Pariah

Fesperman (Winter Work) delivers a sturdy spy novel that supplements its thrills with nuanced themes of personal redemption. Hal Knight—a former comedian and film star who’s recently resigned in disgrace from Congress—has fled to a Caribbean island to escape the fallout from a viral video of his drunken, misogynistic tirade on a movie set. Now a social and professional outcast, Hal has at least one remaining fan: Nikolai Horvatz, despotic president of the east European nation of Bolrovia, who learned English from Hal’s frat guy comedies and extends an invitation for him to perform in Bolrovia. CIA agent Lauren Witt seizes the opportunity to recruit Hal as a spy of convenience. Once in Europe, Hal must learn tradecraft on the fly, avoid insulting his thin-skinned host, and keep a menacing counterintelligence official from discovering his true mission. When Hal’s brash, amateurish methods scare the CIA into disavowing the operation, Lauren takes her ops team off the books to extricate her recruit. Fesperman is dexterous with plotting and character development, but less convincing when it comes to illustrating Hal’s comedic talents (unless readers really love song parodies). Still, it’s a minor quibble in an otherwise impressive effort. (July)