The Lion of Petra

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Pages: 156

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About this book

A desert mission begins in Jerusalem in 1920, where an unnamed civilian narrator shares quarters with Grim, an American serving in British intelligence. Grim is preparing to confront Ali Higg, the powerful sheikh who calls himself the Lion of Petra. Camel saddles, reports of tribal feuds and a departure through Hebron set the scene for an expedition in which disguise and local knowledge matter as much as courage.

Talbot Mundy's adventure novel combines the narrator's dry humor with uncertain loyalties and bold improvisation. In the middle excerpt, Grim's resemblance to Ali Higg gives the party a dangerous advantage as they ride toward Petra. Conversations about mistaken identity and the risks of fighting make strategy part of the action. Readers interested in desert adventure will find a story shaped by camels, railway encounters and the contest between an intelligence officer and a formidable local leader.

About the author

Talbot Mundy

Talbot Mundy (1879-1940) was born William Lancaster Gribbon in London and knocked around India and Africa as an ivory poacher and confidence man before settling in America to write. His adventure fiction blends frontier action with the theosophy he took up in later life.