Ian Thewlis

Ian grew up in the grey industrial north of England and escaped into a more colourful, exciting world by reading stories of overseas adventure. After teaching in the UK, he worked at universities in North and West Africa and began writing textbooks and business books.

Later he joined the Arabian American Oil Company in Saudi Arabia. The Arabian Night Patrol draws on his experience of the oil industry, Saudi Arabia and Kuwait during the Gulf War, the genesis of Al Qa'ida and the 2003 invasion of Iraq. In the tradition of Greene and Le Carré, the novel explores the conflicting perspectives and loyalties of Westerners and Arabs under the pressures of war and threat of terrorism. Survival is uncertain and Rick, the security boss, warns, 'The Middle East is a snake pit. We can't be Boy Scouts'. Arabian Night Patrol is the first novel in a trilogy tracing the genesis and development of the War on Terror.