Moscow X drops TODAY
Order:
Apple Books review:
Real Book Spy review:
I thought the 2nd novel would be easier than the first. Wrong! But here's why I’m even more proud of Moscow X because of the pain 1/
On my last day at CIA, like all exiting federal government employees, I was handed a large crate of highly sensitive SIGINT intercepts and a box of accordion folders and told to keep the secrets safe or I would be hunted down. A thread on how I managed.
1/237
When I speak about CIA I describe it as a uniquely bipolar organization. A single actual day in 2011 is an example.
In the AM I watched real time drone footage of an adversary’s military base and in the PM I went upstairs and there were no staplers and it took weeks to get one
I am in violent agreement with the Economist that TINKER TAILOR is the greatest spy novel ever written and my head is exploded that Damascus Station is on this list, too.
We have a cover. My third novel, THE SEVENTH FLOOR, is out on 1 October. Artemis Aphrodite Procter and Sam Joseph return to hunt down a mole inside Langley.
We’ve got counterespionage operations, Russians, and also gator wrestling. Little bit of something for everyone.
Hey
#WritingCommunity
, I'm looking for a little
#writerslift
. My debut spy novel lands on 10/5...I'm an alumnus of highly secretive organizations and could use a lift from this crew. Follow and let me know what you're writing and I'll follow you back!
I’ve been gone from CIA a while and yet I still have a recurring dream in which my cell phone rings in a Langley SCIF (frowned upon, phones in SCIFs) and I am stripped of my blue badge and escorted from the building and frogmarched way out to the godforsaken purple lot
Moscow X hardcovers have arrived. It is a thrilling feeling to finally have the book in my hands, especially with all the hell this one put me through. It will publish on October 3rd here in the States. Excited to get it out into the wild.
Damascus Station drops TODAY
Order:
Apple Books review:
SpyTalk review:
Seven years ago I turned in my badge (no gun) and left the CIA. Here is why I wrote the novel and what the process has been like 1/
This is not correct
@DavidSacks
Assad did in fact use chemical weapons against Syrian opposition forces and civilians
I was working on Syria at CIA at the time. The facts in the intelligence picture were clear.
This is not about politics. It’s about hard facts
Moscow X ARCs printed. Always a surreal moment to see an unruly former Word document transformed into an actual book-like thing on its way to the hardback. This one drops 10/3.
At last I can share that my 3rd novel, The Seventh Floor, will be published next fall by
@wwnorton
. To follow by
@_SwiftPress
in the UK.
Artemis Aphrodite Procter and Sam Joseph return…
There is mole-hunting&bombs&CIA baseball&a Russian spymaster&even alligator wrestling.
I am unilaterally declassifying details regarding the now vanished Ground floor (basement) hot dog machine that for years delighted CIA officers at Langley.
My consumption of said hot dogs remains a state secret.
Today I start book 4. Please feel free to send prayers, good vibes, marketable high concept plot ideas, and fully developed characters my way. Thank you.
Favorite Langley gift shop items, in order:
1) Suitcase with 'CIA' stenciled on it (shelf below reads: 'CIA employees may not use this luggage')
2) Barbecue sauce
3) Ornaments (Xmas gifts, 2006-2014)
4) Trench coats (sold unironically)
5) Underwear with old PDB's printed on them
I wrote a festive(ish) short story for the
@FinancialTimes
about two former CIA break-in guys dressed in Santa suits on a black bag job gone bad in Miami. Link below- check it out!
Wow, wow, wow- thank you so much
@simonmontefiore
. This means so much coming from a chronicler of Russia and biographer of Stalin. I am over the moon.
Thrillers r hard to do. Just finished this.After brilliant Damascus Gate
@mccloskeybooks
does it again.Thrilling propulsive terrifying laced w authentic CIA lore,more authoritative on how Putin’s courtiers & oligarchs work than most journalists & rugged prose:unputdownably superb
I know it’s a random milestone, but still pretty cool to see Damascus Station cross the 1,000 rating mark on Amazon (and most of them are also pretty good!) Thanks to all of the readers and supporters who made this possible. Very humbled and grateful.
