We are thrilled to welcome bestselling author and ex-CIA analyst David McCloskey to Deansgate, celebrating the release of his immaculate new spy thriller: The Persian.

From the author of Damascus Station and The Seventh Floor comes another fiercely intelligent page-turner set in the shadowy world of international espionage, as a Persian Jewish dentist agrees to spy for Mossad in Iran to finance a new life in California.

David joins us to discuss this compelling work of espionage, answer audience questions and sign copies of his work.

Doors at 6pm. ‘Ticket with Book’ option includes a copy of The Persian (RRP. £20) to be collected at the event. For any accessibility enquiries, please be in touch directly at events.manchester@waterstones.com.

About The Persian

What happens when a spy is forced to reckon with the consequences of his deception?

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. 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.

Mixing suspense with strikingly cinematic action, David McCloskey takes readers deep into the shadow war between Iran and Israel, delivering propulsive storytelling and riveting tradecraft.

About the Author

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 briefed senior White House officials, Ambassadors, military officials, and Arab royalty. He worked in CIA field stations across the Middle East. David holds an M.A. from the Johns Hopkins School for Advanced International Studies, where he specialized in energy policy and the Middle East. He is the co-host with Gordon Corera of the successful The Rest is Classified podcast and lives in Texas with his wife and three children.

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.