Rating: 
Summary: a great thriller
Review: Written by a career CIA operations officer, Bearden knows what he is writing about, and his craftsmanship shows. The story is set during the waning days of the Cold War, the Soviet Union struggling in Afghanistan as a former CIA officer takes the initiative to "stick it" to the Russians, while pursuing an agenda of his own. This latter, parallel story line is what prevents this book from receiving 5 stars.The internal politicking and maneuvering, the over-seas recriutment and "dancing" between intelligence officers, the operational strategizing are riveting and will certainly keep you turning pages. Bearden's personal experience shines here, and for those who wish to get an idea of what the covert arm of the CIA does, it is an interesting glimpse of what "human intelligence" is about. However the book's weakness is the contrived plot device of a relative who works for the KGB, and coincidentally is also working in Afghanistan. I felt it detracted from the story rather than added to it, and saw it as an unnecessary distraction. Perhaps it was included out of concerns of upsetting the CIA; maybe the author thought the story wasn't good enough without a "family tie." Either way it didn't feel "authentic" and didn't quite fit. However, _Black Tulip_ is a great read, certainly on par with the best of the spy-thriler authors, and better than most. Recommended.
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