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New release

This Dark Road to Mercy

A detective in a snowbound mountain town above Ajloun, a missing sister and one winter that changes everything. The first book in the Smoke and the Heart series.

$6.75 – Purchase Read on Kindle

As featured in

Al Riwaya Magazine Hikayat Radio Amman Readers’ Club Raff Podcast The Weekend Books Supplement

What readers are saying

Reviews of This Dark Road to Mercy from readers across the region.

I started it after dinner and finished it at 3am. The twist in the last chapter got me completely.
Jamal Mardini Teacher, Amman
Dark, atmospheric and surprisingly tender. I already bought the rest of the series.
Sherihan Toubasi Nurse, Beirut
The mountain town feels so real you can almost smell the wood stoves.
Dirar Bakri Librarian, Kuwait City
A page-turner with characters you care about. Perfect for a long weekend.
Sawsan Murad Book club host, Dubai

Complete series

Smoke and the Heart

All four novels of the series in one bundle, from the first case to the last secret.

Buy the complete series

A word from the author

I write the books I want to read: fast, dark and full of people worth rooting for. Thank you for joining me on the road. — Zaid Al Khayyat

Meet Zaid

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