What can I say about The Palace of Sinners and Saint's other than WOW! This debut novel by Ammar Merchant is everything!

This book is an action packed thrill ride with non stop excitement. Irfan Mirza is a mercenary for hire and is everything you would pay for. In the public of Aldatan, King Nimir is determined to make all who oppose him and his political views disappear. This applies to billionaires, influencers, police force, and journalists. One such journalist is his cousin Mahmud who is taken in front of a hotel one night along with his fiancé Renata as they have been sent to meet up with Mirza for his protection. Mirza tries to stop these Leopards sent by Nimir but fails. Mirza works with his brother Finn and a thief, Omen, to track down where they were taken and break them out. This ragtag team each has their own way of getting things done but ultimately need each other and their skills to balance what they don't have themselves. It is these skills coming together and the way the characters play off of each other that takes this novel up a notch. Not everyone is as serious as Merza and the humor brings a bit of relief to the story.

This novel was everything and I can't wait for more books from Ammar Merchant and hopefully more in the Merza series. Do yourself a favor and read this book if you are into thrillers along this line.

Thank you NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

#NetGalley #ThePalaceofSinnersandSaints

I'm not sure this was a book for me. It was very slow in the beginning but the ending seemed to come together quickly. I think if reworked to improve the pacing of the first 2/3 of the book it would be a hit.

Many times while reading “The Palace of Sinners and Saints” I found myself picturing the book as an action movie. Irfan Mirza, the unbelievably capable hero of the story, has been hired to rescue Prince Mahmoud from an unbelievably remote castle in the Middle Eastern country of Aldatan. Mirza is the man-of-all-weapons: guns, knives, explosives, fists. Mahmoud’s fiancee, Renata, knows Mirza can do the impossible: find and breach the castle and bring her prince back to her.

Omen Ferris is Mirza’s female business partner. She has skills in liberating objects from their rightful owners. Of course, Omen and Mirza secretly love each other. This is not a spoiler because it becomes immediately obvious.

“The Palace of Sinners and Saints” takes off like a house afire and never slows until the end. I recommend it.

Thank you to NetGalley for the advance reader’s copy. This is my honest review.

This is really more of a 3.5, as I really liked the ending, it seemed to escalate and come together better. The beginning is somewhat lacking in the power to draw me in, it was really only after they infiltrated their final destination that the characters came alive for me. Had a little of the usual Bourne/007 tricks of "where did the weapons come from, where did the money come from, how did they get there" kind of vibe going, but not too bad. Didn't really get to connect with Bey at all, and I didn't get the kind of strength that was hinted at from the characters who were not part of "the family". So, action good, character writing somewhat lacking

We are told up front that The Palace of Sinners and Saints is "... a heart-pounding page-turner" It's an "action-packed thriller." So author Ammar Merchant has his task cut out for him to live up to these blurbs.
Sadly, it did not, for me at least. There is a lot of tedium in this desert based novel, and one main guy to interrupt it. That would be Irfan Merza, a trained killer who takes on a prison holding his "sister'. That involves a lot of one on one battles, usually resulting in the death of the opponent. It's rather predictable, as the reader knows Merza is going to prevail. Sure, the author gives him various handicaps in the form of injuries, yet they don't seem to stop our killer.
The novel has its merits- the setting, for one. I did read it all, but found myself skimming at the latter action parts as I knew Mirza was going to win them all.
Thanks NetGalley for the ARC.

Fast-paced, heart-pounding and gory, this thriller ticks all the boxes. It is very well written and even has some humorous aspects.

Irfan Mirza is a mercenary, trained from a young age to be a gun for hire. When his sister and her husband are kidnapped, Irfan must assemble a small group of like-minded killers to go and save them.

This is agonizingly suspenseful, filled with mostly likable characters, and I am grateful to NetGalley and Simon and Schuster for the advanced reader copy.

"How is he still alive?"
"He'd probably say God loves him," Omen guessed. "I think it's more likely that God just likes being entertained, and Irfan is fun."
Ren chuckled.
"Not in a 'holy crap, what an awesome party' way, but in a 'Jesus Christ, did you see what ridiculous shit that guy just pulled off' kind of way. Like an Evel Knievel who kills people."

Move over, Lee Child, and make a space on the roster of action/adventure/thriller writers for Ammar Merchant. His first novel featuring Middle Eastern mercenary Irfan Mirza has been favorably compared to the Jack Reacher novels, and rightly so.

THE PALACE OF SINNERS AND SAINTS wastes no time on back-story. It gets right to the action from Chapter One and never takes the foot off the throttle until the conclusion. Merchant gives us just enough of the history of Mirza and associates to understand them and get a feel for the "honor among mercenaries" vibe. The dialogue is very revealing, and a great way to inform readers and create empathy without slowing down the pace.

If you like Jack Reacher novels, you will most likely appreciate the escapist entertainment provided here. Thanks to NetGalley for a digital advance review copy of this novel.

This book is full of action from the very first page, never lets up. Lots of interesting characters and a good story line. This is the first book by this author and it is a strong start. I would read another book by this author. Th k you to net galley for an advanced readers copy.

I received this book as an advanced reader copy in exchange for my review. All opinions are my own
4 stars!
This is not the typical genre I go for but this book was thoroughly entertaining! I enjoyed getting to know Mirza and watching him grow from a grumpy dude to someone who was willing to do whatever it took to save his family. The book was well written and easy but captivating to follow.

The Palace of Sinners and Saints
By Ammar Merchant

Get ready, thriller readers! You are about to meet the Islamic world's answer to Jack Reacher! Ifran Mirza is a Pakistani Muslim who was kidnapped as a small child by the "General", who ostensibly runs an orphanage which is really a camp to train and raise children to become soldiers and killers. Although the General did not succeed in creating a children's army loyal only to him, several of his proteges consider themselves siblings and make it a practice to be there for each other when they need help.

Ifran is a huge man, the ultimate killing machine. His "brother" and best friend is Finn, the man who keeps them all loosely tied together. When Renata, a "sister", contacts Finn to help her and her fiancé escape from the despotic ruler of Aldatan, Ifran and Finn are on the hunt.

The story contains horror, humor, brutality, loyalty and love. The good guys are characters you will love; the bad guys are characters you will love to hate. Everyone plays their roles to perfection.

I really enjoyed this book and look forward to Ifran and company's next adventure.

When your family needs you, you go help them. In The Palace of Sinners and Saints by Amman Merchant the family is large and may not be genetically related, but they do not leave each other hanging. The saying “honor among thieves” comes to mind, but some of them are mercenaries.
There are blood and guts, but there are also reasons for that. When you are brought up in an “orphanage” that trains you to be a lethal weapon, you use the resources you have. One of the resources might be your siblings.

Renata is the sister who is engaged to a deposed prince. His father was the king but no more. The prince is expected to follow the king who deposed his father. When he refuses to bow down to the new king, he is kidnapped along with his fiancé, Rennata. They are taken to a medieval castle in the middle of the desert near Yemen and kept as prisoners. The castle houses many other “guests” and a very sadistic keeper. Renata’s brothers will not accept that she is being held. Interestingly, they are not so worried about the prince, but since he makes Ren happy, they will try to free them both.

It is a suspenseful adventure. If you like to bite your nails while you read, this is a book for you. It is different from other books I have read, but when I reflect on the theme of the book, honor of thieves (and mercenaries) may be it.

