FROM THE BEST-SELLING AUTHOR OF BLACK WAVE
'Stunningly well researched' -- The Times
'Twisty, dark and gripping, an all-too-real whodunnit.' -- The Spectator
'[An] excellent book' -- The New York Times
'A hugely enjoyable non-fiction thriller' -- WILLIAM DALRYMPLE
A gripping investigation into a murder in Beirut, as one journalist's search for justice unearths the tangled forces of revolution, war, espionage and betrayal that still haunts the Middle East today.
On January 18, 1984, Malcolm Kerr was assassinated by a pair of gunmen outside his office. His murder was just one more shocking headline in a city ravaged by the chaos of nine years of war. Four decades later, the question of who killed Malcolm and why still haunts Kerr's family.
Kim Ghattas embarks on a quest to solve the mystery of Kerr's assassination, weaving together the family's story with that of Lebanon's warlords and peacemakers, Hezbollah hostage takers and Iranian Revolutionary Guards, and American presidents from Reagan to Trump.
This is the definitive story of how Beirut sparked policies which went on to shape the Middle East for decades and helped determine the ambitions of figures from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.
Ghattas delivers a riveting, deeply human saga-a must-read for understanding why this conflict continues to shape today's world.
