What do you think?
Rate this book
No Shadows in the Desert: Murder, Vengeance, and Espionage in the War Against ISIS
The inside story of the close-knit alliance between two of the world's top intelligence services and how one joint operation of decisive vengeance became a turning point in the historic battle against the Islamic State and the elimination of its top leadership.No Shadows in the Desert reveals the untold story of the behind-the-scenes fight against ISIS--one coordinated by heads of state and ultimately fought in the alleyways and open deserts of the Middle Eastern battlefield by spies and soldiers. New York Times bestselling author Samuel M. Katz draws upon his sources within the US intelligence and counterterrorism community, as well as the international special operations and espionage fraternity, to tell the story of the covert campaign against ISIS by the operatives who ventured deep and secretly into enemy territory.In this first-ever look at the secret inner workings of an Arab security service, No Shadows in the Desert tells the story of Jordan's GID, the masters of human intelligence on the espionage battlefields of the Middle East, who proved pivotal and crucial go-to allies of the CIA and America's other intelligence agencies in the war against ISIS and the war on terror. With the revealing and intimate insight of the intelligence officers who fought ISIS, No Shadows in the Desert is a rare and revealing glimpse into how a strategic partnership helped change how terrorism is fought in the Middle East and beyond.
368 pages, Hardcover
Published April 21, 2020
26 people are currently reading
192 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews
July 31, 2020
Wow. Definitely a page-turner and very very persuasive. If you are into modern warfare, this is the book for you. It lines up somewhere between John le Carre and David Ignatius. The basic story line is that ISIS captured and executed a Jordanian fighter pilot and the book chronicles the Jordanian quest for retribution. This book would make a very credible movie plot. Somewhere between Body of Lies and Mile 22. Overall, a very meritorious effort and I will be digging through some of the author's other works in the near future.
March 23, 2022
You must read this book if you want new insights into ISIS, its leading lights, and its interactions with the rest of the world. I recommend it.
The art in writing comes from not overcomplicating what is a very complicated set of intertwined threads: Bedouin culture, Jordanian culture, the Jordanian king, the officious and pompous way that Obama-era "experts" like Susan Rice treated people and how this gave rise to ISIS in the first place. There are elements of how Circassians, Christians, and Ottoman history interact too. There is spycraft and tradecraft without sounding like a Tom Clancy novel, not that Tom Clancy novels are bad things anyway.
I call this book a win and am glad to have read it.
The art in writing comes from not overcomplicating what is a very complicated set of intertwined threads: Bedouin culture, Jordanian culture, the Jordanian king, the officious and pompous way that Obama-era "experts" like Susan Rice treated people and how this gave rise to ISIS in the first place. There are elements of how Circassians, Christians, and Ottoman history interact too. There is spycraft and tradecraft without sounding like a Tom Clancy novel, not that Tom Clancy novels are bad things anyway.
I call this book a win and am glad to have read it.
February 28, 2020
I was pleasantly surprised by this book. It really piqued my interest shortly after getting into it.
It's the story of the battle waged against ISIS, and it's subsequent decline. Mainly written through the lens of the country of Jordan, and it's intelligence service, GID. Why Jordan? Because the country was being inundated with refugees from the war in Syria, close to one million of them. And this was on top of tens of thousands of refugees from the invasion of Iraq, and even Palestinian refugee camps from the 1967 war in Israel. Jordan was strained to the breaking point, and could not afford to have ISIS contributing to another wave of refugees. Also, in no small part, because ISIS wanted Jordan for itself.
I was surprised to learn of the competency of the GID. They welcomed minorities into their operations, from Chechens to Bedouins. All of the inclusiveness and varied ethnic groups allowed the GID to insert spies into the ISIS organization. It also allowed great insight into how different groups thought. Their fears, comfort zones, when and how to apply pressure and when to administer rewards.
The plot of the book follows the response of the GID after one of it's Air Force pilots is shot down, tortured, and brutally murdered by ISIS. And the hunt for the ISIS members involved.
But that's just part of the book, kind of the binder that holds everything together and makes it work. There is a great deal of information about the structure of ISIS, of the situation in Syria, and of the various superpowers jockeying for position (and their mistakes).
I will not spoil the ending for you. Let it be said, it was very satisfying.
This is a very good book. Expertly written, yet easy to follow. I wish all of our politicians in Washington would take the time to read it and absorb it's lessons. I will definitely be reading more of this author's work.
I highly recommend it!