I am sure this is a great book for the right person, unfortunately that is not me. I was not able to finish the book since it was just not for me. The parts I read was well written so I am sure it is a good book if you enjoy this type of macho books

In Ammar Merchant's The Palace of Sinners and Saints, (Simon and Shuster 2025), Irfan Mirza for close to forty years has been a reliably lethal weapon. When deployed, regardless of weapons or none, he never fails, never quits, always outsmarts his enemy. He’s been trained to do that since a child in an orphanage with no goal other than win whatever mission he is sent on. His marriage, other than the daughter he dotes on, is a failure, in the process of dissolution as soon as his religious beliefs allow. Waiting for him is another warrior well aware of his foibles and strengths because her background is similar. Now, they face together a mission to save the life of Irfan's sister and her fiancée as they flee those who would use the royal man's notoriety and name against the country he loves.

This may be Merchant's debut novel (at least on Amazon), but he is an extraordinary storyteller, able to weave personal details into plot without losing the drama and action. Definitely recommended for those who enjoy fast-moving international drama where the fight for justice means all solutions are on the table.

Although Mirza is compared to Jack Reacher, he really is in a class of his own because he does not operate in a free world. He operates in a world where corruption is the norm, yet he still lives by his personal moral code. This book is a high action, edge-of-your-seat page turner! The action begins even before the reunion of MIrza and his sister Renata. There were multiple key characters to support Mirza, and none of the characters or events hit an off-note for not being authentic to the situation. This story is exciting from the very first to the last page. There was great character development and the landscape felt so real - I loved the design of the castle! I look forward to Mirza's next adventure!

"The Palace of Sinners and Saints," by Ammar Merchant is an interesting variation on a familiar genre. This book, published by Simon and Schuster (I am working from an ARC graciously provided to me by the publisher) uses the familiar trope of a band of mercenaries fighting against a tyrannical regime in the Middle East. The main twist here is that some of the mercenaries are, themselves, Moslems. As a consequence., the inherent conflicts in their situation are seen through a very different perspective, that of the indigenous population. This produces more startling insights than the reader might expect from a more them/us schema. Furthermore, the mercenaries employed by both sides offer a variety of backgrounds and religious and political perspectives. The main villain of the piece is a character straight from the early Bond films in the sense that he is truly amoral and given to witty philosophical musing. At the same time, he is a sadistic monster given over to wholesale rape and torture in the service of his royal paymaster. The plot plods along initially, but by the time the reader has passed the midpoint of the work, the action, principally initiated by a Middle Eastern crew of caring mercenaries related to some of the target regime's victims has really taken off. The freelancers who undertake to break into a fortress/black site to rescue some the regime's victims are drawn from something like an Islamic casting call for the old television series known as "The A Team." Through all of the horrors of the tale, the heroic protagonists maintain a studied detachment and a good humored bonhomie that seems to defy all reason. The charm is unmistakable!

Review of eGalley

When the stranger walks into his tiny restaurant, Ahmad Haikal, doesn’t know what to expect. But he’d come for the terrorists/pirates that frequented the restaurant . . . the ones that had killed Cilek Osman.

When Irfan Mirza has “spoken” to the terrorists, all seven lay dead at the hands of the ruthless freelance mercenary.

The request from Cilek’s father complete, Mirza moves on. But when the king has Renata Bardales taken, it becomes personal for Mirza.

What will he do to rescue the woman he considers a sister?

=========

Despite being brutal, gruesome, and vicious, the unfolding story of the tenacious man trained from childhood to be an elite gun for hire pulls the reader into the story from the outset. The telling of this tale keeps the pages turning as readers root for Mirza and his fellow mercenaries to succeed against the nefarious King Nimir as good once again tries to outwit evil.

Readers who enjoy action-packed, graphic tales filled with bravery and courage will find Mizra’s story to their liking.

Recommended.

I received a free copy of this eBook from Simon & Schuster and NetGalley
#ThePalaceofSinnersandSaints #NetGalley

The Palace of Sinners and Saints is a brutally fun time for action readers who like their protagonist to be unabashedly awesome and badass. Ammar Merchant shows great talent in crafting powerful and feral action sequences that make a lasting impression, an impressive feat given that it’s his debut.