Damascus Station

When I started reading Damascus Station by Mr David McCloskey, it was amidst the accolades and superlatives surrounding the book. I rarely hold much store in hype – it’s an age old tactic to drive up sales. With this in mind, I started to read. I had only devoured a dozen or so chapters, before I realized that this book is worthy of every ounce of praise. It is an astonishing, breath-taking novel. Both shattering in its raw exposition of war-ravaged Syria and uplifting in its undeniable quest to restore belief, trust and faith in a place where such things were forfeit, exchanged to just survive. Mr McCloskey has crafted a superb multi-faceted story. A layering of storylines that meld together seamlessly. A spy story – of securing an asset for vital intelligence capture; a love story – of star-crossed lovers; two-sides that never should mix, a Romeo and Juliet for modern times; a survival story – of the Ikhwan rebels existing against all odds against the brutal onslaught of the Assad war machine and a human story – of familial links, mixed motives, past histories and ultimately, their intrinsic ties to a regime that would ultimately destroy them. At its seemingly torn heart, Damascus Station shows it is still possible to keep the flames of hope burning, when all around is darkness. This reinstatement of hope is embedded within the complex and captivating characters Mr McCloskey has created. The protagonist, Sam Joseph is a CIA case officer with extensive experience in recruiting assets. He is sent to Syria under a none official cover (noc) to assist his fellow officer Val Owens - who’s under official cover as an Officer in the US Embassy – with an exfil of her asset, a chemical scientist Marwan Ghazali. It’s not revealing any spoilers to say the exfil goes sideways, Ghazali never shows, Owens is captured and Sam just makes it out alive. Having lost their key Syrian asset, the search is on to find another quickly. Someone who is well-connected within the Assad regime, but not too high as to cause suspicion. The CIA find a potential target in a mid-level official working in the Palace – Mariam Haddad, and Sam is sent back in to recruit her. Mariam is beautiful, accomplished and fearless, but conflicted in her loyalties. She is torn between her love for Sam versus her love for her hot-headed, impetuous and slightly crazy cousin Razan. Each of them pulling her in a different, often diametrically opposed direction, making decisions and undertaking actions where the ramifications are enormous. Sam, as a well-worn field officer, knows that the route he’s travelling down when he first kissed Mariam. He knew the political maelstrom he would whip up back in Langley, even so, he couldn’t stop. Getting into a relationship with an asset signals immediate disciplinary action and separation from the Agency. He’d had the drilling at the Farm – ‘never get involved emotionally’ – but the heart sometimes rules the head. From the moment that realization of his forbidden love for Mariam hits Sam, his ability to compartmentalize, think rationally and logically, becomes fractured, although throughout the book, Sam tries to convince himself to the contrary. Objective observation by the reader can see that events would have played out very differently had Sam regarded Mariam as just an asset, but nothing more than that. Of course, that story wouldn’t have delivered the outstanding book that Damascus Station is. The backdrop of crumbling Syria – a country steeped in rich heritage, history and culture – literally disintegrating under the weight of constant fighting is jarringly juxtaposed with the vibrancy and opulence of Paris and Villefranche-sur-mer and the stunning, peaceful beauty of Tuscany, and these locations provide the freedom for Sam and Mariam to explore their emotions more fully. It is however, telling that despite the picturesque calm of Tuscany, Mariam still feels the pressure of a heavy hand, crushing her, and only when she engages in the subterfuge demanded of her by the Agency, does that hand eventually release. Albeit all of the antagonists are typically sinister, evil and brutal in their efficient executions of the regime’s law, except for Ali Hassan, Head of the Security in the Palace. His character is portrayed as one of a soldier, doing his duty, despite however ruthless that requires him to be, but there is not a sense of perverse enjoyment, as there is with the others. His brother Rustrum – a savage animal, Jamil Atiyah - an unspeakable pervert and Basil Mahkluf, a sick, scalping-obsessed torturer. In the end, Ali is just as much a victim as those he interrogates. His life and his family wedded inextricably to the rise or fall of the regime. One cannot review Damascus Station without a word on the sheer authenticity and realism of every part of the book. The portrayal of tradecraft is perhaps the best that has ever graced a page. The depiction of the constant threat of the opposition, of keeping alert at all times and the terror of subterfuge in the ranks, whilst balancing the uncomfortableness of economy long haul flights, infuriating bureaucracies and political back-stabbing, removes the gloss of the cool super-spy image, to give insight into reality that is unforgiving, and is only inhabited by the undeniably patriotic and incredibly brave few. The denouement of Damascus Station is satisfying, especially after the phenomenal intensity of the scenes leading up to it, and one that I was so delighted to see. Fitting in every way. I am going to avoid saying highly recommended, in favor of this. If you only read one book this year, let it be Damascus Station. Unforgettable.

