No Shadows in the Desert: Murder, Vengeance, and Espionage in the War Against ISIS

Middle East security expert Katz (The Ghost Warrior) delivers a dramatic account of the secret mission by U.S. and Jordanian intelligence agents to avenge the “capture, torture, and immolation” of Royal Jordanian Air Force pilot Moaz al-Kasasbeh by ISIS fighters in Syria. After the engine in Moaz’s plane caught fire on Dec. 24, 2014, he parachuted into the Euphrates River near Raqqa and was captured. He was likely killed on January 3, though ISIS maintained that he was alive until February, when they released horrific video footage of his death. According to Katz, ISIS spokesman Abu Mohammed al-Adnani (who is believed to have participated in the killing) hoped to break Jordan’s resolve to be part of the international coalition fighting against the Caliphate; instead, the video had the opposite effect. Katz chronicles the multinational effort—led by the GID, Jordan’s intelligence agency—to locate the five terrorists responsible for Moaz’s death and design and implement missions to execute them. Against the backdrop of this spy tale, Katz briskly untangles the history of the Syrian civil war and the campaign against ISIS. Though Katz’s staccato prose can be clunky, he packs a wealth of information into the book and skillfully draws on an extensive network of sources in the U.S. and the Middle East. Espionage fans will savor this detailed and immersive account. (Apr.)