Inspired by a real classified event that few outside the intelligence world have ever heard of.
The author writes from close.
9 Episode Scripts Ready
Inside the Book
One Step Ahead is a tense, reality-based espionage thriller inspired by the real Mossad operation that remotely detonated Hezbollah’s encrypted pagers — a covert cyber strike so precise and unprecedented that it rattled intelligence services across the Middle East.
The novel follows Yael Bareket, a young Mossad cyber-operations officer pulled into a mission where one mistake could unravel months of planning. As encrypted networks collapse, field surveillance tightens, and political pressure mounts, Yael must coordinate a high-risk operation that blends digital infiltration with boots-on-the-ground espionage inside Beirut.
Rooted in authentic tradecraft, operational psychology, and real-world intelligence patterns, One Step Ahead delivers a rare, immersive look into the shadows of modern espionage — where decisions are measured in milliseconds, and survival depends on staying one step ahead.
What the insiders are saying
A. R.
Authentic. Chilling. Real.
D. A.
Captures the operational mindset, and the personal cost, better than any fiction I’ve read.
Y. H.
Feels like it was written from a war room.
R. L.
Tells one truth, hides ten more.
About the author
Ethan Harel writes intelligence-driven thrillers inspired by real operations, covert methodologies, and true geopolitical events. His work blends cyber-warfare, field surveillance, psychological tension, and operational realism — shaped by insights informed by individuals familiar with the mindset and strategic logic inside Israel’s intelligence community.
Writing under a pen name, Harel draws on years of studying the culture, discipline, and decision-making patterns that define elite covert units. His fiction reflects an understanding of how operations are conceived, escalated, adjusted under pressure, and ultimately executed — an approach recognizable to readers who follow Mossad activities and modern intelligence tradecraft.
His debut novel, One Step Ahead, immerses readers in the emotional and tactical world of intelligence officers navigating one of the boldest covert missions ever revealed. The story captures the moral strain, the cyber-operational precision, and the psychological burden carried by operatives who work in the shadows — often unseen, always accountable.
Harel is currently developing additional novels exploring dramatic, reality-inspired Mossad operations, continuing his mission to blend fact-pattern authenticity with high-stakes, character-driven espionage fiction.