Fiction

Damascus Station

Damascus Station

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  • Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
  • Create Date：2023-01-15 00:51:28
  • Update Date：2025-09-06
  • Status：finish
  • Author：David McCloskey
  • ISBN：1800752695
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Summary

A CIA officer and his recruit arrive in war-ravaged Damascus to hunt for a killer:




CIA case officer Sam Joseph is dispatched to Paris to recruit Syrian Palace official Mariam Haddad。 The two fall into a forbidden relationship， which supercharges Haddad's recruitment and creates unspeakable danger when they enter Damascus to find the man responsible for the disappearance of an American spy。

But the cat and mouse chase for the killer soon leads to a trail of high-profile assassinations and the discovery of a dark secret at the heart of the Syrian regime， bringing the pair under the all-seeing eyes of Assad's spy catcher， Ali Hassan， and his brother Rustum， the head of the feared Republican Guard。 Set against the backdrop of a Syria pulsing with fear and rebellion， Damascus Station is a gripping thriller that offers a textured portrayal of espionage， love， loyalty， and betrayal in one of the most difficult CIA assignments on the planet。

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Reviews

Daphne Sharpe ，

This is a brilliant debut novel， written by a former CIA analyst， who apparently has real time experience of his job， knows Damascus， and the sights and sounds of war。 A fast moving spy thriller， told with feelings and understandings of the lies that have to be told and the secrets that must be kept， even if this means leaving a valued friend behind to be captured and tortured。There is a historical examination of how this particular war came about， and the consequences for the native peoples。 A This is a brilliant debut novel， written by a former CIA analyst， who apparently has real time experience of his job， knows Damascus， and the sights and sounds of war。 A fast moving spy thriller， told with feelings and understandings of the lies that have to be told and the secrets that must be kept， even if this means leaving a valued friend behind to be captured and tortured。There is a historical examination of how this particular war came about， and the consequences for the native peoples。 A strong affinity for the people， their language and culture is conveyed so well， the locations ， this man admires this land。 The plot was complicated and great concentration was needed， due to the sheer amount of names and locations being introduced。 You had to really pay attention to who was considered trustworthy， and where loyalties lie。 There were moral questions asked， how far is a person willing to go to enjoy freedoms that we take for granted？ It wasn’t especially aimed at females， but asked honest questions about what you owe to family as against the state。 Torture is conveyed in quite graphic terms， maybe not for the squeamish， but necessary for the story， and an accurate account of such evil。A fast paced thriller， it reminded me of other favourite authors， Phillip Kerr and Daniel Silva。 A very accomplished start to what I hope will become a series to look out for。My thanks to Netgalley and the publishers Swift Press， for my advanced digital copy。 This is my honest review。 I will also leave reviews to Goodreads and Amazon later。 。。。more

Andreas Tornberg ，

Solid spy thriller with interesting characters and a gripping plot。 I can really recommend this book。 Thanks to the author， the publisher and NetGalley for the copy。

Keith Wilson ，

Sam and Mariam sitting in a tree… K-I-S-S-I-N-GWhile this book provided an intriguing look inside the “cat and mouse” games the CIA， Syrian Government， Russians and rebels play with each other， I found it severely lacking in character depth and full of shallow， machismo sex and violence that left me feeling half-pregnant with “B-rate James Bond” undertones。 I’m fine with a full bore “salacious spy novel”， if only about 150 pages shorter。 Equally， I would have been thrilled with a rich historical Sam and Mariam sitting in a tree… K-I-S-S-I-N-GWhile this book provided an intriguing look inside the “cat and mouse” games the CIA， Syrian Government， Russians and rebels play with each other， I found it severely lacking in character depth and full of shallow， machismo sex and violence that left me feeling half-pregnant with “B-rate James Bond” undertones。 I’m fine with a full bore “salacious spy novel”， if only about 150 pages shorter。 Equally， I would have been thrilled with a rich historical fiction that made you feel and think deeply。 Unfortunately this book was neither。 My apologies if this review felt like a shotgun to the face 20 pages after lovemaking on a couch。 。。。more

