SE21 Area Guide

Join us for an evening with bestselling author ex-CIA analyst David McCloskey to celebrate the publication of his new book The Persian. David will be interviewed by author and journalist Tim Shipman. David McCloskey returns to his inside knowledge of the Middle East in his fourth novel: a gripping thriller exploring what happens when a loner spy is forced to reckon with the consequences of his deception. From Tehran to Tel Aviv, Istanbul and Stockholm, The Persian traces the rise and downfall of Kamran Esfahani, an Iranian Jew caught in the high stakes struggle between the spy agencies of Israel and Iran, and the secret he’s trying to take to his grave. Kamran 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. He soon finds himself entangled in a deadly game of spy vs. spy. 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. David will be interviewed by bestselling author and award-winning journalist Tim Shipman - perhaps best known as Political Editor at The Spectator and author of four books on Brexit, he's also a leading spy fiction expert and on the board of Spybrary.com, for which he also writes. David McCloskey is a former CIA analyst. While at the CIA, he wrote regularly for the President’s Daily Brief during President Obama’s tenure, delivered classified testimony to Congressional oversight committees, and more. He worked in CIA field stations across the Middle East. He is the co-host with Gordon Corera of the successful The Rest is Classified podcast. His first novel, Damascus Station, set in Syria, was the bestselling debut spy novel of its year and shortlisted for a British Book Award. His second, Moscow X was a Waterstones Thriller of the Month and a Sunday Times Thriller of the Year. And his third, The Seventh Floor, was a Sunday Times Bestseller. The Persian is his fourth novel. A Village Books event in association with Alleyn's Schools Enterprises.