The Paladin

The Paladin by David Ignatius, a scary thriller that shows some potential terrifying aspects of our technological present and future.

I went into this book with little expectations. I had seen the author's books over the years but never picked one up. Apparently that was a mistake on my part. This is a really good book about Michael Dunne a disgraced government employee who was sent to jail after doing the bidding of his superiors in a game he didn't understand at the time. After doing some time in prison, he is released but none of his anger has subsided. This sets the wheels in motion and the book takes many turns I didn't see coming. The world of hacking has always interested me and this book got me thinking that some of the plot points in this book may be closer to reality than we want to realize.
Thank you Netgalley, David Ignatius, W. W. Norton & Company for the ARC for my honest review.

David Ignatius has written certainly the best spy thriller I’ve read in a long time. The Paladin is a current events dealing with cyber fakes that our current politics are embroiled in. Ignatius is simply a genius gifted writer. Thank you very my Net-galleys and Publisher W W Norton for an exceptional read. Highly recommended.

I was predisposed to like The Paladin given my admiration for the author. And I really did like it. David Ignatius writes very well, and he soon had me captivated with his story of the well-intentioned CIA agent being led down the garden path. The timing of the plot is superb as I kept being drawn into the story about deceit in the CIA and the IT world. Hedge funds, bankers, greed, there are so many elements coloring this story. Once the plot thickens Ignatius is off to the races, churning further activity to keep the reader excited. Highly recommended.
Thanks, NetGalley, and the publisher, for the ARC.

There is nothing like an espionage thriller that gives behind the scenes insights into the workings of our intelligence agencies. Great characters, high tech espionage, and a fast paced plot make this a very engaging novel. Strongly recommended

Fake news is a term that has often been thrown around, but David Ignatius takes it to a whole new level in The Paladin. Michael Dunne works for the CIA and has been chosen to investigate Fallen Empire, believed to be a front for a foreign intelligence group. The problem is that the group Involves an American journalist, making Dunne’s operation illegal. Even though he receives reassurances that he would never be prosecuted, the operation is blown and Dunne is arrested. The group takes images from Dunne’s phone and manufactures damaging videos that destroy his marriage and career and he is sentenced to a year in prison. Now he needs to know who set him up and destroyed his life. On his release he receives an anonymous letter with information to assist his search.

Dunne’s first step is to set up a business to provide cyber defense for others who have been hacked. Created with the help of a friend in the FBI, Paladin LLC’s first case involves a celebrity whose private pictures and falsified videos were splashed across the media. In his investigation, Dunne discovers malware that he recognizes from his original CIA assignment. In searching for the hacker from Fallen Empire, Dunne becomes a target himself. There is a conspiracy tied to the group that Dunne must stop if he is to clear his name and keep his family safe. The clock is ticking and there are not many people that he can trust.

Ignatius’ story is not only a tale of revenge, but also a fascinating look at the manipulation of events and the potential damage that it may cause. I would like to thank NetGalley and W. W. Norton Publishing for providing this book for my review.