Spies Of Jerusalem

by Colin Smith

Palestine, 1917. A land of conflict. And a land of spies.

As World War One rages on the killing fields of Flanders, another battle is playing out in the Holy Land.

British forces invade a stronghold of the Ottoman Empire, fighting German officers, Arab conscripts and Turkish troops.

But as the British armies advance, the Germans suspect they have a traitor within their ranks.

An agent - code-named Daniel - is transmitting messages to the British from the heart of the German headquarters.

If they can't stop him, the war will be lost.

But as the Germans dig deeper, they discover an espionage ring called Nili made up of Zionist Jews supporting the British.

They begin close in on the ring.

But will they ever unearth the true identity of Daniel?

And what is the true purpose of the organisation known as Nili?

In this gripping novel, Colin Smith interweaves the stories of British Tommies, German officers and Jewish nationals.

In a tale of intrigue and espionage the hunt for Daniel turns into a race against time, as the British prepare to meet the Austrian troops on the brutal battlefield at Huj.

'Spies of Jerusalem' brilliantly blends fact with fiction in a novel that will appeal to fans of Alan Furst and and John Le Carre.

Genres: Fiction, Historical Fiction, Thriller

400 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 30, 2013

About the author

Colin Smith, author of ’England’s Last War Against France', ‘Singapore Burning’ and most recently collaborator in Andrew Borowiec's Warsaw Boy,was brought up in the British Midlands.
At 18 he had the chance to join the Guernsey Evening Press as a cub reporter.
Jobs on several other provincial newspapers followed and in 1968, after working on the Birmingham Post and the Daily Sketch, he joined David Astor’s Observer.

Smith lives with his wife Sylvia in Nicosia where, in the late 1970’s, he was first based as The Observer’s Middle East correspondent. In more recent years he has concentrated on writing books, both fiction and non-fiction but mostly the same school of narrative history.

Smith's first book was Carlos - Portrait of a Terrorist, which came out of a three part Observer series following the Venezuelan’s 1976 raid on OPEC’s Vienna headquarters and the kidnapping of the oil ministers. Revised after Carlos’ capture in 1995 and published as a Mandarin Paperback, in 2012, after a Paris court sentenced the terrorist to a second term life imprisonment for bombings in France in the 1980's, it was revised yet again.

He has pubished three novels, all with Palestinian themes. Spies of Jerusalem is set in the Ottoman Palestine of 1917 as outnumbred Turkish and German forces do their best to thwart Britain's General Allenby as his army advances on Jerusalem; Let Us Do Evil takes place in Mandate Palestine during World War Two where some Jews see the British as their main enemy and make a pact with the Devil; his thriller Collateral Damage sees a vengeful widower on the trail of the man who killed his wife as the Cold War terrorism that plagued Western European capitals in the 1970's becomes a very hot war indeed in Beirut and southern Lebanon.

Reviews

[Darryl Greer · Rating 3 out of 5]

Author, Colin Smith’s novel, "Spies of Jerusalem" focuses on a normally overlooked theatre of the First World War – Palestine in 1917 where there is an invasion by British forces of an Ottoman Empire stronghold. Against those troops are German officers, Arab conscripts and Turkish troops. As the British advance, the Germans suspect there is a spy in their ranks, code-named Daniel, who is helping the enemy and if he cannot be discovered and dealt with, all will be lost. As they delve deeper in their investigation, they find evidence of a spy ring called Nili comprised of Zionists who support the British. They continue to close in on the ring but will they ever discover Daniel’s true identity?

Hailed as a gripping thriller, "Spies of Jerusalem" is hardly that. It is far too wordy and there are lengthy descriptions of some scenes and settings that are superfluous to requirements. There is also an enormous cast of characters – real and imagined -- as the author flits from one camp to the other, making it confusing to keep up with who’s who. And for a spy novel, it does seem a bit slow. All of that said, this book has been meticulously researched with an erudite blend of fact and fiction. The author has vast experience as a war correspondent and thus writes with insight and authenticity. "Spies of Jerusalem" is a must for those interested in First World War history.

[Dave · Rating 5 out of 5]

First, the author is certainly NOT the Colin Smith who is an evangelical minister in Illinois, and whose bio links to this book on GR. This Colin Smith has been a journalist who spent a lot of time in the Middle East. I suspect he saw a few things, and, perhaps had a few experiences, that would be beyond the pale for the typical evangelical minister.

Secondly, Spies of Jerusalem was a very rewarding read for me. 40 or 45 years ago Barbara Tuchman introduced me to WWI's Western Front. A few other works advanced my knowledge of the action in that venue and the Dardanelles. That was good, but not enough. Things in lots of other places began to change as a result of the war, and I wanted to understand more. As we approached the war's centennial I finally determined to advance my knowledge of the Mesopotamian and Jerusalem campaigns. T. E. Lawrence's book was a big help, but I had the nagging suspicion that it was a bit self-serving. Roger Ford's Eden to Armageddon promised to provide the impartial information I craved. But, it's kind of boring. Spies of Jerusalem gave me satisfaction, at least so far as Allenby's Jerusalem campaign is concerned. It's fiction, a thriller actually, but I researched several events and characters, and found them to have been accurately portrayed. I hope to eventually get back to Ford's book, and seal the deal. But not just yet.

[Keith Currie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This reissue of a novel from the 1980s is very welcome. Formerly entitled 'The Last Crusade', the new title conjures associations with the novels of Alan Furst and there is a superficial resemblance. This story, however, is set during the First rather than the Second World War and in Ottoman Palestine. The plot focuses on both German officers in Jerusalem and the British in Cairo and their incipient spy networks. The narrative is leisurely, but culminates in the blood soaked violence of the last ever cavalry charge by a British cavalry brigade, during Allenby's march on Jerusalem. There is superb characterisation and the whole is strongly based on historical fact. I enjoyed this novel very much.

[Jill Stirling · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quite a good read. The history was interesting. Having read around the establishment of the Modern state of Israel, it was interesting to learn more about the WW 1 events and the Balfour declaration. Also interesting to see that the origins of the Arabs in Israel and the disputed territories as being Syrian and not "Palestinian". There was a lot of detail. There seemed to be a lot of time spent in the book given to the German and Turkish forces, neither of whom seemed particularly attractive. The later history of the poor treatment that the British meted out to the Jewish people was touched on and quite revealing. There seemed to be from both sides a great deal of anti semitism. The action was well written. Characters quite well drawn.

[Alex · Rating 2 out of 5]

It isn't that the writing is bad - the writing is good.

I am just abbot stunned it got through the maze of trad publishing, when it breaks so many rules (and really... not in a way that works0
just after a strong opening, we get about 60 pages of pure exposition.

partly - its stuff you need to know to "get" the politics of 1917 jerusalem
partly - because of how its done - its the author proving to us that he has done his research and is a subject matter expert

Problem....?

By the time he had finished showing off, i had finished being interested....

shame as its a great and interesting time/place combo

[Michelle Wilson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting historical fiction. Mostly real and informative. Was there really a Daniel who knows, no one is saying. But the whole battles and the gore and the frightening situations were made very real. The various new geographical areas were explained at the end. The reality of this man made situation that is still in the state of war is really quite unbelievable.

[Patrick Schultheis · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked this book. The characters were excellent --- interesting and believable. The prose was solid and the plot moved things along quite well.

[Bill · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great on troubled history of middle east, nothing changes much. Plot a bit thin though.

[Rick Northrup · Rating 4 out of 5]

Exciting Read

Wonderful spy thriller taking place in world war 1 Palestine.
Spy vs spy, real life story Hard to put down.