Shemlan: A Deadly Tragedy

Alexander McNabb has been working in, living in and travelling around the Middle East for over 25 years. Formerly a journalist, editor and magazine publisher, today he spends his time advising companies on their communications strategies, with a particular focus on digital and online communications. Alexander is a frequent conference speaker, chair and moderator, particularly on issues around online and digital communications. He is a frequent commentator on developments in the technology and online spheres. When he’s not writing books, he’s posting half-thoughts and snippets on his blog, Fake Plastic Souks, which he started in 2007 during the Arab Media Forum. The title refers to the ’new’ souks of Dubai, so much more convenient and classy than the real ones. Alexander’s first attempt at writing a book was in 2002, when he sat down to write high-tech comedy thriller Space. The book was not seen as a commercial proposition by literary agents and publishers, many of whom took the trouble to point out that humour doesn’t sell. Alexander rolled up his sleeves and wrote the critically acclaimed novel Olives - A Violent Romance, a serious work that explores the attitudes, perceptions and conflicts of the Middle East, exposing a European sensibility to the strange and multi-layered world of life on the borders of Palestine. This was followed by Beirut - An Explosive Thriller, which launched in December 2012. His third Middle East based novel, Shemlan - A Deadly Tragedy was published in 2013. Although the three ’Levant Cycle’ books are by no means a trilogy, they follow a roughly contiguous timeline and share many of the same characters.