Dr. Alexander Hakimians life is idyllic by any measure. Alec is a world-renowned brain surgeon, married to an intelligent and beautiful wife, and the father of a young, precocious daughter. But his life is profoundly transformed in a nanosecond when he receives a phone call from the director of the National Security Agency. The NSA has come calling for Alec because, as a former CIA deep non-official cover, or NOC, he possesses a unique skill set. The war on terror is threatening the lives of every American. Armed with a top-secret Executive Order from the president, Alec is tasked with ridding the world of one of the most dangerous terrorist organizations and its maniacal leader. Alec leads Operation Star 9, a clandestine black operations unit specifically assembled for the daunting task. They cross the great expanses of the Middle East in a relentless search for the Khamsin terrorist organization, named for the ferocious desert wind that blows across the region. It is led by the elusive al-Ankabut, or Spider, who weaves a web of death and destruction unparalleled in modern history, with worldwide Islamic hegemony as his ultimate goal. Facing a terminally terrorist-ridden world, Alec must track down the Spider and prevent his plans from coming to fruition at all costs.

Soon after Phillida Maltern joins her soldier husband at his posting by the Suez Canal, she realises that this strange country with its oppressive heat and ruinously expensive living could bring their marriage to disaster. Phillida is far from home, and the problems she faces seem to worsen daily.

The first collection of Dor's work to appear in translation in the U.S. Born in Israel and a former president of PEN Israel, Dor is a strong and original non-sentimentalist.-- Three Continents Press.