Mike ，

Enjoyable， fun， fast paced。 But at times a bit cheesy or forced。 Not as good as some of the more established or classic spy / espionage thriller authors。

Alison ，

Engaging read， full of probably accurate detail about CIA work， but got bogged down in places。

Mario J。 ，

An exceptional book ！ I have to thank my favorite New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristoff for recommending this book。 Am looking forward for this author’s next effort。

Bruce Giordano ，

Very entertaining and suspenseful novel。 It also seemed to get the situation and various players in the Syrian conflict right。 I’m probably in the minority but I feel they could have done without the romance between the CIA case officer and his asset。 This is likely quite rare in real life but seems to be a constant in novels of this type。

Ramon A Carabeo ，

Breathtaking read ！ highly recommend this book Great character development ！ Excellent plot on an ongoing issue ， humans are our best and our worst ， but hope us always eternal Cheers to Mr McCloskey

Julie Friar ，

Samuel Joseph is a CIA officer who recruits Mariam but he breaks all the rules when he falls in love with her。 They are in extreme danger in Damascus but information gained is vital if lives are to be saved or avenged。 Torture guaranteed if captured。Fast paced novel with great characters and plot line。 Violence is part of the danger they are under never mind the stress。 Loved the attention to detail and so glad not my chosen career。 Enjoy。

Robbie ，

5。 Spy novels too often sacrifice clarity when they want to provide the level of detail that proves their bona fides， and I feel like this did a great job of avoiding that。 Great read。 Starting ‘23 with a bang。

Mick Russell ，

Just a good old fashioned CIA agent / spy novel。 Enjoyed the modern setting rather than a cold war classic。 Plot just races along。 Great holiday read 👍

Peter Allum ，

An engrossing thriller， set in the opening years of the Syrian civil war。Damascus Station convincingly describes espionage tradecraft。 We meet our CIA protagonist， Sam， as he finishes eight hours winding through Damascus’s streets， confirms he is off radar to Syrian intelligence， and initiates an ill-fated meet with an undercover agent。 As Sam rebounds from failure， he gets enmeshed in Syrian bureaucratic rivalries and romantic intrigue。The collapse of the Soviet Union was a disaster for the An engrossing thriller， set in the opening years of the Syrian civil war。Damascus Station convincingly describes espionage tradecraft。 We meet our CIA protagonist， Sam， as he finishes eight hours winding through Damascus’s streets， confirms he is off radar to Syrian intelligence， and initiates an ill-fated meet with an undercover agent。 As Sam rebounds from failure， he gets enmeshed in Syrian bureaucratic rivalries and romantic intrigue。The collapse of the Soviet Union was a disaster for the spy thriller genre: late Le Carré novels of corporate malfeasance in the Third world could never match the allure of stepping behind the Iron Curtain with Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy。 Now， however， McCloskey’s debut novel suggests that there are rich possibilities for the espionage genre in the modern police states of Russia， Iran， and Syria。 （I’m probably late to the game， here， missing out on plenty of good post-Carré thrillers。）Damascus Station is a fictionalized version of the Syrian civil war， set in its early years when， in real life， the US embassy compound was breached by protestors （July 2011）， several Assad ministers were killed in an opposition bomb plot （July 2012）， and chemical weapons were used against rebel areas （starting 2012）。 McCloskey is particularly good at describing how Assad maintained power by exploiting religious divides and punishing dissent。 Even those opposed to his brutalities felt they and their families had no option but to silently acquiesce （much like in Putin’s Russia today）。The moral values in McCloskey’s espionage world are black-and-white， rather than the grays offered by Le Carré。 In Damascus Station， the CIA is a force for good， fighting to prevent Syria from acquiring and using chemical weapons against its own population。 This involves rewriting history， with a fictional POTUS ordering punitive bombing of Damascus early in the civil war， whereas in reality the Obama administration did not respond to Syria’s use of chemical weapons through 2012-2016， leaving it to Trump to approve the first response in April 2017， with the bombing of a Syrian airbase that had deployed Sarin。 While Damascus Station seems convincing about the internal rivalries of the Assad regime， it greatly simplifies the story in respect of opposition groups。 It describes the urban protests inspired by the Arab Spring but does not detail the various rebel military forces （nationalist， Sunni， Kurdish）， some of which received early non-military support from the US （presumably via the CIA）。 McCloskey probably judged that a realistic portrait of the Syria civil war would just confuse readers。One weakness of Damascus Station is its sometimes implausible plotting。 At one point， even as a mob destroys the American embassy in Damascus causing the death of 14 Americans， a Syrian official delivers a wounded and barely-conscious American to safety there。 The practicalities are glossed over: "A raised voice。 Gunfire。 More shouting。。。” and then the American wakes up safely inside the embassy。 （mmm？）Still， definitely a compulsive read。 One for the beach。 。。。more

