Halidom

Once cultural and athletic competitors, Israel and Iran became sworn enemies after the 1979 Iranian Revolution. Although a tense coexistence held for over four decades, Israeli leaders understood that the fragile peace could crumble at any moment. The Mossad insisted that a contingency plan would be crucial for their countrys continued survival. To that end, they devised a scheme that involved placing a deep-cover sleeper agent into the upper echelons of Iranian government and society.

Renowned Iranian archeologist Ezekiel Darvish was the perfect mole. Born and raised in Tehran, he hadnt learned that he was a Jew until he was a teenager. But once he did, as a bon vivant and scholar, he moved seamlessly through Iranian academia and politics, clandestinely supplying the Mossad with telltale secrets needed to achieve their ultimate goal: a durable, permanent Middle East peace.

Yet even Darvish is an unwitting pawn. Having been born out of wedlock, he never...