There is a signed copy of Damascus Station at the Barnes and Noble in the Mall of America…play your cards right and I’ll throw in a few of these kids, too
One of the weird things I miss about CIA is the computer-generated funnynames (fake names) for cables and emails. I worked with a guy for *six years* -and never knew his real name and he's out now, too, and the other day someone referred to him by his true name and I said 'Who?'
Friends - the Damascus Station paperback drops tomorrow, 10/25! Available wherever you get your books.
I'll also be in conversation with
@bentleydonb
, New York Times bestselling author of Hostile Intent and Tom Clancy's Zero Hour at
@interabangbooks
here in Dallas at 6pm!
Great review by
@john_sipher
of Howard Blum’s new book on the hunt for a mole inside CIA during the Cold War. It’s also a terrific primer on counterintelligence and mole hunting.
This weekend I finished the reader's draft and signed the contract for book 2 and I am now waiting for something awful to happen to even everything out
Kindle version of Damascus Station now median-priced item in basket below:
1 lb block Velveeta cheese, $5.48
Gumby rubber dog toy, $3.65
Damascus Station (Kindle), $2.99
20 oz box of Cap’n Crunch, $2.98
Ryan Leaf 1998 Fleer Rookie Sensations football card, $0.99
Had a terrific conversation with
@simonmayo
and
@Mattm_Williams
about Moscow X and CIA and spy fiction. Good to be in studio this time instead of on Zoom from my bedroom at 4am but you be the judge if my answers are better / more coherent. Give it a listen!
One of these men is an Ex-CIA Analyst...the other two are...well
@simonmayo
and
@mattm_williams
.
Yes
@mccloskeybooks
is BACK. And his new novel -
#moscowx
- is fantastic!
Hear him chat about it on our latest episode, which is available now...
Really enjoyed my conversation with
@JackCarrUSA
on the DANGER CLOSE podcast. We talk the CIA, Syria, the Kennedy assassination, the President's Daily Brief, our writing processes, and my new novel, Moscow X. Give it a listen!
And that’s a wrap on draft one of the next book.
Now I put it in a drawer and try to come back to it like it’s new and didn’t spend 11 months fighting its own birth. This one was tough, but the juice is going to be worth the squeeze.
More soon on title, pub date, etc
It is really freaking cool and humbling to see Damascus Station nominated by
@thrillerwriters
for Best First Novel. Honored to be in such fantastic company.
@wwnorton
V excited that Moscow X drops in the UK in just a few weeks!
I’ll be in conversation with James Barr at Daunt Books Marylebone, 7pm on 15 Jan.
Tickets: 🎫
I am now at the point in the first draft sprint of book 3 (70,000 words in) where I have forgotten much of what I wrote from word 1 - 50,000, including a character's last name, one of the twists, and several of the French villages where I set early scenes.
Of all the signs that our society is on the verge of collapse, clearest among them is the emergence of humans who stream content on their phones at full volume in cramped public places without headphones.
‘If people want to read a good book about what life in intelligence is like ... there's a book called
#DamascusStation
by
@mccloskeybooks
which is the most accurate rendition of life in a tough war zone’ - Former MI6 Chief Sir John Sawers
🕵️
Good news for friends across the pond…Damascus Station will be published by
@_SwiftPress
in the UK in January and book 2 will track around the US release in Fall ‘23.
DC friends - tonight, I'll be in conversation about Moscow X with
@JeffreyJHiggins
at Elaine's in Alexandria. Terrific atmosphere, great food, and if the conversation's rough you can even throw it at me. Link below to register - hope to see you there!
PSA: a few years of my blood sweat and tears (also known as my first novel, Damascus Station) is available for $2.99 in the Amazon Kindle Store and on Apple Books in the runup to the Moscow X release next week.
Wow - thrilled and honored to see this exceptional review of MOSCOW X by
@TheRealBookSpy
"...required reading for anyone claiming to be a fan of espionage, MOSCOW X is a breathless, heart-pounding adventure that reads as authentic as anything else in print today."
