The Last Man in Tehran (Kyra Stryker & Jonathan Burke #4)

Early in the opening chapters of The Last Man in Tehran theres a line that epitomizes Israels tragic reality and sets the tone for this book: There has never been a day in our history when we have not been at war. Author Mark Henshaw deftly brings the reader inside the bureaucracy of the CIA to let us see for ourselves how it reflects our daily reality. The chillingly complex plot focuses on Matthew Hadfield who feels betrayed and abandoned by the bureaucracy he works for. His feelings of abject desperation and isolation are palpable as he takes the first steps that lead him down a path from which there is no return. When a dirty bomb nearly levels the port of Haifa, all fingers point toward Iran as the culprit. Israels Mossad goes into action to avenge the death and destruction it caused and what ensues could potentially shift the balance of power in the middle east. Since the U.S. is Israels staunchest ally, the CIA plays a pivotal role in trying to head off Mossads retaliation. Jonathan Burke temporally comes out of retirement to again team up with Kyra Stryker in The Red Cell as they begin to piece together who did what and why. There are a few great action scenes thatll have you on the edge of your seat but, despite the inherent dangers, the pacing is a bit uneven. Still, its a good enough thriller that I want to go back and read the first three books in The Red Cell series.

The book begins with two friends, on from Iran an one from Israel, watching the Iranian students overwhelmingly the U. S. Embassy. They knew what would happen next. The book is full of spies, moles, traitors, good and bad people. In the end, after a dirty bomb went off in Israel, the friend in Tehran found out where and why and destroyed what was left to make more bombs. The two friends, who had become very important men in their countries, once again communicated and remained friends but would never e able to communicate again. Wonderful book, interesting and exciting and I look forward to reading this author again.

I developed a severe dislike for some of the people in this book, but none of the main recurring people. That dislike speaks well for Mark Henshaws writing as I believe that is what he wanted us to feel. His books continue to improve and I continue to be engaged by the exploits of Kyra Stryker. I have a feeling we will see the female Mossad operative introduced here again.

I asked if Mr Henshaw had a new book coming and his agent said his publisher dropped him. A very bad decision in my opinion.

I discovered Henshaw a few years ago when I read his first novel featuring Burke and Stryker, Red Cell, which was a great read. The second and third installments featuring the duo left something to be desired but still provided decent escapist entertainment to pass a few quite winter afternoons. This, the fourth in the series, I couldn’t be bothered finishing. The character dialogue was wooden and the plot, while i suppose plausible, seemed overly contrived. Disappointing – don’t waste the time or money on this one.

Once again Mark Henshaw does a great job writing what appears to me to be a realistic spy novel. It is not all about shooting, stabbing and torturing but instead is about people. Real people, some doing wrong on purpose and some doing right even when inconvenient. This Book is well worth the time to read and could potentially teach you something worth knowing.

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