A Spy in Exile

On orders from the Israeli prime minister, former Mossad agent Ya’ara Stein, the heroine of this middling spy thriller from the pseudonymous de Shalit (Traitor), assembles a crew of promising amateurs to form a secret strike team. Ya’ara believes that newbies will be effective, because they won’t fall into the predictable routines that come from the training of experienced spooks. After a few practice runs on low-stakes missions in Germany, the team steps into the big leagues with a plan to assassinate two Muslim radicals, one in London, the other in Brussels. Aided by Ya’ara’s chief recruiter, Amnon Aslan, the team carries out the two hits with stunning alacrity. Another mission, however, never materializes, and the rest of the story focuses on Ya’ara rebuilding past relationships and hand-wringing about her career and personal life. In between some exciting moments, readers will find themselves waiting around for something to happen. Those expecting to glean much inside knowledge of espionage from de Shalit, “a former high-ranking member of the Israeli Intelligence Community,” will be disappointed. (Feb.)