The Angel

Now in paperback: A riveting feat of research and reportage hailed by the WSJ and NYTBR, The Angel explores one of the twentieth centurys most compelling spy stories: the sensational life and suspicious death of Ashraf Marwan, a top-level Egyptian official who secretly worked for Israels Mossad. Eye-opening. A lucid and compelling glimpse into the world of espionage and the functioningor malfunctioningof leaders.WSJ SOON TO BE A NETFLIX ORIGINAL MOVIE As the son-in-law of Egyptian president Gamal Abdel Nasser and a close adviser to his successor, Anwar Sadat, Ashraf Marwan had access to the deepest secrets of his countrys government. But Marwan had a secret of his own: He was a spy for the Mossad, Israels renowned intelligence service. Known to his handlers as the Angel, Marwan turned Egypt into an open book and saved Israel from a devastating defeat by tipping off the Mossad in advance of the joint Egyptian-Syrian attack on Yom Kippur in 1973. Remarkably, Marwan eluded Egypts ruthless secret police for decades. In later years he enjoyed a luxurious lifebut that would come to an abrupt end in 2007, when his body was found in a bed of roses in the garden below his apartment building in London. Police suspected he had been thrown from his balcony on the fifth floor, but the case has remained unsolved. Until now. After Marwan died, details of his shadowy life were slowly revealed. Drawing on meticulous research and exclusive interviews with key figures involved, The Angel is the first book to discuss Marwans motives, how his identity as a Mossad spy was deliberately exposed by none other than the former chief of Israels Military Intelligence, and how the information he provided was usedand misused. Expanding on this focus, it sheds new light on the modern history of the Middle East and the crucial role of human espionage in shaping the fate of nations. And, for the first time, it answers the questions haunting Marwans legacy: In the end, whom did Ashraf Marwan really betray? And who killed him?