Julie ，

As a fan of the genre， I knew I'd enjoy this from the description。 The plot was clever， there were poingant moments from the very beginning and some thrilling page turner parts。 Though I think Mariam is supposed to come across as a victim， i found her untrustworthy and a bit annoying; I had more sympathy for Razan。 I'd not read anything set in Syria before so the political situation in Syria was really interesting。 I also liked that there was a focus on spying techniques。 After reading the novel As a fan of the genre， I knew I'd enjoy this from the description。 The plot was clever， there were poingant moments from the very beginning and some thrilling page turner parts。 Though I think Mariam is supposed to come across as a victim， i found her untrustworthy and a bit annoying; I had more sympathy for Razan。 I'd not read anything set in Syria before so the political situation in Syria was really interesting。 I also liked that there was a focus on spying techniques。 After reading the novel， i have a newfound appreciation and reverance for spies and their agents and the risks they take on。 。。。more

Brig ，

Chewy Spy story。。。 blahEspionage tales shouldn't be the soft， slightly under-baked cookie of the genre fiction world。 This is the so-so B film you watch when you're sick and want nothing more than to survive until your next nap arrives。 I held out how until the end but was ultimately disappointed。 At one point， I conjured up a few angles that would have satisfied me but none of them happened。 Chewy Spy story。。。 blahEspionage tales shouldn't be the soft， slightly under-baked cookie of the genre fiction world。 This is the so-so B film you watch when you're sick and want nothing more than to survive until your next nap arrives。 I held out how until the end but was ultimately disappointed。 At one point， I conjured up a few angles that would have satisfied me but none of them happened。 。。。more

Byron Prater ，

I thought the book started slow especially if you don’t have much of an interest in Arabic or middle eastern espionage and warfare。 Fair representation of cruelty and torture with an abundance of cigarette smoking。 Characters were not appealing and did little to get your interest in them。 However as you get deeper into the book it becomes more compelling and you develop an interest in many of the characters and a mutual quest to see justice done which becomes a mixed bag which is probably how th I thought the book started slow especially if you don’t have much of an interest in Arabic or middle eastern espionage and warfare。 Fair representation of cruelty and torture with an abundance of cigarette smoking。 Characters were not appealing and did little to get your interest in them。 However as you get deeper into the book it becomes more compelling and you develop an interest in many of the characters and a mutual quest to see justice done which becomes a mixed bag which is probably how things turn out over there。 Anyway， I thought it was a good read。 。。。more

Dawn Marie ，

Although this book was well written and pretty good， I decided I’m not a big espionage / spy kind of person， unless it’s a memoir or autobiography。 Still would recommend this one。

Nate Gahman ，

Very difficult to keep up with。 Did not enjoy it at all。 3/4’s of the way thru I had to put it down。 No meat to it， just detail and build up。 I’m over the middle eastern espionage thrillers。

Alex Jones ，

3/5 GoodA very well written slow burning spy thriller that harks back to the masters of the past。 Whilst I enjoyed the book， and the distinctly authentic feel that comes with it， I didn’t find myself drawn to the characters or indeed the story。 There is much that is good though and I would read more if this was to be a series。 It just felt a little bit flat and one paced at times。

