After their home in Syria is bombed, Tareq, his father, and his younger sister seek refuge, first with extended family in Raqqa, a stronghold for the militant group, Daesh, and then abroad.

"In the midst of the Syrian Civil War, Alaa takes care of Aleppo's abandoned cats"--

The Sabas family lives in a small Jordanian town that for centuries has been descended upon by all manner of invader, the latest a scourge of disconcerting Evangelical tourists. The border town relies on a blackmarket trade of clothes, trinkets , and appliances--the quality of which depends entirely on who's fighting--but the conflict in nearby Syria has the place even more on edge than usual. -- amazon.com

"This rich, moving, and lyrical debut novel is to Syria what The Kite Runner was to Afghanistan; the story of two girls living eight hundred years apart -- a modern-day Syrian refugee seeking safety and a medieval adventurer apprenticed to a legendary mapmaker -- places today's headlines in the sweep of history, where the pain of exile and the triumph of courage echo again and again. It is the summer of 2011, and Nour has just lost her father to cancer....

"Mitch Rapp hates owing anyone a favor--especially when it's the world's most powerful crime lord. But when Damian Losa calls, Mitch is honor-bound to answer. The Syrian government appears to have created a highly addictive new narcotic that it plans to distribute throughout Europe. It's a major threat to Losa's business and he's determined to send someone to keep him on top by any means necessary. Rapp is the perfect choice for the mission. Not only...