It's the story of the battle waged against ISIS, and it's subsequent decline. Mainly written through the lens of the country of Jordan, and it's intelligence service, GID. Why Jordan? Because the country was being inundated with refugees from the war in Syria, close to one million of them. And this was on top of tens of thousands of refugees from the invasion of Iraq, and even Palestinian refugee camps from the 1967 war in Israel. Jordan was strained to the breaking point, and could not afford to have ISIS contributing to another wave of refugees. Also, in no small part, because ISIS wanted Jordan for itself.
I was surprised to learn of the competency of the GID. They welcomed minorities into their operations, from Chechens to Bedouins. All of the inclusiveness and varied ethnic groups allowed the GID to insert spies into the ISIS organization. It also allowed great insight into how different groups thought. Their fears, comfort zones, when and how to apply pressure and when to administer rewards.
The plot of the book follows the response of the GID after one of it's Air Force pilots is shot down, tortured, and brutally murdered by ISIS. And the hunt for the ISIS members involved.
But that's just part of the book, kind of the binder that holds everything together and makes it work. There is a great deal of information about the structure of ISIS, of the situation in Syria, and of the various superpowers jockeying for position (and their mistakes).
I will not spoil the ending for you. Let it be said, it was very satisfying.
This is a very good book. Expertly written, yet easy to follow. I wish all of our politicians in Washington would take the time to read it and absorb it's lessons. I will definitely be reading more of this author's work.
I highly recommend it!
May 16, 2020
Extraordinary Account Of ISIS Defeat
This nonfiction book isn’t dry at all if you think nonfiction is dry. It reads like a novel and is totally engrossing. An offshoot of disgruntled Sunnis in Iraq form a more dangerous group similar to Al Qaida. The concept is to be a pure organization faithful to Islam and the theory is to purify the Muslims in its own orbit before going after others. ISS terrorizes several areas in Iraq, Syria and Jordan. When Jordan tries to defend itself, a young Air Force pilot is shot down. The leader ISIS decides to do in a large scale what it has been doing, executing the pilot in an a high profile manner. His view is that but will do what it seems to have done in areas under ISIS control, terrify Muslims into obeying him. He executes the young pilot in a cage doused in gasoline and films it. After burning the body, an un-Islamic act, he had the body plowed over. The video is released a few weeks later and it horrors the Jordanians and others. The King of Jordan decides to set out to take revenge on the ISIS leader. A years long fight ensues which destroys ISIS, the exact opposite of what the leader wanted. I learned a lot from this book and was fascinated all the way through. Wow!
This nonfiction book isn’t dry at all if you think nonfiction is dry. It reads like a novel and is totally engrossing. An offshoot of disgruntled Sunnis in Iraq form a more dangerous group similar to Al Qaida. The concept is to be a pure organization faithful to Islam and the theory is to purify the Muslims in its own orbit before going after others. ISS terrorizes several areas in Iraq, Syria and Jordan. When Jordan tries to defend itself, a young Air Force pilot is shot down. The leader ISIS decides to do in a large scale what it has been doing, executing the pilot in an a high profile manner. His view is that but will do what it seems to have done in areas under ISIS control, terrify Muslims into obeying him. He executes the young pilot in a cage doused in gasoline and films it. After burning the body, an un-Islamic act, he had the body plowed over. The video is released a few weeks later and it horrors the Jordanians and others. The King of Jordan decides to set out to take revenge on the ISIS leader. A years long fight ensues which destroys ISIS, the exact opposite of what the leader wanted. I learned a lot from this book and was fascinated all the way through. Wow!
June 30, 2023
This is typically not what I would read as I’m more of a light fiction reader.coming into this book with a curiosity about ISIS and the inner workings of Global Intelligence services was very interesting.The author was very good at keeping your interest.
Thankyou Netgalley and the publisher for this ARC
Thankyou Netgalley and the publisher for this ARC
March 31, 2024
An undiluted long praiseworthy homage to the Jordanian secret service. I would suspect the GID would prefer to stay under the radar. The author is, as always, restricted by top secret protection of sources and methods, so the story often simply splutters to a quick end with little details. There is some great background information on ISIS, on its origins and the number of stakeholders involved in its demise. The acts of brutality are impetus for vengeance, but not much is explored into the genesis of this approach to asymmetrical warfare. The evolving use of technology in warfare continues to captivate - social media to recruit zealots and kamikaze drones, etc. Any reporting on the Middle East conflicts presents some daunting challenges for any author brave enough to take them on for the uninitiated reader. This book was well done, I've just read better books about regions I am unfamiliar with (i.e. Democratic Republic of Congo, Pakistan, Haiti).
