Cover image of "Pariah," a new spy novel

Dan Fesperman’s new spy novel, Pariah, might begin, “A comedian walks into a bar.” Except that the comedian, a popular movie star, is already drinking himself into a stupor in a bar on the Caribbean hideaway of Vieques Island. Then three officers of the Central Intelligence Agency approach him. It turns out that the funnyman is, in fact, former U.S. Representative Harold C. “Hal” Knight, Democrat of California. He had resigned after a video went viral of him committing what looked to be an inexcusable and embarrassing act in the midst of a profanity-laced diatribe. And there was nothing funny about that, even though he’d never actually done what it looked like. Hal was now simmering in his own juices and contemplating whether to use one of the poison pills he’d sequestered in his hotel room and end it all. Then things start to get interesting.

An East European dictator is a big fan

The three from the CIA introduce themselves as Susan, Chris, and Sal. He knows they’re CIA because they tell him, “We work for the U.S. government.” “But not the IRS.” “And not the FBI.” They’re there to talk to him about Nikolai Horvatz, the president “of Bolrovia, in Eastern Europe. The one all the Republicans love.” “And, well, turns out he’s quite a fan of yours.” “Has all your movies, all your stand-up routines.” “And apparently watches ’em all the time.” So, naturally, some genius in Langley has decided that it would make great sense to recruit Hal for an undercover mission to spy on the secretive and paranoid dictator. Which, when at length it happens, turns out to be, well . . . very interesting, indeed. And therein lies this tale.

Pariah by Dan Fesperman (2025) 369 pages ★★★★☆

Photo of Buda Castle, Budapest, like a central scene of action in this new spy novel
Buda Palace in Budapest, which includes the presidential palace, bears a striking resemblance to its counterpart in the fictional country of Bolrovia in Dan Fesperman’s novel. Image: E-Imagine Budapest

A long and twisty road to the end

Reading all this in the early chapters of Pariah you might get the impression that you’ve got a comic novel on your hands. You wouldn’t be all wrong. There’s humor here, because how could it be otherwise given this set-up, but the story that ensues is complex and disturbing. Hal has gotten himself into trouble almost from the start. Serious stuff happens.

Once in Bolrovia, Hal encounters Pavel Lukov, the clueless young administrative aide to President Horvatz. The terrifying head of the secret police, Branko Sarič, has assigned Pavel as Hal’s minder, never to let him out of his sight. Others who soon enter the picture are Wally Wallek, Horvatz’s scheming political adviser; Ian Farkas, a friendly British barfly who is anything but innocent; and a coterie of famous right-wing American media figures who are up to nothing good. Of course, things will all turn out to be more or less okay in the end, but it’s a long, windy road to get there. It’s a funny story in essentials, but enough grim reality peeks through the comic action to be disturbing. You’ll recognize reality lurking in the background.

About the author

Photo of Dan Fesperman, author of this new spy novel
Dan Fesperman. Image: Soho Press

Dan Fesperman is the award-winning author of 13 novels, of which Pariah is the latest. A former reporter for the Baltimore Sun, he is a graduate of the University of North Carolina. Born in 1955 in North Carolina, he lives with his wife and two children in Baltimore.

I’ve also reviewed the author’s excellent earlier novels, Winter Work (Intrigue in East Germany after the Wall came down) and The Letter Writer (Nazi saboteurs, the Mafia, and crooked cops).

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