Out on 10/3
There are a few signed used copies of Damascus Station at the
@halfpricebooks
flagship in Dallas.
Fair warning: my 18 month old lightly chewed a page or two in one of them while I was signing.
Look whats just arrived.
MoscowX. Signed by
@mccloskeybooks
Its propulsive and is a great sequel to DamascusStation
The top spy thrillerist in our wild turbulent times, the ultimate espionage era
Completely blown away and honored that
@AppleBooks
chose Damascus Station as one of the
#BestBooksOfOctober
! They say "you'll finish Damascus Station with your jaw on the floor." Check it out here:
Had a fantastic conversation with
@Mpolymer
and
@djrothkopf
on spy novels, CIA, Russia/Ukraine, and dive bars with an emphasis on the Vienna Inn. In other words: only the essentials. Give it a listen!
Truth is often stranger than fiction, but for a CIA analyst turned author, the line between the two is blurred.
@mccloskeybooks
joins
@djrothkopf
and
@mpolymer
to discuss his latest book and how he learned the most about the CIA through writing.
A true burn bag story that I forgot to share: when new CIA analysts dispose of their first burn bag, we would tell them to scream their badge # down the chute. No one is down there. The wager was how long it would take them to figure it out. What do you think the record is?
NEW EPISODE: Former
#CIA
Analyst turned author David McCloskey (
@mccloskeybooks
) talks to us about his new
#spy
thriller "Damascus Station" and the
#Syrian
Civil War
LISTEN:
SUBSCRIBE: OR
Thrilled that
@AppleBooks
chose Moscow X as one of the
#BestBooks
of October!
Check it out:
I also love their review: "this sexy spy thriller puts the heat back into the Cold War...A kinetic blend of simmering tension, sex, and sudden violence."
He was disguised among a group of Russian race car drivers and their staff as part of a GRU-controlled transnational racing group known as the Silkway Rally. (Yes, really.)
I could not put down
@mccloskeybooks
gripping spy novel “Damascus Station” and I gifted it to my husband and father, who also found it brilliant. While technically fiction, much of it is very true. A must read for anyone interested in Syria or espionage!!
Q&A episode with
@simonmayo
and
@Mattm_Williams
in which I am asked about my writing routine, which gets a little weird in the home stretch toward a first draft.
And thanks also to
@simonmontefiore
for a wonderful question about some of the tradecraft!
Our fascinating, if we do say so ourselves, Q&A episode with ex-CIA analyst turned author,
@mccloskeybooks
, is available now!
@simonmayo
and
@mattm_williams
talk processes, politics and pepperoni pizza. Plus - there's a surprise guest in the form of
@simonmontefiore
!
Enjoy!
A fantastic launch event here in Dallas tonight graced by none other than
@JackStewartBook
, a great friend, terrific writer, and the most mobile thriller author on the planet (though he does also happen to live in Dallas)
This was really cool and flattering to see. Thank you so much
@CatherineBelton
And thank you for your incredible book.
PUTINS PEOPLE was one of the most important sources I used to build the (fictional) world of Moscow X and to understand how power is wielded inside the elite
So glad to have finally had a chance to read
@mccloskeybooks
' Moscow X. Absolutely gripping and I'm so flattered to read so many haunting echoes of real-life plot lines from Putin's People, especially at the beginning. A must-read
I love spy novels, and nobody does them better than David
@mccloskeybooks
. His newest, "The Seventh Floor," is about the hunt for a mole in the CIA (where he once worked). Great plot. Great writing. The best spy writer since LeCarre. I'm jealous of his writing talent.
@wwnorton
THE PEACOCK AND THE SPARROW by
@isberryauthor
. Gritty, propulsive, dark, and twisty, the setting in Bahrain during Arab Awakening is beautifully rendered; you can feel the swampy heat on the page. Recalls Greene or Le Carre’s A PERFECT SPY. Highly recommended.
