The Bystander
by Katherine Burlake
Publisher
Meroe Press, LLC
Publication
Aug 14, 2019
Series
Format
Paperback/Softback
Illustrated
No
Price
$14.99
Dimensions
5.5 x 8.5 x 0.9375 in
ISBN
9781950282661
Pages
350
Age
Adult 18+
Category
General FictionMystery & Detective
Rights Sold
🌍 World Wide Rights Available
Description
Awards & Endorsements
Review
Review
Review
Review
Author(s)
Katherine Burlake
Related Titles
| Publisher | Bublish, Inc. |
| Publication | Aug 14, 2019 |
| Format | Paperback/Softback |
| ISBN | 9781950282661 |
| Pages | 350 |
| Age | 18 - 100 |
| Price | $14.99 |
Categories
General FictionMystery & Detective
BISAC Codes
FICTION / Mystery & Detective / International Mystery & Crime
FICTION / Mystery & Detective / Historical
The Bystander
by Katherine Burlake
The Saudi king is dying, and a successor must be chosen from the next generation, the grandsons of the assassinated Abdul Aziz and the founder of the kingdom. One prince, His Royal Highness Rashid Abdul Aziz is determined to rule, but royal blood is not enough. He needs to demonstrate he is worthy of the crown. If his wife can find the first Qur’an, used by the Prophet, Prince Rashid will be the next king. The prince fears, however, that the exquisite find won’t be enough. Secretly, he orders terrorists to eliminate his half-brothers and cousins.
Rashid needs someone he can trust. He asks Amy Prowers, to assist his wife, Princess Hassa, on the excavation and to validate the finding. Though Amy is not an archaeologist, her aunt’s private international organization, the Committee, has access to experts in the ancient city of Ubar in the Empty Quarter. Eager to help her deceased husband’s friend, Prince Rashid, Amy arrives and discovers there is more at stake than ancient cultures.
The kingdom is a breeding ground for a new generation of terrorists. A secret sect called the Black Princes put Amy’s life at risk as she becomes a participant in her friend’s quest for the Saudi throne.
Rashid needs someone he can trust. He asks Amy Prowers, to assist his wife, Princess Hassa, on the excavation and to validate the finding. Though Amy is not an archaeologist, her aunt’s private international organization, the Committee, has access to experts in the ancient city of Ubar in the Empty Quarter. Eager to help her deceased husband’s friend, Prince Rashid, Amy arrives and discovers there is more at stake than ancient cultures.
The kingdom is a breeding ground for a new generation of terrorists. A secret sect called the Black Princes put Amy’s life at risk as she becomes a participant in her friend’s quest for the Saudi throne.
Reviews, Awards & Endorsements
Review
Saudi Arabia is a mystery to most of us, a mystery not much revealed in the hyperbolic treatment it gets from our media. Ms. Burlake knows it well—the good, the bad, the not so pretty. She weaves a complex fantasy, rooted in reality ranging from skyscrapered and freewayed Riyadh to the wilds of the Empty Quarter. With sensitivity to the moral uprightness of the Saudi desert people worthy of Wilfred Thesiger, she warms to the rivalries in an over large royal family hoarding vast oil wealth and how they play out in the transition from an aged first generation to ambitious and ruthless young princes. Saudi faith and its use of Islam become a central plot device as she moves us through one royal couple’s pursuit of the big prize. Western diplomats and archeologists find themselves used as pawns in the more devious, savvy, morally tainted ploys of an ambitious prince and his wife. We are drawn into a story of intrigue and violence but leave with a richer sense of how Saudi society works. —Charles Brayshaw, Senior Foreign Service Officer
Review
After reading The Bystander, the pacing and the way Katherine Burlake eases in history and culture makes me eager to read her next book. —Mary Ellen Gilroy, Senior Foreign Service Officer
Review
The Bystander is one of those books that when you start reading it, you don’t want to stop. Katherine Burlake has used her knowledge of Saudi Arabia and its inhabitants to create a masterful mystery. Reading it, I felt as if I was there and knew many of the characters—very realistic. —George Skarpentzos, Foreign Service Officer
Review
The Bystander is one of those books that when you start reading it, you don’t want to stop. Katherine Burlake has used her knowledge of Saudi Arabia and its inhabitants to create a masterful mystery. Reading it, I felt as if I was there and knew many of the characters—very realistic. —George Skarpentzos, Foreign Service Officer
Author

Katherine Burlake
Katherine Burlake was one of the first female Air Force Officers to attend the Air Force Navy Intelligence School and serve in the Vietnam War. Living in Thailand, England, and Germany led her to the Department of State and Broadcasting Board of Governors reporting on embassy operations globally. She has traveled to over 130 countries including Afghanistan and Iraq. Katherine has been published in the Macguffin, The Face of War a Baghdad Women. Her experiences, including four years in Saudi Arabia working at the U.S. Embassy, bring in the trench experiences to her engaging novels. Colorado is now her home.
Current Licenses
🌍 World Wide Rights Available