Jonas is a British spy out in the cold. When his father, an elderly clergyman, is kidnapped and held for ransom by ISIS in Syria, he takes matters into his own hands and begins to steal the only currency he has access to: secret government intelligence. He heads to Beirut with a haul of sensitive documents and recruits an unlikely ally - an alcoholic Swiss priest named Father Tobias. Despite barely surviving his previous contact with ISIS, Tobias agrees to travel into the heart of the Islamic State and inform the kidnappers that Jonas is willing to negotiate for his father's life. British and American intelligence agents in Beirut try everything in their power to stop Jonas, and he finds himself tested to the limit as he fights to keep the negotiations alive and play his enemies off against each other. As the book races towards a thrilling confrontation in the Syrian desert, Jonas will have to decide how far he is willing to go to see his father again.

About the Author
James Wolff grew up in the Middle East and now lives in London. He has worked for the British government for the past ten years. "Beside the Syrian Sea" is his first novel.

Reviews
"Tautly-drawn tale of espionage in the badlands of Beirut. Wolff brings the thriller bang up to date as a rogue agent takes on Islamic State - as flawed a hero as Alec Leamas in The Spy Who Came in from the Cold." David Loyn, former BBC correspondent, foreign policy analyst, and author of Butcher and Bolt: Two Hundred Years of Foreign Engagement in Afghanistan.;"A compelling story of our times, beautifully written and told with all the authority and authenticity of an insider familiar with the complex and dangerous terrain." Peter Taylor, investigative journalist and author of Talking to Terrorists: A Personal Journey from the IRA to Al Qaeda.;"James Wolff's Beside the Syrian Sea has two advantages over the average spy story: first the author clearly knows in detail the complex and murky world of Middle Eastern intrigue; and, without detracting from the pace of his story, he deals with questions of faith and conscience pertinent at every level but so often ignored. An intelligent, exciting and wholly convincing novel." Piers Paul Read, award-winning novelist, historian and author of Alive and The Misogynist.;"Beside the Syrian Sea is a gripping tale of plots and counter plots; of militias, spies, and priests; of love of family and loyalty to cause. James Wolff rivetingly describes the lengths to which a British spy will go to secure the release of his father from ISIS." Emma Sky, British expert on the Middle East, Director Yale Greenberg World Fellows and author of The Unravelling: High Hopes and Missed Opportunities in Iraq.



Book Information
ISBN 9781908524980
Author James Wolff
Format Paperback
Page Count 320
Imprint Bitter Lemon Press
Publisher Bitter Lemon Press