* The second in a planned espionage trilogy, after the acclaimed debut Beside the Syrian Sea, published in 2018. PW STARRED REVIEW: "Brilliant sequel to 2018's Beside the Syrian Sea. James Wolff skillfully portrays an espionage agent on the verge of losing himself to his demons. This is spy fiction like no other." Publishers Weekly PW STARRED REVIEW: "Brilliant sequel to 2018's Beside the Syrian Sea. James Wolff skillfully portrays an espionage agent on the verge of losing himself to his demons. This is spy fiction like no other." Publishers Weekly *A tautly crafted spy thriller clearly written by an insider.
James Wolff is the pseudonym of a young English novelist who "has been working for the British government for the last 10 years". Bitter Lemon Press cannot use him (or even a likeness of him) for the promotion of the novel except via written interviews. The biographical note quoted above is all we are allowed to say. We do not know his real name despite meeting with him frequently for editing purposes. The novel has however been vetted by the proper authorities for publication. *Against the backdrop of the continuing struggle to reduce the influence of extremist Islam, this novel explores themes of loyalty and betrayal in modern intelligence work, threatened from the inside by whistle-blowers, serial leakers and Robin Hood hackers. Shades of Edward Snowden, sinner or saint? An authentic thriller about the thin line between following your conscience and following orders. * Set in mostly in Istanbul, it tells the story of one such Robin Hood serial leaker, the English spy.
August, who was at university with Jonas (from Beside the Syrian Sea). August has just been expelled from the Intelligence Services in London for suspected leaks aimed at sabotaging British and American intelligence operations that he considers unethical. He has been recently widowed and goes to Turkey to seek a new life. * Wolff's compassionate portrait of his protagonist August is exceptional. Driven by a dreadful need to put things right and to escape the grief caused by the loss of his activist wife, August embarks on a clumsy attempt to penetrate a rogue ISIS operation in Turkey. His counterpart in Istanbul is the fascinating Vizier, an Iraqi, a former military and secret service officer under Saddam Hussein, then, after the invasion, a senior officer of ISIS, eventually sent to Syria, only to resurface in Istanbul. * reviews of 'Beside the Syrian Sea. "This important book.
brought home to me the complex and shifting situation in the Middle East. I loved Jonas - the quiet man pushed by his own guilt into becoming a hero."--Ann Cleeves, author of the Vera Stanhope series."Great characters, convincing detail.Jonas is no James Bond but he manages to stay one step ahead of his ex-employers, the CIA, Hezbollah, Isis and the reader, right up until the final showdown in the desert."--Charlie Higson, author of The Young Bond series.