Damascus Station

A Novel

By: David McCloskey

Narrated by: Andrew B. Wehrlen

Length: 12 hrs and 48 mins

Publisher's summary

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

Horrible narration

Great book, but the narrator is not enjoyable to listen to. He makes it tough to get through what is a very good book. I would advise reading the paper version instead.

Compelling Thriller

This was an exciting story.....did not like the narrators treatment.....but it held my interest.

Four Plus Stars

Almost 5 stars until the ending. The author built tension throughout the story in slow, subtle ways. I thought the plot was well constructed even if I didn't believe in the almost instant "love" between Sam and Mariam. The ending is what dropped my rating from 5 stars to 4.5 stars. Mariam supposedly disappeared and can't be found but was still in her home. Can't understand why Ali wasn't making her go back to her job so he could keep using her for intelligence inside the government and outside to report on others. There was also too much ambiguity in the ending. I like endings that are tighter, especially if the sequel doesn't have the same characters.

I wasn't sure I'd find the setting in Syria interesting, but it was. The story caused me to research more recent history on Syria. The novel is pro-CIA which isn't that common these days in this genre. That said, reading this did make me wonder why people choose to be a CIA field agent in a hostile country. The risks are high, the government pay is low, and recognition is basically non-existent. I just hope there are a lot of Bradleys and Procters in the CIA.

The narration overall was fine for me. I thought he narrated Sam well. My only issue was that sometimes when a scene changed, there was no pause to let the listener know that it was a new paragraph or situation.

Performer’s enunciation distracting

The performer’s enunciation was too, too, too. It interrupted the story’s natural flow and even the rush and tension in the book’s most gut wrenching moments. The story, though, was riveting. I couldn’t put it down.

Outstanding Story

Looking forward to more reading future novels from this author with Sam Joseph and especially Artemis Aphrodite Procter. Procter is a “CIA Jane” on steroids.

Very interesting and entertaining Spy Novel ! Worth my Time ! My favorite genre .

The narrator was very skilled and kept my interest . This is a difficult and challenging endeavor to take on many different voices and accents in order to tell a story . B+ Good professional Job ! Next the story .
The story is very interesting especially the procedural information in the beginning , middle and at the end of the story . The female protagonists martial arts lessons sure paid off .
My favorite part is how you the gentle listener can see and feel what the analyst author thinks and feels about Damascus through these complex and very human characters this includes the cultural aspects . The cosmopolitan part , the dangerous and exciting and even the horror.
I highly recommend this audible and I am definitely looking forward to anymore future works by the author David McCloskey . I always read non- fiction , But I will read and or listen to fiction by an author who is highly versed on a certain subject and or topic . A+
I Enjoyed greatly hearing all sides in this story this includes the good guys and the bad guys in highly descriptive detail . I was thoroughly entertained . A+

Spies

Enjoyed the book very much. Love this type of read and may check out other works by this author.

Excellent and complex

It’s rare to have an espionage novel based on Syria. This story was complex and intriguing while at the same time realistic. It’s refreshing to read a spy novel that’s more Le Carre than James Bond. Worth the read.

bad narration

the narrator read too quickly and Jump to new paragraphs really quickly and to new ideas really quickly without any real break to let you know that we've started a new paragraph or chapter. Bad voice inflections as well.

The story was great but in the end I don't recommend anyone listen to this until they fix the narrator.

I don't usually write reviews but felt like this needed to be said

Great story. Hard to put down.

I thoroughly enjoyed the story, the characters, and the plot twists. It kept my attention throughout. I’m surprised so much of this was cleared for release by the publication review board, which just tells me there has been a great deal of new tradecraft developed beyond what appears in this book.
I’ve seen some reviewers complain about the narration - I had no problems with the narrator. There is a lot to like here for fans of operational spy thrillers.