July 10, 2020
It was ok. The parts of the book that would have been the most interesting, which are the details of how the Jordanian intelligence agency (GID) recruited and received information enabling them to get information on ISIS leaders, is often not reported at all, as it is still classified. That made me feel like a huge part of the story is missing, making the book somewhat unfulfilling at times. As an example, the executions of the last 2 of the 5 ISIS leaders that Jordan targeted for assassination are dealt with in a 3 minute chapter. Based on how the book was set up, this should have been the big finale instead of the quick finish.
September 23, 2021
Good book.
No Shadows in the Desert Murder, Vengeance, and Espionage in the War Against ISIS:
covers the start-up of ISIS through the fall of ISIS.
The perceptive is from the Jordanian side of the war.
It's main focus is about the Jordan Pilot that crashed inside of Syria near Raqqa and was captured, torched and ultimately executed in one of the worst ways you could possibly be executed.
The book does give you history on how ISIS formed and ultimately the hunt down and execution of top leaders and the captives of the Jordan Pilot ending the rein of ISIS.
No Shadows in the Desert Murder, Vengeance, and Espionage in the War Against ISIS:
covers the start-up of ISIS through the fall of ISIS.
The perceptive is from the Jordanian side of the war.
It's main focus is about the Jordan Pilot that crashed inside of Syria near Raqqa and was captured, torched and ultimately executed in one of the worst ways you could possibly be executed.
The book does give you history on how ISIS formed and ultimately the hunt down and execution of top leaders and the captives of the Jordan Pilot ending the rein of ISIS.
June 18, 2020
My Jordanian friend recommended this to me and it's a blistering fast read. My two favorite genres are historical fiction epics and non-fiction page turners like this. No Shadows in the Desert is a fantastic book about Jordanian and American intelligence communities working together to bring down ISIL after Moaz al-Kasasbeh was captured and executed. Simple pitch. It's like Zero Dark Thirty with more planes, more spies and lots of Jordanian mustache descriptions. 4.5 stars.
December 31, 2024
A painfully detailed account of the war against the IS structure, personnel and influence from a heavily Jordanian perspective and involvement. This perspective doesn't normally get the attention or recognition that other coalition superpowers do, but the GID critical role in infiltrating, combatting and eliminating IS personnel is even more critical because of the local and tribal knowledge. A well done recount that is heavily resourced by Mr. Katz.
September 15, 2020
A good book on a behind the scenes and underappreciated aspect of the war on ISIS. This is the story of the horrific execution of a Jordanian F16 pilot and the multinational effort to seek justice for him.
June 1, 2021
Don't you just love it when a nonfiction book reads like a gripping spy thriller? Katz delivers a detailed, well-researched account of the multi-year battle against ISIS, focussing primarily on the crucial role played by the Jordanian GID and its cooperation with US intelligence agencies.
Read
May 1, 2020Categories
21st Century History, Middle Eastern History, Espionage, United States History
21st Century History, Middle Eastern History, Espionage, United States History
June 5, 2020
Interesting information on how a covet operation took down ISIS. Highly detailed and worth a read.
Want to read
November 29, 2020Note: I received an ARC of this book at ALA Midwinter 2020.
March 2, 2021
Really enjoyed the footnotes throughout the book and obvious intensive research done my Mr. Katz.
December 10, 2022
Really a book on the GID with select case studies.
Fine for that - but not what title implies
Fine for that - but not what title implies
December 30, 2022
Gets into the deep details of conflicts with ISIS. Revealing and sometimes disturbing.
August 22, 2023
Not sure why but this just felt flat for me. Really heartbreaking story that could’ve been a compelling read but for some reason I just didn’t enjoy the writing and storytelling.
September 3, 2021
This book is great it shows the war in the shadows to take out ISIS and how evil they are. However the allied intelligence agency’s like that of Jordan , Israel and the US played a big role and those bastards got what they deserved. Also SOF was pivotal of course as the book points out.
May 1, 2020
For a counter terror fan, a Sam Katz book is like eating at a favorite restaurant. You know it’s going to be great as soon as you enter.
Although Ghost Warriors will always be my favorite, this book definitely is one of my top five of the year.
Well written and thrilling, Katz weaves a complex Geo political struggle out of a very simple story. We all know about the Jordanian pilot who was burned alive by the Islamic state, but this book sheds new light on the events and makes a compelling argument for this being a fulcrum that moved the conflict.
I plan to interview a counter terror specialist for a fun discussion on this book for my blog
Although Ghost Warriors will always be my favorite, this book definitely is one of my top five of the year.
Well written and thrilling, Katz weaves a complex Geo political struggle out of a very simple story. We all know about the Jordanian pilot who was burned alive by the Islamic state, but this book sheds new light on the events and makes a compelling argument for this being a fulcrum that moved the conflict.
I plan to interview a counter terror specialist for a fun discussion on this book for my blog
Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews