City on the Edge by David Swinson is an international espionage mystery seen through the eyes of a 13-year-old American boy. In 1972, Graham arrives in Beirut with his family, fresh from Mexico City, in the wake of a family tragedy. His father works for the State Department, but it seems like there is more to his job than he’d like to say. Graham soon gets caught up in trouble that’s over his head: sandstorms, murder, and the slow uncovering of who his father really is. As the city descends into upheaval, tensions start to break his parents’ marriage apart. Graham’s curious, observant nature is filtered through the world-weary narration of his older self, which makes for riveting reading.