Non-Fiction
| Title | Published | Buy on Amazon |
|---|---|---|
| Death by Spaghetti | 1996 | Buy |
Standalone Novels
| Title | Published | Buy on Amazon |
|---|---|---|
| The Hidden Oasis | 2008 | Buy |
| The Final Testimony of Raphael Ignatius Phoenix | 2014 | Buy |
Yusuf Khalifa Reading Order
| Title | Published | Buy on Amazon |
|---|---|---|
| L’armata perduta di Cambise | 2002 | N/A |
| The Lost Army of Cambyses | 2002 | Buy |
| The Last Secret of the Temple | 2005 | Buy |
| O Último Segredo do Templo | 2006 | N/A |
| The Labyrinth of Osiris | 2012 | Buy |
Paul Sussman combined a career in archaeology with a talent for thriller writing. His Yusuf Khalifa novels are set in Egypt and the broader Middle East, drawing on his personal experience working on archaeological digs in the region. The books feature mysteries rooted in real historical events and places, with plots that connect ancient artifacts and sites to present-day dangers.
Sussman published his first novel, The Lost Army of Cambyses, in 2002 and followed it with The Last Secret of the Temple and The Labyrinth of Osiris. His thrillers stand out for their detailed archaeological settings and their willingness to engage with the political complexities of the Middle East. He died in 2012 at the age of 45, cutting short what had been a promising fiction career.
His earlier non-fiction work Death by Spaghetti and his posthumously published novel The Final Testimony of Raphael Ignatius Phoenix show his range beyond the archaeological thriller. Sussman’s small body of fiction has earned a loyal following among readers who appreciate thrillers grounded in real history and real places.