The English Teacher {+ Giveaway}

Former Israeli intelligence officer and bestselling author Yiftach Reicher Atir has turned to writing spy thrillers, making his English-language debut with THE ENGLISH TEACHER (A Penguin Books Original; On-Sale: August 30, 2016; 9780143129189; $16; translated by Philip Simpson).

This is a thrilling, psychologically nuanced story of a rogue Mossad agent and the handler tasked with tracking her down and bringing her in, despite and because of their complicated personal and professional history. Reicher Atir served as a brigadier general in the Israeli Intelligence service, only beginning to write during his retirement.

After attending her father’s funeral, agent Rachel Goldschmitt empties her bank account, makes a cryptic phone call to her former case officer, Ehud, and disappears entirely. With her head full of classified information, Mossad can’t let her go, so they send Ehud to track her down. Finding no leads, he must search through her past to figure out why she abandoned Mossad—and whether she intends to betray them. But undercover life begins to blur Rachel’s true identity and her cover, and her love and loyalty are caught between the two. In the midst of a high-risk, high-stakes investigation, Ehud begins to question whether he ever knew his agent at all.

THE ENGLISH TEACHER is a classic spy novel with an intriguing twist, offering an insider’s view of the Mossad and authentic insight into the murky ethics and loyalties of life undercover. Perfect for fans of John le Carré’s novels and of Showtime’s Homeland, this novel introduces readers to a fascinating, unique new voice in the psychological thriller genre.

This is a classic spy thriller by a former Israeli intelligence officer, what could be more intriguing.

Author Yiftah Atir, photo by Eric Sultan

Yiftach Reicher Atir was born in 1949 on Kibbutz Shoval, in the south of Israel. 

As a young commando officer, he participated in Operation Entebbe and other military and intelligence operations before retirement with the rank of Brigadier General (Intelligence).

THE ENGLISH TEACHER is his third novel, and movie rights have been optioned by the original producers of Homeland.

THE ENGLISH TEACHER: A Novel

By Yiftach Reicher Atir

Penguin Books Original

On Sale: August 30, 2016

ISBN: 9780143129189

$16.00

Praise for THE ENGLISH TEACHER (also available in eBook):

“Absorbing…a fascinating look at Rachel’s undercover career in the Arab world…readers are treated to all the granular frustrations, mundane indignities, and utter loneliness that can accompany undercover work, details rarely covered in most tales of espionage.” — Publishers Weekly

          “[Reicher Atir] appreciates subtle spycraft and knows his business…” — Kirkus Reviews

          “Reicher Atir writes with poetic authority of the bleak isolation that pervades the life of the spy long after their active existence is over. This black yet strangely beautiful tragedy will stay with me for a long time.”— Alex Marwood, Edgar Award-winning author of The Wicked Girls

“An extraordinary page turner, told with clarity, insight, and compassion, THE ENGLISH TEACHER offers a rare and realistic portrait of the unrelenting sacrifices of living a double life.” — Gideon Raff, creator of Homeland

“Reicher Atir...probes how leading a double life can erode the foundations of a spy’s former existence; how all of the lies are rooted in truth, and the truth, especially when it comes to love, is often coated with a patina of lies... And Reicher Atir...is masterful in his depiction of this inner world and the scars it leaves over time.”— Mitch Ginsburg, The Times of Israel 

“The book... does exactly what a novel of its kind should do: re-examine the Mossad. Throughout the book...doubts are cast on personal as well as national morality...Reicher Atir asks where the line is that separates the moral actions that operatives perform for their country and exploitation by their country.” — Yiftah Ashkenazy, Ha’aretz

Thanks to the wonderful folks at Penguin Random House, I have a print copy of THE ENGLISH TEACHER by Yiftach Reicher Atir to giveaway. The giveaway is open to residents of the U.S. only and will end at 12 a.m. (EST) on Friday, Sept. 2.

To enter the giveaway, just click on the Rafflecopter widget below and follow the instructions. The widget may take a few seconds to load so please be patient. A winner will be selected by the Rafflecopter widget and I’ll send an email with the subject line “Thoughts in Progress Giveaway.” The winner will have 72 hours to reply to the email or another winner will be selected. PLEASE be sure to check your spam folder from time to time after the giveaway ends to make sure the notification email doesn’t end up there. If you win and you’ve already won the book somewhere else or you just decided for whatever reason you don’t want to win (which is fine), once again PLEASE let me know.

Thanks so much for stopping by today. Are you a fan of classic spy thrillers? Do you have a favorite author who writes spy thrillers?

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