The Increment

Great title for David Ignatius's new novel of covert action, centered on Iran's quest for the bomb and thus very timely.

Tight and credible without introducing ridiculous plot elements.

Unlike most stories of its ilk, it doesn't degenerate toward the end in an attempt to tie up all the loose ends but, rather, leaves things as messy as the real world.

"The Increment was (and is) a selected unit of SAS soldiers... allocated for use by SIS, the British equivalent of the CIA. MI6 undercover intelligence officers do not and never have had the fabled 'license to kill' of James Bond mythology. But when such jobs are required, it is the increment whose rules of engagement may permit the lethal use of firearms." — The Center for Public Integrity.

Excerpts at Google Book Search.

Highly recommended.