"Riveting . . . Well-written and highly compelling."-Wall Street Journal ​"Truly thrilling. Daniel Levin brilliantly conveys both the menace and the evil of Middle Eastern intrigue, and some victories of human kindness over cruelty and despair."-Daniel Kahneman, New York Times bestselling author of Thinking, Fast and Slow Daniel Levin was in his New York office when he got a call from an acquaintance with an urgent, cryptic request to meet in Paris. A young man had gone missing in Syria. No government, embassy, or intelligence agency would help. Could he? Would he? So begins a suspenseful, shocking, and at times brutal true story of one man's search to find a miss­ing person in Syria over twenty tense days. Levin, a lawyer turned armed-conflict negotia­tor, chases leads throughout the Middle East, meeting with powerful sheikhs, drug lords, and sex traffickers in his pursuit of the truth. In Proof of Life, Levin dives deep into the shadows-an underground industry of war where everything is for sale, including arms, drugs, and even people. He offers a fasci­nating study of how people use leverage to get what they want from one another and of a place where no one does a favor without wanting something in return, whether it's immediately or years down the road. A fast-paced thriller wrapped in a memoir, Proof of Life is a cinematic must-read by an author with access to a world that usually remains hidden. The son of a diplomat, Daniel Levin spent his early years in the Middle East and in Africa and then trained as a lawyer. Currently a board member of the Liechtenstein Foundation for State Governance, he has, for the past twenty years, worked with governments and development institutions worldwide, focusing on economic development and political reform through financial literacy, political inclusion, and constitutional initiatives. He is also engaged in Track 3 diplomacy and mediation efforts in war zones. Levin's first book, Nothing but a Circus: Misadventures Among the Powerful, was published in Germany, Japan, Russia, and the UK. Proof of Life is his first book to be published in the United States. He lives outside New York City. "Riveting . . . . Well-written and highly compelling . . . Mr. Levin seems to grasp the region's complexity, but instead of flaunting his insider status he draws the reader into the picture. This is a welcome departure from other books on the region that let their authors' views overshadow the subjects' stories. On the surface, Proof of Life is a thrilling account of intrigue and espionage, but lurking underneath are important lessons on the Syrian conflict and the entrenched interests that will make ending the war-and curtailing the massive profits it provides to a new elite-a difficult prospect." -Wall Street Journal "A portrait of a contemporary morass in the Middle East emerges, as Levin thoughtfully interrogates the signs of hope and hopelessness." -CrimeReads "Levin's narrative ably depicts the complex interactions of Middle Eastern politics." -Kirkus Reviews "Levin's story is not an easy one to experience, but it is an important one." -Booklist "It is rare to understand the Middle East and the Gulf so accurately, including the West's hypocrisy and the emptiness of these skyscraper cities, in which some people help sincerely, while others, who share our blood, are so willing to shed it. Daniel Levin got it all right in Proof of Life." -Alaa Al-Siddiq, Executive Director of ALQST for Human Rights "Adroitly navigating myriad cultures, linguistic barriers, and dangerous situations, Levin shows that individuals can and do make a difference in the face of profound adversity. In laying bare the raw human toll of the ferocious and cruel Syrian conflict, Proof of Life asks the

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