Joshua Root ，

Solid book， but is slow developing。 The story could have been told in 100 less pages。 Good on suspense， lacks action。

Brian Stortors ，

Damascus Station is an exhilarating spy thriller set in Damascus， Syria in the modern era。 The author， David McCloskey， takes a creative approach to his first novel by writing as though the U。S。 Embassy in Damascus is still open; it closed in 2012 citing a deteriorating security situation following the outbreak of the Syrian civil war。Damascus Station follows the story of CIA case officer Sam Joseph and the recruitment of a Syrian Asset with whom he has a romantic relationship。 This book kept me Damascus Station is an exhilarating spy thriller set in Damascus， Syria in the modern era。 The author， David McCloskey， takes a creative approach to his first novel by writing as though the U。S。 Embassy in Damascus is still open; it closed in 2012 citing a deteriorating security situation following the outbreak of the Syrian civil war。Damascus Station follows the story of CIA case officer Sam Joseph and the recruitment of a Syrian Asset with whom he has a romantic relationship。 This book kept me on the edge of my seat with its vivid descriptions of HUMINT tradecraft， its harrowing hostage and interrogation scenes， and its memorable characters。Why I loved it: Damascus Station is a stroll down memory lane for me。 As a young Marine， I was stationed at the U。S。 Embassy in Damascus。 From McCloskey’s description of the “anti-climb” fence around the embassy to his depiction of Syrians dancing in the Christian quarter of Bab Touma， I felt as though I was still there。 。。。more

Laura Hammdorff ，

Good read。 Different setting than normal with some slight twists。 I really disliked Mariam， but I always consider strong reactions to characters as good character dev by the author。

Pedro Monteiro ，

Verdadeiramente excelente。 Gostei muito。

Hunter ，

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 This was a pretty solid spy book。 Most of the characters are compelling and the plot moves along at a good pace。 The Syrian setting was really cool to get into。 At this point （nearly 2023） the war has been a stalemate for a while， so it was pretty interesting to see the relative normality of those close to the regime in Damascus。 Our two main characters have a pretty fun dynamic。 Overall worth a read。

Jim Hanks ，

Damascus Station is a fine twisty turny espionage thriller by David McCloskey。 It certainly feels authentic as we get into the finer details of a modern day spy。 The action is fast paced from the start。 I'll be watching out for the authors next book。 Damascus Station is a fine twisty turny espionage thriller by David McCloskey。 It certainly feels authentic as we get into the finer details of a modern day spy。 The action is fast paced from the start。 I'll be watching out for the authors next book。 。。。more

Christian Orton ，

Great spy novel。 Only docked one star because the latter half shifts views so much it becomes a bit disjointed and less enjoyable。 Drags a bit as a result。 But still overall one of the best spy novels you’ll find out there these days。

Bruce Belohlavek ，

4。5

Cassie Holland ，

I am a fan of spy fiction but this book required a warning of the explicit and graphic accounts of torture which rendered it impossible for me to read。I am reluctant to score it on that basis。

James Junke ，

A riveting read。 Deeply authentic。 Memorable characters。

Alyssa ，

Friendly reminder （to myself） that even adult books aren't immune from instalove。 😩 There are some actually thrilling parts here and there， but not enough to overlook how many times I got bogged down in all the names， excruciating descriptions of tradecraft， and CIA acronyms。 Friendly reminder （to myself） that even adult books aren't immune from instalove。 😩 There are some actually thrilling parts here and there， but not enough to overlook how many times I got bogged down in all the names， excruciating descriptions of tradecraft， and CIA acronyms。 。。。more

Louise ，

There was a lot to like about this book。 Fast-paced with plenty of drama。 I loved the descriptions of Damascus， a city that I long to return to。 I’ve read reviews that criticize the book for being too bogged down with descriptions of the people and scenery but it was that aspect that I enjoyed the most。 As expected， a book written by a former CIA analyst has a strong pro-American bias。 There were parts that didn’t seem entirely plausible but it was still an enjoyable read。

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Damascus Station

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Damascus Station&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Damascus Station&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0