016 - 🌍 **Shop Globally** — Access 737+ million products across 21 categories - 💰 **No Hidden Fees** — All customs, duties, and taxes included in the price - 🔄 **15-Day Free Returns** — Hassle-free returns (30 days for PRO members) - 🔒 **Secure Payments** — Trusted payment options with buyer protection - ⭐ **TrustPilot Rated 4.5/5** — Based on 8,000+ happy customer reviews **Shop now:** [https://www.desertcart.uy/products/3624615-agents-of-innocence-a-novel](https://www.desertcart.uy/products/3624615-agents-of-innocence-a-novel) --- *Product available on Desertcart Uruguay* *Store origin: UY* *Last updated: 2026-05-19*