Shemlan: A Deadly Tragedy (The Levant Cycle) Paperback – October 29, 2013

I just finished reading Shemlan and what an amazing read that was! A very well written thriller, thoroughly researched, full of action, wit, detail and all the elements that make a book outstanding!What made this thriller especially refreshing was its authenticity. As a Lebanese that grew up in Beirut throughout the civil war and spent many summers in Shemlan, I am very familiar with the places and references described in the book. From Shemlan's Cliff house, MECAS, Hotel Melkon and the local Shemlan families to Beirut's Monot, Jimmeizzeh, Hamra and Hotel Cavalier (amongst others), the descriptions were spot on. McNabb even managed to capture the authentic dialect of his local characters!

This is the third of McNabb's trilogy and, for my money, the best. His work is always well written and convincing, taut, exciting and fast paced, but this one is just better at all of those than anything before. There are two tracks of story, one in the past, the other in the present which intersect in a story of spies and their lies which is brilliantly crafted. There is no happy ending in the tale and it could have wound up being just a cynical record of murder, drugs and deception, but it has a heart and people who care for each other and who the reader will wind up caring for too - even if they don't necessarily find themselves completely liking them.

Jason Hartmoor, the main character is clearly defined from the start; I immediately got a good sense of him. An incident in his past had caused his past employer to look back into his life. Depicting a respectable man, this taint in his past continues to haunt him.The multi-dimensional characters display different sides and interesting pasts. Because of the age of the characters their exploits go back to the seventies.Beirut, the country to which Hartmoor travels to is described with good detail, without too much blogging down the plot. I easily stayed with the pace of the novel, interested to see where this would lead.The more I read the more interested I became. It wasn’t full of violence, but yet certain events displayed the brutality of how far some would go. The characters were enjoyable to read about, and this event and government operation that the Americans want to keep secret all added to the mystery of the novel.The detailed descriptions of war-torn Beirut years past gave me a clear idea of what it would have been life, helping me to connect with the events. The author creates a fluent stream of imagery, easily pictured. As the plot progresses, so to more things are revealed, hard to know friend from foe.Jason Hartmoor caught up in this violent world all over again, comrades brutally tortured and murdered, him followed by various parties, and Estonian assassins ready to hurt people to prevent the truth from getting out.This intriguing novel keeps getting better and better as more layers are unveiled. The author does an excellent job with pacing the novel. For a little while one may be lulled into a false sense that it is nearly all over, when suddenly something else smashes into the plot and the excitement and speed take hold. Jostling the reader up and down.The sad enormity of what Jason had done, consequences from the past leave behind a large trail of death. Criminals from the past still are present, utilising their resources, but Jason continually stands in their way, and they desperately want to bring him down.At times towards the end there are some tedious points discussed that slow down the novel, debatable whether the novel would have benefited without it, but then again some details may have been necessary.It was indeed a tragedy, mistakes unwittingly made, many bodies left behind. The ending belying those sad realities of war. How easy to get caught up in the mayhem without realising it.4 out of 5 stars

McNabb continues his run of Middle East thrillers, bringing back some old favourites for locations and characters, weaving them through a bittersweet story of Smiley-style spooks receiving the last bill for their lifetimes of working in the shadows. Lynch's occasionally wobbly accent aside, the smells and sounds of the scenes leap off the page and firmly ground the reader in the clattering confusion and serene beauty of the region. Highly rereadable and a pleasure to revisit.

This is the third installment into the life of author Alexander McNabb's thriller series set around the life of Gerald Lynch, a character very different to the James Bond stereotypes you come to imagine when thinking of the British intelligence service.This is certainly the most action packed book in the series and an absolute page turner. The author clearly has vivid and fond memories of Beirut which are reflected the course of this book. A must read if you want to read something as an alternative to the typical Bourne series of adventures.

Just did not want it to end but needed it to end so I could see what happened. It was a page turner and attention gripper. It was just so good but because of that made it difficult to put aside and get some work done!!

A wonderful story. An emotional and turbulent rollercoaster. The characters are well drawn. Lynch is a standout as an anti-hero. The story is full of intrigue against a backdrop of a lifetime abroad in the Foreign Service.From the fall out from an ill man revisiting a first love from an early posting, arises a story, that will grip you to the last page.

We self-publishers need to show solidarity, and I have followed the efforts of Alexander McNabb for longer than I care to remember. Last week I decided to let his latest book fill five evening reading sessions. I spent Monday through Wednesday delighted with the storytelling set in Shemlan, his writing making Beirut then and now come to life in a wonderful way.I wondered how the story would continue on Thursday!Continue it did, of course. But I later wondered if McNabb had confronted the same predicament I am now facing in my current manuscript... the need to introduce what the structuralist Robert McKee calls a 'plot spin' to move the narrative towards a satisfactory conclusion.And so on Thursday it was goodbye Beirut, hello Estonia. Insightful telling of a touching human story in the context of Lebanese intrigue abruptly gave way to something else. My feeling was that the final chapters were comparable with any number of action-and-adventure yarns... well written and assiduously researched but in a way something of a let down. It was as if an organ graft had been attempted, one which more or less worked.Summing up, I would have preferred a stand-alone Estonian thriller as a follow-up to a work which remained entirely rooted in the mountains above Beirut. 'Shemlan' was, however, a damn good read and I hope it finds its way into the hands oronto the Kindles of many thriller fans.

The third book in the series (please, Mr McNabb, be so very decent enough to indulge us all with more helpings of this reality of your creation) is unsurprisingly; brilliant and consummate.The world of the guy called Gerald is quite naturally as deadly hectic as ever. The cleverness of this particular story revealed itself in my mind somewhere around the half way point, but oh, it’s so clever!What at first appears to be the usual spoof spook games of power hungry and greedy men also has a very human side to it. A deep, sad and haunting human side which many readers can probably relate to.

Well researched, well written. It won't rock your world and it won't be a major motion picture any time soon (won't it?...) but well worth your time and attention.

The third in the series with Gerarld Lynch taking center stage this time.Yes it is violent and deadly but not descriptively sickening. Yes, it is staged in the Middle East (and even far flung Estonia) but doesn't have the cookie cut type Middle eastern villians that you may see in a Hollywood movie or Fox News.The story is well laid out and engrossing to read. Some parts were a bit short for my likening, but still a great read.Two thumbs up (and four stars) :)