The Palace of Sinners and Saints

In this action-packed thrill ride, a small band of mercenaries must infiltrate a 12th-century Middle Eastern castle turned black-site prison, where the life of a hero of democracy hangs in the balance. Irfan Mirza is the ultimate killing machine. Kidnapped as a child and forced to train to become an elite gun for hire at an orphanage, he is now a ruthless freelance mercenary. In a wealthy Middle Eastern kingdom, despotic King Nimir is determined to quash all dissidents calling for free elections. Billionaires, clerics, influencers, and journalists who dared challenge King Nimir's regime have vanished without a trace. The most recent person Nimir has had "disappeared" is Renata Bardales, a trained fighter raised alongside Mirza—his sister, of sorts. Now things are personal, and Irfan Mirza doesn't like it when things get personal. Assembling a ragtag team of specialists, Mirza sets off on a wild rescue mission, determined to save his sister from a medieval fortress that has now been transformed into a heavily fortified blacksite. The prison is surrounded by endless stretches of uninhabited sand, making it difficult to approach and impossible to escape from. The Palace of Sinners and Saints is a heart-pounding page-turner, perfect for fans of Lee Child and his Jack Reacher series, where courage and loyalty reign and anyone who wants freedom must pay a price.

Ammar Merchant was born in Pakistan. He has spent time in the Middle East, Southeast Asia, and Eastern Europe. The breadth of his travels is reflected in his work. The Palace of Sinners and Saints is his debut thriller, a genre of which he's been a lifelong fan. When he's not reading or writing, he's often planning his next trip to some part of the world he has not yet seen. His home is in Spokane, Washington, where he lives with his wife and children.