Berlinski's first novel gets inside the top-secret world of CIA trainees. Selena Keller, a Sanskrit expert, decides that the CIA promises more excitement than a university career. She passes the initial exams and soon finds herself in training at the Farm. Her classmates include sophisticated Iris, treacherous Jade, handsome Paul, and Stan, an overweight former lawyer who befriends Selena after she fails the surveillance part of her training because of her poor driving skills. Stan begins to insinuate himself into Selena's affections, first by helping her with her driving and then by becoming her friend. Eventually she finds herself falling for him, and the two become lovers. But after graduation Selena discovers her new career is in jeopardy and that someone close to her may have betrayed her. As she tries to determine who betrayed her, she realizes that finding someone trustworthy in an atmosphere that fosters suspicion and mistrust might be the biggest challenge. With Alias and The Recruit (not to mention current events) stirring up interest, Berlinski's insightful, clever debut will have wide appeal.