Siro [Audio Cassette]

David Ignatius (Author), Joseph Campanella (Contributor)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 1991

This realistic spy story is set in 1979 Istanbul, the city where modern espionage began. The Shah has fled Iran and the Russians are headed for Afghanistan. CIA operatives, Anna Barnes and Alan Taylor attempt to find a way to exploitthe Soviets at their ragged edges--Uzbekistan, Azerbaijan, Armenia, and Georgia. As he does so well in his novel,Agents of Innocence, Ignatius takes the reader into the real world of the CIA with its emphasis on ever-shiftinginternational and domestic pressures.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

The tottering Soviet empire and a U.S. whose power is unraveling around the globe provide the context for a spy thriller that succeeds as both stunning entertainment and searching probe of the contemporary political chessboard. Alan Taylor, CIA chief in Istanbul, sentimental nihilist and professional malcontent, enlists nervy, vulnerable Anna Barnes, fresh from Harvard's department of Ottoman history, on a mission to destabilize Moslem-dominated Soviet Central Asia. Together they recruit a crude, burned-out ex-CIA man in Athens, an Armenian dissident intellectual and an Uzbek ex-Nazi agent who has been living among Orthodox Jews in Brooklyn. But Taylor, who keeps overstepping company rules and ethical norms, saves the most dangerous part of the mission for Anna, with whom he is having an affair. Ignatius ( Agents of Innocence ) ranks with Graham Greene in his knowledge of espionage and the human heart. Petro-hustlers, arms dealers, an obnoxious CIA psychiatrist and Islamic nationalists seeking freedom from Russian rule crowd a tricky tale of power politics and double cross. 75,000 first printing; $100,000 ad/promo; BOMC selection.
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From School Library Journal

YA-- A spy novel in which readers are introduced to the ruthless world of international intrigue through novice CIA agent Anna Barnes. The time is 1979 and the U. S. appears to be losing the upper hand to the Soviet Union. The Shah of Iran has just fled, and in the U. S. Embassy Americans are being held hostage. The stability of the Middle East is wavering. In Latin America, the U. S. backed dictator of Nicaragua has sought refuge in the United States, and a treaty has just been signed with Panama to turn over control of the Panama Canal by the year 2000. The good old boys of the CIA are being called to task for this unsettling state of affairs by watchdog Congressional committees. The novel is fast paced, accurate, and suspenseful; the characters are memorable. Ignatius draws upon his experience as the foreign editor of the Washington Post to create a story that is so realistic that it is difficult to believe it is fiction. First-rate. --Dolores M. Steinhauer, Thomas Jefferson Sci-Tech, Fairfax County, VA
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Audio Cassette
• Publisher: Dove Entertainment Inc (July 1991)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1558004211
• ISBN-13: 978-1558004214
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 4.1 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,657,496 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

David Ignatius, a prize-winning columnist for the Washington Post, has been covering the Middle East and the CIA for more than twenty-five years. His novels include Agents of Innocence, Body of Lies, and The Increment. He lives in Washington, DC.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The best description of Armenia in fiction -- and much more, April 4, 2004

By 

Charents (Paris, France) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Siro (Paperback)

I read SIRO for one reason only: it was the only work of fiction I could find that had scenes set in Armenia. Even if that leaves you indifferent, this is an excellent spy novel and well worth reading. Ignatius's research -- geographical, historical, and organizational -- is superb. While his story briefly spins into something not quite believable, his underlying description of the CIA and its employees rings true. Ignatius neither glorifies nor deamonizes them, he simply recounts what their lives must be like and what he believes they must feel.

And if you are one of the rare few that is interested in Armenia as a backdrop for at least part of a novel, you will not be disapointed. Late in the novel we are introduced to Armenian character, and we are eventually transported to Armenia with some of the characters. Ignatius gets nearly every detail right, and it was as though I had actually visited Armenia, however briefly.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars LOVED IT, May 15, 2010

By 

Hermania T. Hill "hbooktam" (orlando, fl) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Siro

IF YOU ARE LOOKING FOR AN INTERESTING READ THAT KEEPS YOU TURNING THE PAGES SIRO IS FOR YOU. I HAVE ENJOYED READING ALL OF DAVID IGATIUS BOOKS BECAUSE THEY RELATE TO REAL LIFE EVENTS, ARE EDUCATIONAL, AND HAVE SUCH WONDERFUL PLOTS. I COULDN'T PUT THIS ONE DOWN. ALTHOUGH THE ENDING WAS A LITTLE UNREALISTIC IT WAS STILL A GOOD READ.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A writer's writer, August 5, 2009

By 

Anthony W. Dopke "Tom Bombadil" (west coast of Illinois) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Siro (Paperback)

A most engaging and adult treatment...which is rare in these days of pop writers.
I recommend all of his books to anyone who enjoys sophisticated writing and adult ideas written in a thoughtful and satisfying way.