The Istanbul Exchange — Adam LeBor

Meet Yael Azoulay, the brilliant and beautiful behind-the-scenes negotiator for the United Nations. Tasked with persuading an Afghan warlord -- and friend of hers -- to surrender to the Americans, she is quickly pulled into a dangerous world of secret rendition, torture and arms trafficking to Syrian rebels. The high-stakes game soon turns deadly as Yael finds herself up against a shadowy agency of the US government. Everything depends on her next move....