Arabian Deception

A Pat Walsh Thriller #1

by James Lawrence

YOU CAN ONLY PUSH A MAN SO FAR.
Pat's a highly decorated infantry officer on the fast track until he screws up and picks the wrong side of a political battle. When an old Army buddy recruits Pat to work as an asset for the CIA, he reluctantly agrees, and the adventure begins.

Working as an arms dealer in Abu Dhabi, Pat gets caught in a shadowy world of deception, intrigue, and conspiracy. A failed attempt on his life, reveals that he has once again aggravated the powerful.

Pat will now have to unravel the mystery of who is after him to survive. Discovering and neutralizing this threat will throw Pat into a whirlwind tour of Middle Eastern action, intrigue and adventure.

This is the first book in the popular Pat Walsh Arabian Adventure Series.

Arabian Deception is a fully rewritten version of James Lawrence's first book, Lost in Arabia. The next two books in the series are Arabian Vengeance and Arabian Fury.

224 pages, Kindle Edition

Published June 2, 2018

About the author

James Lawrence lives in the Middle East, he's a retired infantry officer with special operations experience and has been a small business owner, military adviser, and international arms dealer. He's the author of the Arabian Adventure Series featuring Pat Walsh. The books in the series include Arabian Deception, Arabian Vengeance, Arabian Fury, Arabian Collusion, Rising Sea and The Q Dilemma.

Reviews

[Jim A · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nothing special. Career army officer basically forced out after 20 years because of political BS in the Pentagon. Gets caught up in the mortgage disaster of 2008/09. Heads to Afghanistan as an advisor and then gets involved with the CIA.

Quick, no brainer, read. Story has been told by many authors of this genre. First of a series. For those who like this genre, there is a lot of military and technical porn as well as a decent body count.

[Jennifer · Rating 5 out of 5]

It was hard to stop reading this military/action/espionage novel. It was very well done and Pat Walsh is over the top but also likable with a strong moral character. It might not be your morals but it’s hard to completely find fault with his actions. And he sure was creative in finding solutions to his problems. I guess having lots of money helps too. The only thing I had trouble with was how easy it seemed for him to walk away from his family. I get that his wife probably wasn’t going to forgive him but why didn’t he get divorced then. And he rarely seemed to think of his kids. They seemed an afterthought. I imagine it takes a special kind of person and mindset to do the things some men, especially soldiers, do and so I can’t say this portrayal is wrong or inaccurate. It’s just hard to for me to understand the drive to go after people that hurt his employees while not seeming to feel the need to be involved more directly with his kids. But that is my perspective. Overall I was totally immersed in Pat’s story.

[Marc Cullison · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was disappointed in this book. It started with great promise then waned into a near fantasy story. I’m not one for super-hero sorts, except for the Jaspn Borne series which is believable. The Pat Walsh character is just too much of a cliché to be interesting. Every special complex and little heard-of piece of equipment he requires seems to be readily available no matter where he is in the world. It is a truth of history that the CIA and the military infrastructure has never been that reliable. Oh, and the nifty gizmo he used that drove like a vehicle and flew like a plane, well, somehow, he mastered the thing with just a few hours of practice. I was a pilot in the army. It’s not that simple. He was not exactly the kind of character I could grow to like. He’s too plastic and self-involved, even to the point of neglecting his family. I’ve read better books.

[Eric Cousineau · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is my first exposure to this author and indeed it didn’t disappoint. The author seems to have a good grasp of Middle Eastern politics as well as the workings of the CIA as the try to overthrow the terrorist threats. This is a well written, action packed story that is sure to keep you turning the pages. I found it well-paced, with well-developed characters and believable motivations, with an interesting plot and satisfying ending.

Thank you to the author who provided me with an ARC copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

[Betty Richard · Rating 4 out of 5]

Arabian Deception

New author for me. I really enjoyed the story. It was well described of the jobs thatched to be carried out as US thought it was the right thing to do. The captain, Pat Walsh, learned his craft well while serving in the army forces. I will read the second book and hope captain Pat keeps strongly to his beliefs.

[Stanley Price · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well written book.

A very elaborate book, never did I wonder what was going to happen. It got better as Pat Walsh kept getting more involved with world affairs.

[J.D. Schechter · Rating 5 out of 5]

A winner

Implausible as all get out, but a fun, action read. Could use some editing but it doesn't distract from the story

[P.S. Seaton · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very very detailed (and to me, boring) book. Well-written, but I lost interest. Made myself go 3/4 of the way, but then decided life is too short to keep reading something that put me to sleep.

[Chaplain Stanley Chapin · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read it, did not really liked it

There was way, way too many super-heroics and mostly by the main character. My only continued interest was the countries, locals, and people that I lived in and with for years.

[Dr.Linda]

Pat Walsh knows the nations of the Middle East, the efforts of the US military and CIA. , I appreciate the protagonist's humor and heroic actions, so I am continuing my enjoyment with James Lawrence's Arabian Collusion.