''Body of Lies'' is an American spy thriller novel by David Ignatius, a columnist for '' The Washington Post''. It was published by

W. W. Norton W. W. Norton & Company is an American publishing company based in New York City. Established in 1923, it has been owned wholly by its employees since the early 1960s. The company is known for its Norton Anthologies (particularly ''The Norton Ant ...

in 2007. It was originally titled ''Penetration'' but was renamed after Warner Bros. bought the rights in 2006. It was made into a film of the same name in 2008.

Premise

Roger Ferris is a CIA officer who sets a trap for a terrorist responsible for

car bomb A car bomb, bus bomb, lorry bomb, or truck bomb, also known as a vehicle-borne improvised explosive device (VBIED), is an improvised explosive device designed to be detonated in an automobile or other vehicles. Car bombs can be roughly divided ...

ings throughout Europe. Referencing the real (and highly successful) Operation Mincemeat, "Ferris's plan is inspired by a masterpiece of British intelligence during World War II: He prepares a body of lies, literally the corpse of an imaginary CIA officer who appears to have accomplished the impossible by recruiting an agent within the enemy's ranks.

Reception

'' The Christian Science Monitor'' described the novel as "happily original" for its genre, applauding the espionage detail of America's intelligence missions. The newspaper however criticized the underdevelopment of female characters in the novel and the "painful" romantic scenes.

Adrian McKinty Adrian McKinty is a Northern Irish writer of crime and mystery novels and young adult fiction, best known for his 2020 award-winning thriller, ''The Chain'', and the Sean Duffy novels set in Northern Ireland during The Troubles. He is a winner o ...

of '' The Washington Post'' described the character of Roger Ferris as "idealistic, passionate, wholly believable nd thathis adventures make for a story that is fast-paced and psychologically deep." McKinty highlights Ignatius's sensitive treatment of the Arab world.

Film adaptation

''Body of Lies'' is American feature

film adaptation A film adaptation is the transfer of a work or story, in whole or in part, to a feature film. Although often considered a type of derivative work, film adaptation has been conceptualized recently by academic scholars such as Robert Stam as a dial ...

of the novel ''Body of Lies'' by David Ignatius about a CIA operative who goes to Jordan to track a high-ranking terrorist. The film is directed by

Ridley Scott Sir Ridley Scott (born 30 November 1937) is a British film director and producer. Directing, among others, science fiction films, his work is known for its atmospheric and highly concentrated visual style. Scott has received many accolades thr ...

, written by William Monahan, and stars Leonardo DiCaprio,

Russell Crowe Russell Ira Crowe (born 7 April 1964) is an actor. He was born in New Zealand, spent ten years of his childhood in Australia, and moved there permanently at age twenty one. He came to international attention for his role as Roman General Maxi ...

and Mark Strong. Production took place in Washington D.C., Europe, Morocco and the Middle East. ''Body of Lies'' was released in the United States on October 10, 2008.

References

External links

''Body of Lies'' (book details and author's note)
- The Official David Ignatius website
David Ignatius discusses how he helped Leonardo DiCaprio prepare for the role of Roger Ferris in the film ''Body of Lies''
at YouTube {{DEFAULTSORT:Body Of Lies (Novel) 2007 American novels Novels about terrorism American spy novels American thriller novels Central Intelligence Agency in fiction W. W. Norton & Company books