The Persian by David McCloskey is a masterwork of modern espionage—taut, immersive, and pulsing with the kind of geopolitical tension that feels ripped from tomorrow’s headlines. From the first pages, McCloskey plunges readers into a world of clandestine operations and shifting alliances, where every move carries life-or-death consequences. His prose is razor-sharp, propulsive without ever sacrificing depth, grounding the high-stakes action in an atmosphere so vivid you can practically smell the dust, diesel, and danger.

What elevates the novel beyond a standard spy thriller is McCloskey’s uncanny ability to expose the emotional fault lines beneath the tradecraft. The characters—operatives, analysts, and power players caught in the crossfire of global ambition—are drawn with gripping authenticity. Loyalties fray, personal demons collide with professional duty, and the moral calculus of espionage becomes a crucible that burns away any illusions of heroism. Every interaction feels like a chess match with explosives wired to the board.

By the time the plot ignites into its full-throttle finale, The Persian delivers twist after twist with surgical precision, leaving you breathless and unnervingly aware of the real-world shadows it mirrors. McCloskey proves again that he is one of the most formidable voices in contemporary spy fiction—a writer who not only understands the mechanics of intelligence, but the human cost etched into every covert decision. This is a thriller that grips you, shakes you, and refuses to let go.

Barely a year after the Gulf of Tonkin resolution that authorized President Johnson to use military force without a declaration of war and following ten long years of muddying the waters in Vietnam, America ramped up her efforts in Southeast Asia while at home the world was A-Okay. The Mamas & the Papas were CALIFORNIA DREAMIN' and eventually coasted to a three-times platinum certification, giving the world a solid example of the 'California Sound' in the 60s counterculture era. Drifting through an equally undeclared yet similarly brutal war in the Middle East is THE PERSIAN, thinking of calling it quits and make his CALIFORNIA DREAMIN' a reality. Casually playing both sides in the same vein as YOJIMBO and his American counterpart, The Man with no Name, THE PERSIAN walks the tightrope of Mideast tension dotted with religious ideologies, true believers, purist zealots, and homicidal regimes. Intense, fascinating, brutally honest and dastardly real, THE PERSIAN is the epitome of espionage thrills; deception, manipulation, betrayal and violence of action -- all's fair in a war for survival and the only way out of the sandbox is in a body bag.

Legendary for their daring antics and aggressive pre-cog MINORITY REPORT style solving of nascent threats to their homeland, the Mossad, or 'the Office' for those drawing their paychecks there, has its eye on Unit 849, a mysterious Quds force team saddled with a DEATH WISH commitment to kill people in the Holy Land. Enmeshed in strife that's been trudging along and grinding up casualties and collateral damage, the Mossad's Caesarea Division, much like the US Army's Green Berets, are responsible for sowing chaos and mayhem and generally flipping the bird at the sinister clown show of THAT Islamic Republic. Their craft is targeted killings, cyberattacks and sabotage deep inside denied territory with the help of sympathetic albeit paid local talent. With the help of THE PERSIAN, the plan is to kidnap a Quds Force captain for Intel exploitation and preventing future terrorist attacks. THE PERSIAN, however, has seen enough and wants out; trade the spy business and tooth care in Tehran for mild summer sun all year round in Southern California. This dentist's mid-life crisis is shaping up nicely.

A novel full of mirth and menace, THE PERSIAN is not unaffected with a smattering of Persophilia and is exactly what lends the sharp edge of authenticity that makes it all the more real, illustrating the discord between Persia and Canaan. Asserting that disengagement is the surest way to recovery, that every moment holds a death even if it's only time, and that gossip in Persia spreads like fungus, THE PERSIAN is an espionage epistolary extraordinaire and is spy thriller on CRANK. Although affected by the same motivational hook as THIEF, THE KILLER, MIDNIGHT RUN, and UNFORGIVEN, THE PERSIAN is an ingeniously told tale of the traditional spy loop: disillusionment, recruitment, indoc, training, ops, sabotage, espionage--vengeance. THE PERSIAN is manipulative, fearsome, elegant and ruthless. A story as maddening as it is impressive, and surefire contender for best book of the year.