Beside the Syrian Sea

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.

"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.