And it’s against that background that CIA veteran David McCloskey spins out his spellbinding spy story about espionage in Syria, Damascus Station. A CIA officer and his recruit arrive in Damascus to hunt for a killerCIA case officer Sam Joseph is dispatched to Paris to recruit Syrian Palace official Mariam Haddad.

I found the intentional use of the character’s religious identity – which is one I share myself – for the sake of a shaky plot to be ineffective and completely unappreciated. A volatile mix of traditional espionage plotlines intertwined with a modern level of violence that had me flipping pages until the early morning hours. Of course, Mariam is a stunning knockout and, against all protocol, a passionate love affair blossoms between these unlikely allies.The strength of "Damascus Station" lies in McCloskey's meticulous attention to detail and his ability to create a palpable atmosphere of tension and suspense. He struggles to hold his distance and assumes that once in Damascus, they will see each other only as the mission requires.

Any one of those elements on their own makes it well worth reading; the combination makes it compelling. For more details, please consult the latest information provided by Royal Mail's International Incident Bulletin. Sam knows this is forbidden by the CIA; a case officer should never enter into a relationship with an agent. Equally, I would have been thrilled with a rich historical fiction that made you feel and think deeply. It had shades of Red Sparrow but somehow I think Syria may be a little more ruthless and plays by fewer rules than Russia.In the vain of the long ago spy novels David brings you into the world that seems so real and you feel right there with them the entire time. CIA man Sam Joseph is assigned to recruit an agent in Damascus and ends up falling in love with Mariam - a vividly drawn and totally believable character.

It’s action packed and full of plot twists, but two things stand out in particular: 1) the depth of the characters and the exploration of their deep and conflicting emotions and loyalties, and 2) the realistic events from the Syrian civil war, such as the embassy overrun, chemical attacks, and high-profile assassinations. As interesting as the book is, the author spends a lot of time in my opinion in unnecessary minutiae. My first spy thriller with a focus on Syria, and with an ex-CIA author, you know you'll get a firsthand account on spycraft. This is a well-balanced story, filled with plenty of action and intrigue, dangerous situations, and the ever-present violence that was (and still is) Syria in the 2010s.A seasoned CIA operative with a complex past, Joseph is portrayed with a depth that goes beyond the stereotypical spy archetype. In spite of this, she agrees to spy for the Americans, despite the incredible dangers posed by the Assad regime. Few world leaders in recent decades have proven themselves to be more savage than Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.