The Gardener of Tangier

Tangier, 1942. American OSS officer Alan Dunning is drawn into a deadly intelligence battle in the International Zone of Tangier prior to the Allied invasion of North Africa. A U.S. diplomatic courier is murdered, and his briefcase-containing Allied invasion plans for North Africa-vanishes. Partnering with a veteran British intelligence officer, Dunning navigates a city inundated with spies, diplomats, refugees, exiles, and criminals as Axis agents race to seize the information first.
The investigation leads Dunning through Tangier's cafés and shadowy back alleys.

As Operation Torch approaches, British commandos conduct a series of dangerous missions along Morocco's coast in search of the missing intelligence. Dunning learns that some of the greatest threats come not from the enemy, but from allies willing to manipulate and sacrifice others in pursuit of their own goals. The experience leaves him questioning the morality of espionage and whether he is the right man for the job.

Tangier, 2021. Nearly eighty years later, Alan's grandson, Jake Dunning, arrives in Tangier seeking peace after a career spent in special operations and intelligence work during the War on Terror. Haunted by combat, loss, and a personal breakdown that ended his career, Jake finds solace in restoring an old house and cultivating a garden. His fragile recovery is shattered when a friend is murdered and the man's sister is kidnapped by violent criminals operating across the Moroccan-Algerian border.

Reluctantly returning to the world he tried to leave behind, Jake joins forces with former comrades, a senior Moroccan Gendarmerie officer, and a beautiful French-Algerian archaeologist. But the rescue mission spirals into a brutal fight for survival and he must use his skills to fight for his new life in Tangier.

Separated by nearly a century but linked by war, sacrifice, and the search for redemption, Alan and Jake Dunning follow parallel journeys through the city of Tangier. As past and present collide, both men discover that peace is not something that can always be won in battle. The Gardener of Tangier is a historical espionage thriller that combines the intrigue of wartime intelligence with a modern story of resilience, atonement, and hope. This story is set against the backdrop of one of the worlds most enigmatic, intriguing, and romantic cities.