Kai Bird's biography of CIA operative Robert Ames. It's deep into the bombing outside the 1983 American Embassy in Beirut while simultaneously looking into Ames' life. The operative, who lost his life in the bombing, was a Middle East specialist who many saw as the best chance to build bridges through the forging of strong relationships.

Ames became an icon in intelligence circles as an example of what a "good" spy truly was, and his grave at the Arlington National Cemetery is the only one that bears the words Central Intelligence Agency.