There is no denying that David Ignatius can tell a story while keeping readers on the edge of their seats. He demonstrates this talent, which he possesses by the barrel, in THE PALADIN. This is one of those rare novels that you will want to read twice --- the first time for the enjoyment, and the second time to take note of how Ignatius does what he does so well.

We meet Michael Dunne just as he is reaching the nadir of the abyss of his life. He is getting dressed down by a judge --- you can almost see the prim little lips ever-so-professionally pursed --- for a laundry list of crimes against the United States that he has committed during the course of his assignment as a CIA agent. All that Dunne really has to do in order to escape this withering onslaught is to express contrition and remorse. When he fails to do so, hilarity does not ensue and he is sent to prison. Ignatius does not tell the story in a linear fashion (though he ever-so-thoughtfully begins each chapter with a notation indicating the place and time of what follows).

"There is plenty of suspense in THE PALADIN. Ignatius achieves this with a minimum of explosions and karate, choosing instead to keep the plot clock ticking quietly, though it is still heard throughout the book."

What we learn in intriguing fits and starts is that Dunne, a rock star in the CIA’s technical intelligence operations, had been tasked with an operation on foreign soil that was in a gray area of legality. He was assured of the righteousness of his assignment by his deputy director of operations and told that he would be covered if his actions were subsequently questioned. When things went pie-shaped in stages with the mission, Dunne suddenly found himself being hung out to dry, with his personal and professional life blown up.

In the story’s present, Dunne has just been released from prison and is putting the shards of his life back together. Waiting for him is a letter from someone who calls himself “The Paladin,” who promises to give him information about who was responsible for what happened to him, which just might provide him with an opportunity to gain a measure of revenge. The path to sorting things out involves a bit of world-beating, from Pittsburgh and Europe to Asia and New York, along with some hobnobbing with the rich, famous and powerful. It is eye-opening, to say the least, and Ignatius’ powers of description put readers in the room and over-the-shoulder of the participants. All of this leads to a countdown on a Monday morning where either chaos or revenge will occur, and where both may well be delivered in a heart-stopping finale.

There is plenty of suspense in THE PALADIN. Ignatius achieves this with a minimum of explosions and karate, choosing instead to keep the plot clock ticking quietly, though it is still heard throughout the book. It is a marvelous accomplishment that overshadows the occasional, but by no means pervasive, problem with pacing that rears its head in places during the narrative. Then there is Dunne, an extremely interesting and tragically flawed protagonist. The conclusion certainly leaves the door open for a sequel, and perhaps more, should Ignatius see fit to do so. Longtime readers of his will hope that he does.