I was expecting something faster paced from the description of a thriller and the enthusiastic reviews. However, it is an entirely believable plot, more so than thrillers usually present. I found the book quite difficult to get into as the first few chapters deal with characters in many different countries and with different allegiances. The relationships are dealt with in some depth, and this makes the characters more than just props for the story. The author seems to get sidetracked into needless description of locations, premises and personal interactions which makes it difficult to determine the direction initially. I would recommend that you set aside an hour or two at a time to start the book; I could only fit in 2 or 3 chapters at a reading and undoubtably this made it more difficult to keep track. I had to keep using search to refresh my memory of characters. The author's familiarity with spying helps enormously to emphasise the mundaneous, tedious features of espionage. The behaviours of the Syrian regime are also well rehearsed and believable. As the book reaches a climax with the single twist in narrative, the pace does quicken and the book more gripping. However the ending, despite an explosive component, simply reasserts the continuity of the still-living characters. I would be happy to read more by this author, and as a first novel, it is very good; clever, articulate, believable and well written.

Really enjoyable read, finished the book in a couple of days and didn't want to put it down. Shall be ordering his other two now. I bought this one after the former head of MI6 said it was the most accurate representation of intelligence work in fiction. It seemed fairly accurate in parts but short of a quick career with the CIA I am not sure how to confirm that further.

This premier novel by David McCloskey has rave reviews not least from Simon Sebag Montefiore. I found it a good read with a sufficiently multi-layered plot to want to keep going to the end. But I didn't find it impossible to put down. In fact the characterisation is weak and I found I didn't care so much what happened to Sam and Mariam for much of the novel because their characters lacked depth. This is also true ot their Syrian counterparts though we do get to know a bit more about Ali's motivations and character. For a long time the story plodded and relied on McCLoskey showing (off?) his knowledge of the workings of the CIA and building IEDs. It also relies on quite graphic depictions of violence that will put some readers off. I don't have a problem with this in itself but the plot needs to be carried by the character of the characters. There are some twists though mostly rather predictable. In the last 80 pages or so the pace certainly picks up and the plot becomes fast moving. But it ends in a way that's sufficiently open to lead into the next volume, which is already available. So an OK spy thriller but doesn't match the master spy writers.

Took me a while to get in to the story but once hooked couldn't put down. I really wish Miriam didn't snort when laughing as all I could picture was Peppa pig and definitely wish they both hadn't ate foie gras as this put me off the characters for a while. Trivial I know in comparison to the whole book but I just couldn't get the image of how cruel this treatment of duck is and I'm sure they could have ate anything else but this horrendous meal !!!!!! Maybe think about these tiny tribal things and how it can affect how the reader feels about the characters

Spy books are my go to preference with Charles Cummings being a favourite. However, I think this author takes the crown. I bought the book as the ex-head of SIS (MI6), John Sawers recommended it on the Rest is Politics podcast. He basically said that if you want to know what undercover work is really like - read this book. Well the book is great, good paced plot, good characters etc. If it really is like real life then real word spying is a bit closer to say Homeland that you might imagine but with real consequences for real people. Anyway, cannot recommend it enough and am looking forward to reading the next book in the series. The book is written by an ex-CIA field officer so has a lot of believable detail. He must have got a lot of help with the writing as it really reads like a seasoned author's novel. Then again maybe spying and its link to human nature inherently makes good story tellers.

Excellent spy thriller - would recommend

Middle-ranking CIA officer Sam Joseph targets a Syrian woman, Mariam Haddad, as a potential “source”: in Damascus she is close to people who are close to the ruthless President Assad. She is biddable, and he successfully recruits her in Paris, but he hasn’t allowed for the procedural irregularity of falling in love with her, which will have personal and professional consequences for both of them. The CIA mount an operation to eliminate two murderous brothers who are key players in the fight against the insurgents threatening Assad’s rule. But the brothers are aware that there is a mole in the presidential palace and are plotting to kidnap Sam and torture the mole’s identity out of him. David McCloskey, a former CIA analyst, makes an impressive debut with a plot worthy of John le Carré and a rugged pacy style that recalls Robert Ludlum. War-torn Syria is vividly captured – especially Damascus, “a pulsing neon heart feeding the country’s gangrenous body.” The torture sequence is vicious enough to make the reader sweat. Sam’s potty-mouthed female superior is a fun character, like the movie version of James Bond’s Q: “Procter was many things, and one of them was short.” This is a book – and an author – you should add to your must-read list.

An ok novel, not a great novel! Worth a few euros if you like the sub-Le Carre spy genre - which I do!

As a primarily non-fiction reader I took a bit of a flyer on this novel as I have a nostalgic love of all things spy and espionage related, and I am very glad I did. I didn’t have much of an expectation for this story, but after just a chapter or two I found myself deeply engrossed in the main characters, wrapped up in its myriad plot lines, and unable to refuse the need to turn the page. Mr. McCloskey creates a deep and vivid world around the CIA, its operators, and those of the organizations it spars with daily. Set against the backdrop of a world and events we are aware of, he expertly weaves an intricate story diving into those currents flowing underneath and influencing what we’ve seen on the news. His experience with the CIA allows him to bring the fantastical world of spy craft and espionage we’ve gleaned from characters named Ryan or Bond down to a level you understand to be far more real and, because of it, far more dangerous. Gone are the elaborate gadgets and taglines, replaced by vivid descriptions of 12-hour long routes traveled across cites and OCD-esque observations of passersby made for the sole purpose of deciding if someone is following. His vivid explanations of tradecraft transport you swiftly into the shoes of the spy you always secretly wanted to be and his elucidations of the consequences of getting it wrong just as quickly ensure you question if you could really handle being in them. There are large swaths of legitimate suspense permeated with moments of genuine humor, driven by intricate characters both well written and well thought out. Mr. McCloskey endears you to his main characters almost as much as they are endeared to one-another while simultaneously fleshing out their supporting cast to the point you are awaiting their appearance in the text as much his protagonists. The villains of this tale are layered and complex. Some twirl their mustaches and plot truly evil things in the name of a greater good only they can see while others do evil because it’s the only path to survival. Who is truly guilty and who is redeemable? You must decide as the reader, but the choice is not obvious and your verdict may change several times and the pages turn. As a first attempt into the world of “spy novels”, Mr. McCloskey has created a gripping page turner that whisks you away into a world you only thought you knew. His first-hand experience in this world of global cat-and-mouse makes his story much more real and the detail he provides will lock you in and have you needing to know what happens. If you’re in the market for a thrilling read that offers a glimpse into a world we know exists but will likely never see, this book is for you.

Una delle spy stories più belle mai lette. Trama intrigante, attuale , ritmo. Capolavoro

Spannend. Hält einen wach bis tief in die Nacht.

Great thriller novel. Loved it.