Damascus Station

A Novel

By: David McCloskey

Narrated by: Andrew B. Wehrlen

A CIA officer and his recruit arrive in war-ravaged Damascus to hunt for a killer in this pause resister that offers the "most authentic depiction of modern-day tradecraft in print" (Navy SEAL sniper and New York Times best-selling author Jack Carr).

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.

©2021 David McCloskey (P)2021 Tantor

Intelligent, exciting, and entertaining

This is one of the best spy thriller novels this reader has experienced. Intelligent, authentic, and exciting. Characters are well developed. The reader is hooked from the first page, and the story becomes consuming. McCloskey maintains the tension as he lets the characters act and reveal themselves in this well wrought and brilliantly constructed plot. The writing is minimalist and the author is unintrusive. This a gritty and entertaining novel that feels authentic from the details of spy craft illustrated. As a result, this is an author we can rely, and a story that rings true and compelling. Andrew B Wehrlen is well modulated to the wide-ranging characters and the narrative. This is a engaging page turner.

Meh....

Narrator talks to fast with odd inflection. Story was generic fodder. I wouldn't recommend it.

Great Story with Equally Great Narration!

I have to be honest, I don't read a lot of non-fiction, but this was especially good! The author pulls you in with a compelling story all the while remaining realistic.

Great listen !!

At first I was a little lost, but as the story played out it got more interesting, the small bit about the bomber and his sniper wife could have played more of a roll, I think.
But overall a good listen on long drives.

Awesome

Great book for spy novel enthusiasts. Proctor is a badass. Would love to read more books with her character!

The reading was tough to follow. I’ve had much better.

I expected a stronger story for all of the ratings. It was just meh. Would not recommend.

Gruesome details

The gruesome details around chemical weapons use and torture scenes were a little too lurid for me. I listen to or read many books with violent themes but this went beyond exciting or harrowing and into disturbing.

Good story but one of the worst narrations yet

The story seemed to be a gripping one but the narration completely ruined it. The narrator had the same tone, whether it was a an action scene or just a conversation between friends.

It was hard to tell one scene from the next and i found myself rewinding constantly because I wouldn’t realize the previous scene ended.

The narrator had a hard time pronouncing words to a point it became comical.

I will need to read the hard copy because even after finishing, I have a hard time recalling the full story

Formulaic Story with mediocre narration

A well-crafted, American-style spy novel. Might have been heightened with a better narration performance. The read was often bright and chipper which played against what seemed to be the writer’s intended dramatic intentions for mood and pacing.

Damascus Station

I've read/listened to a number of spy novels over the past few years, and this one stands out for a couple of reasons. The main reason is that it takes place in Syria. I know very little about the country but I love that Assad was a character in the book. It was fast-paced, detailed, and realistic (I understand that McCloskey is ex-CIA, so I'm sure that helps) without being confusing.