The Desert Contract - John Lathrop

Steve Kemp, investment counselor, trying to rebuild his finances and restore his integrity, and steer clear of politics, returns after a decade to the Arabian Gulf.? Reconnected by chance with his old flame Helen, their love affair re-ignites and together they stumble into a shared crisis.

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Now married to an older man, a diplomat in a punishment posting at the end of his career, Helen is conflicted between loyalty and desire. Kemp is focused on financing their escape: he needs a major sale.

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With her husband's unwitting help the perfect client appears. But time has run out.? Jihadists seeping back across the desert shake the country.? The regime cracks, everyone looks to their own escape plan, while Kemp chases his deal as far as he must.

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A gripping novel of love and loyalties, and the place where personal integrity and politics meet, The Desert Contract is a remarkable debut.

After a four-year enlistment in the US Air Force, John Lathrop attended university in Los Angeles and then spent time in the southern Philippines in the US Peace Corps. This was followed by almost a decade and a half in the Middle East, primarily Saudi Arabia. He is the author of The Desert Contract and spent several months in Phnom Penh, researching The End of the Monsoon.