{"product_id":"the-persian-the-sunday-times-bestseller-from-former-cia-analyst-and-the-rest-is-classified-podcast-co-host-david-mccloskey-9781800754041","title":"The Persian: The SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER from former CIA analyst and The Rest is Classified Podcast Co-Host David McCloskey","description":"\u003cp\u003eWhat happens when a spy is forced to reckon with the consequences of his deception?\u003c\/p\u003e'A superb and compelling espionage drama inside the Iran Israel shadow war by the top spy thrillerist of these wild turbulent times' Simon Sebag Montefiore\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e'A great spy writer' Tim Shipman\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eKamran Esfahani, a Persian Jewish dentist from Stockholm, dreams of starting afresh in California. To finance his new life, he agrees to spy for Mossad in Iran, working with a clandestine unit tasked with sowing chaos and sabotage inside the country. When he's captured by Iranian security forces, Kamran is compelled to confess his experiences as a spy, in a testimonial dealing not only with the security of nations, but also with revenge, deceit, and the power of love and forgiveness in a world of lies.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eMixing suspense with strikingly cinematic action, David McCloskey takes readers deep into the shadow war between Iran and Israel, delivering propulsive storytelling and riveting tradecraft.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eTHE FOURTH NOVEL FROM FORMER CIA OFFICER, THE REST IS CLASSIFIED PODCAST CO-HOST AND THE BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF ***THE TIMES THRILLER OF THE YEAR***DAMASCUS STATION ('One of the best spy thrillers in years' THE TIMES) AND ***SUNDAY TIMES BOOK OF THE YEAR*** MOSCOW X\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eREADER REVIEWS\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e'A brilliant gripping read. This is one of his best books'\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e'An excellent read from the pen of one who has been there and done it all, especially in light of current events in the Middle East.'\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e'This is the best book I have read in years. A superb spy novel.'\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e'Couldn't put it down, this is an amazing book...This is a must read from a great writer!'\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ch4\u003eDetails\u003c\/h4\u003e\u003cp\u003eISBN13: 9781800754041\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003eFormat: Paperback \/ softback\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003eNumber of Pages: 400\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003eEdition: \u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003ePublication Date: 29 Sep 2026\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003ePublisher: Swift Press\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003ePublication City, Country: United Kingdom\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003eDimensions (cm): 19.8(H)x12.9(L)\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003eWeight (gm): \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch4\u003eAuthor Biography\u003c\/h4\u003eDavid McCloskey is a former CIA analyst who worked in field stations across the Middle East and briefed senior White House officials and Arab royalty. His first novel, Damascus Station, was called ‘one of the best spy thrillers in years’ by The Times; his second, Moscow X, was a Sunday Times Thriller of the Year. His third, The Seventh Floor, was a Sunday Times bestseller, as was his fourth, The Persian. He is the co-host of the podcast The Rest is Classified, and lives in Texas.\u003ch4\u003eReviews\u003c\/h4\u003e\u003cp\u003e'Tragically topical and \u003cstrong\u003eutterly gripping'\u003c\/strong\u003e - \u003cem\u003eThe Guardian\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003e'\u003cstrong\u003eAbsolutely top-notch\u003c\/strong\u003e contemporary espionage fiction'\u003cem\u003e Mail on Sunday\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003e'A masterful work of fiction' - \u003cem\u003eFinancial Times\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003e'\u003cstrong\u003eMcCloskey goes from strength to strength in this enthralling, hyper-topical tale \u003c\/strong\u003eof a Persian Jewish dentist living in Stockholm who is recruited by Mossad. The story moves seamlessly between the dungeons of a Tehran prison and the spymasters in Tel Aviv. McCloskey, a former CIA officer, deftly deploys his insider knowledge of the world of shadows' \u003cem\u003eFinancial Times\u003c\/em\u003e Best Summer Books 2026\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e‘High drama\u003c\/strong\u003e and \u003cstrong\u003etwists\u003c\/strong\u003e with characters you care about. There is much here on love and loyalty as well as \u003cstrong\u003edeep cover operations.\u003c\/strong\u003e It’s \u003cstrong\u003edeep and satisfying\u003c\/strong\u003e ... traits of \u003cstrong\u003egreat tradecraft \u003c\/strong\u003eand headlong dash to the end. It proves he is \u003cstrong\u003ea great spy writer’\u003c\/strong\u003e - Tim Shipman, \u003cem\u003eSpybrary\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003e'A \u003cstrong\u003esuperb\u003c\/strong\u003e and \u003cstrong\u003ecompelling espionage drama\u003c\/strong\u003e inside the \u003cstrong\u003eIran Israel shadow war\u003c\/strong\u003e by the \u003cstrong\u003etop spy thrillerist of these wild turbulent times'\u003c\/strong\u003e - Simon Sebag Montefiore\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003e'\u003cem\u003eThe Persian\u003c\/em\u003e sees David McCloskey write himself into a completely new and different context – both Israeli and Iranian – in a way that seems \u003cstrong\u003ecompletely authentic. \u003c\/strong\u003eThe story is \u003cstrong\u003egripping\u003c\/strong\u003e and wholly topical and the telling of it is \u003cstrong\u003ewonderfully executed’\u003c\/strong\u003e - Charles Beaumont\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003e'\u003cem\u003eThe Persian\u003c\/em\u003e instantly pulls the reader into a \u003cstrong\u003ecompletely plausible and dramatic story\u003c\/strong\u003e, told in a fluent and highly original style. The plot and the main characters are so credible you half expect to see it unfold on the following days' news. David McCloskey has written a clever novel which is \u003cstrong\u003ehard to put down\u003c\/strong\u003e and is \u003cstrong\u003ehighly recommended\u003c\/strong\u003e’ - Alex Gerlis\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003e'A \u003cstrong\u003ecould-not-be-more-topical thriller\u003c\/strong\u003e focusing on the covert machinations of players operating inside the crucible of the wider Middle East conflict. Caught between personal desires and the hostilities of nation states, these all-too-human actors, in McCloskey’s hands, become both victims and aggressors of a war without end. \u003cstrong\u003eAn immaculate spy novel' \u003c\/strong\u003e- Vaseem Khan\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003e'In four short years David McCloskey has written a quartet of spy thrillers which have rightly \u003cstrong\u003etaken the genre by storm.\u003c\/strong\u003e \u003cem\u003eThe Persian\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cem\u003e \u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003eis the \u003cstrong\u003ebest of the lot'\u003c\/strong\u003e - Charles Cumming\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003e'McCloskey, once an analyst for the CIA, paces his revelations well and provides a clear view of the tensions in the Middle East and the history behind them' \u003cem\u003eThe Literary Review\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003e'[A] \u003cstrong\u003etaut political thriller\u003c\/strong\u003e…. \u003cstrong\u003eIntricately plotted\u003c\/strong\u003e and populated with multidimensional characters whose complicated motives drive them to desperation, the novel deftly balances geopolitical tensions and human stakes. \u003cstrong\u003eFans of John le Carré will have a tough time putting this down'\u003c\/strong\u003e - \u003cem\u003ePublishers Weekly\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003e'David McCloskey keeps writing spy thrillers, and \u003cstrong\u003ethe plots keep coming true' \u003c\/strong\u003e- Mary Louise Kelly, \u003cem\u003eNPR\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003e'Pitch-perfect, utterly gripping and deliciously timely. Seriously good' - \u003cem\u003eThe Express\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003e'A thrilling read' - \u003cem\u003eThe\u003c\/em\u003e \u003cem\u003eExpress\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003e‘David McCloskey made waves with his latest spy novel \u003cem\u003eThe Persian\u003c\/em\u003e. Highlighting Mossad’s unique tradecraft in the shadow war with Iran, \u003cstrong\u003eMcCloskey hits another home run in describing the actual feel of espionage operations\u003c\/strong\u003e. Former case officers like myself have celebrated McCloskey’s writing, as getting our old world just right’ - Marc Polymeropoulos, former CIA senior intelligence service officer\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003e'McCloskey has evidently gleaned insights into the tradecraft of its intelligence services and that of their Mossad counterparts... Compelling' - \u003cem\u003eThe Times\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003e'Former CIA Analyst McCloskey has established himself as o\u003cstrong\u003ene of the world's best spy novelists\u003c\/strong\u003e, but this, his fourth story,\u003cstrong\u003e confirms his position at the top of the espionage tree\u003c\/strong\u003e with its \u003cstrong\u003ebrilliant insight\u003c\/strong\u003e into modern tradecraft...\u003cstrong\u003eUtterly gripping\u003c\/strong\u003e' \u003cem\u003eDaily Mail\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003e‘A fast-moving thriller set within the shadow war between Iran and Israel' - \u003cem\u003ei Paper\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003e'Finding a thriller that is \u003cstrong\u003eas smart as it is page-turning\u003c\/strong\u003e usually proves a challenge, but the latest from The Rest is Classified podcaster McCloskey \u003cstrong\u003ehas both elements in spades\u003c\/strong\u003e. It follows a Persian Jewish dentist who, dreaming of a new life in California, agrees to spy for Mossad in Iran in order to help fund the move. What could go wrong?' - \u003cem\u003ei Paper\u003c\/em\u003e, Best Holiday Books of 2026\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003ePraise for Damascus Station:\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e‘One of the best – and most authentic – spy thrillers in years’ - \u003cem\u003eThe Times\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e'Simply marvellous storytelling...a stand-out thriller and essential reading for fans of the genre' - \u003cem\u003eFinancial Times\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e‘Breathlessly gripping and truly terrifying’ - Simon Sebag Montefiore\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e‘The best spy novel I have ever read' - General David Petraeus, former director of the CIA\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"David McCloskey","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50628759912665,"sku":"9781800754041","price":24.99,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0502\/9530\/8441\/files\/9781800754041.jpg?v=1791458796","url":"https:\/\/www.arielbooks.com.au\/products\/the-persian-the-sunday-times-bestseller-from-former-cia-analyst-and-the-rest-is-classified-podcast-co-host-david-mccloskey-9781800754041","provider":"Ariel","version":"1.0","type":"link"}