Was fortunate to get an early copy and it did not disappoint. Rich setting in 2006 Lebanon very close to my heart, propulsive storytelling, gritty spy tale. Highly recommended. Going to be in conversation with
@paulvidich
thru
@poisonedpen
here in a few weeks
My mom just found a copy of my book at a garage sale ($1.75). "Was it at least in a pile with other books," I asked and she just said: "no, no it wasn't" in a very sad tone as if I might not want to know more about what happened to it
@john_sipher
you had me at ‘Jewish space lasers’
this is going to be a phenomenal podcast - everyone should check it out …I will be waiting for an episode in which John reveals his role in the Deep State
Ever wonder what former CIA and Military officers think about what's happening in the world? Want to know what's real and what we make up for our novels?
Join me,
@bentleydonb
,
@BAndrewsJWilson
, and
@97_taylormoore
in Houston
@murderbooks
on May 9!
Info:
Happy pub day +1 to
@_NickPetrie_
, an exceptional writer and solidly above average human being. I cannot wait to dive into his next Peter Ash novel, THE PRICE YOU PAY. This series is brilliant - action, humor, mystery, fascinating characters. Congrats Nick.
Some excellent beach reading courtesy of the very talented
@JackStewartBook
! Propulsive and imaginative; full of adventure; puts you right in the cockpit, deeply authentic. Great fun. Kudos to Jack for a terrific yarn.
It’s the holidays, and many of us are contemplating poisoning our relatives when they visit.
So I made a video about spies and poison and why those CIA guys in the ‘60s had all the fun.
Merry Christmas!
Wow. Thank you Brad! I am incredibly humbled and excited to see it in your hands. I hope you enjoy, and selfishly that it perhaps distracts a bit from RISING TIGER :)
(But not too much!)
What a great pre-Christmas surprise from David
@mccloskeybooks
. Have heard tons of great things about his debut thriller. Looking forward to reading this!
Good advice. Sometimes I also ask my 6 year old for plot ideas. Most are pretty genre-bending. Yesterday he suggested I add gigantic, man-eating praying mantises into my novel. When I told him I am writing a spy novel set in Russia he said “Make the mantises eat the Russians.”
A CIA officer and his recruit arrive in Damascus to hunt for a killer...
#DamascusStation
by
@mccloskeybooks
is now on
@NetGalley
.
Publishing Jan 2023 - you don't want to miss this fast-paced, 'spectacular' debut ➡️
Thrilled to see this and excited to listen. So important to emphasize the human stories and experiences at the heart of the Syrian uprising and resistance. Thanks
@clarissaward
@3fra2_hashem
@ramialsaied2
The latest of
@clarissaward
's great "Tug of War" podcast covers
#Syria
- "the incredible power of grassroots resistance & a cautionary tale of the massive human cost of taking on a repressive regime."
10yrs of revolution w.
@3fra2_hashem
&
@ramialsaied2
:
Friends - you can use the code below to pre-order a copy of my upcoming novel, The Seventh Floor, at Barnes and Noble, for 25% off.
For the price of a few fancy coffees, you can acquire a year+ of my blood, sweat, and tears. I think the offer is good thru tomorrow.
@BNBuzz
Excited about any books coming out in the months ahead? Preorder a copy of any not-yet-published book between July 10 and 17 on and get 25% off! Use code PREORDER25 at checkout.
Must be Rewards or Premium member; some exclusions apply.
#BNPreorder25
This is really cool to see thank you
@joshuachuminski
!
And Moscow X is in great company amid some other terrific books and authors including
@isberryauthor
. Check out his full roundup.
With a brilliant & timely plot that grabs the reader from the first page & doesn't let up
@mccloskeybooks
' "Moscow Station" is one of the best espionage novels of the year & a great successor to "Damascus Station".
#BestBooks2023
It's an honor to have Damascus Station reviewed in
@nytimesbooks
- a game of 'cat and cat and cat'...'exceling in the details of espionage.' And as for the note on some of the prose around the love story...well, dammit, I'm sentimental after all:)