The Dope Priest [Paperback]

As an international dope smuggler, David Ramsbottom is used to an eventful existence. We join him on the day of his wedding to debutante Annabella Babbage--chain-smoking reefers in a bid to forget his two tons of hashish trapped in Beirut, and the police cars encircling the church.

Fifteen years later, broke, world-weary and irredeemably dependent on weed, David rejoins his old smuggling partner, Tony Khouri, in Israel, on the promise of easy cash to be made from an illegal land deal. But, as David should have learnt, nothing in his life comes easy. Shadowy Mossad agents, murderous Russians, fanatical nuns and egg smugglers are strewn across his path, while David yearns for just one smoke to make sense of it all. When that smoke comes, he is catapulted into an apocalyptic end-game, where his own survival hangs in the balance.

Set against the chaotic backdrop of the late 90s Holy Land, The Dope Priest is an uncanny mix of humour and tension. It combines the relentless pace of the best thrillers with the jaded eye of a pot-smoking William Boyd. It is possible to have reservations over such a cocktail: sometimes the political detail, though thoroughly researched, is a little heavy. And the love interest never quite produces the goods--because the plot allows little opportunity for its characters to grow on us. That said, Blincoe has tackled an unfamiliar subject with enviable ease, and produced a gripping tale. Reading while under the influence is not advised. --Matthew Baylis

'Nicholas Blincoe is one of England's most gifted writers. His prose has clarity, range and restraint. He flips between entertaining and challenging his readers with an intelligence that is both embracing and unforced' (Alex Garland )

David Preston is the Dope Priest and he has a headache. If you've smuggled drugs out of war zones, you're not going to worry about a spot of illegal land trading between the Palestinians and Israelis. But David never planned on amorous nuns, kosher egg racketeers and the full might of the Israeli secret housing service. Even now, he feels he could cope. If only he could win the heart of the local drive-time DJ, or at least find something decent to smoke.

Writing in Bethlehem
I wrote the first draft of The Dope Priest in Bethlehem - my wife's home town. She is a Palestinian Catholic from the occupied territories. Over the eight years we have been together, Bethlehem and the Arab/Israeli situation have become such a huge part of my life, I knew I had to write a book about it. It was a difficult book to write - the most enjoyable bit was having my photograph taken fro the cover. But everyone who's read it has come away saying that they feel they've visited Israel and Palestine. That makes it a success, as far as I'm concerned. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Nicholas Blincoe is the author of the modern classic, Acid Casuals, and the award winning best seller, Manchester Slingback