Song of Spies is a documentary novel. Using main characters based on real people, it is on one level a fascinating story of Israel's foreign intelligence service, the Mossad. The story tracks the breakdown of the Oslo peace process, the rise of the Al Aqsa intifada, and the fight against Islamist terror. On a deeper level, it is also a story of the pivotal events that have shaped Israel's leaders for the 21st century. The story has two protagonists. One is the man called out of semi-retirement to become the Mossad's director. He is also the nephew of one of the last century's most famous philosophers and intellectuals. He is the Shamash. Avi is a former elite commando, now married with a young child. He becomes the Shamash's protege. As the peace process collapses and the new intifada erupts, the Shamash gives Avi a vital new assignment. Ultimately, the assignment and events force Avi to come to terms with his past and recognize what may be his destiny. In the tradition of classic spy novelists, Katz has created a story that takes the reader beyond the headlines, to reveal the soul of an intelligence agency and the people that serve it.
