Avraham Azrieli writes books and screenplays. His novel Deborah Rising (HarperCollins, 2016), inspired by the true story of the first woman to lead a nation in human history, won the 2017 Illumination Book Award for fiction. A graduate of Columbia Law School in New York City, Azrieli represented business clients in numerous complex court cases before trial and appellate courts, including the United States Supreme Court.
His first novel, The Masada Complex (a political thriller) was published in 2010, followed by Israeli spy novels The Jerusalem Inception and The Jerusalem Assassin, as well as Christmas for Joshua (an interfaith family drama), The Mormon Candidate (a political thriller), Thump (a courtroom drama featuring sexual harassment and racism) and The Bootstrap Ultimatum (a mystery involving the commercialization of Memorial Day). Deborah Rising (HarperCollins, 2016), inspired by the true story of the first woman to lead a nation in human history, was followed by three more novels: Deborah Calling, Deborah Slaying, and Deborah Striking, as well as The Elixirist, a prequel to the series. He also authored Your Lawyer on a Short Leash (a guide to dealing with lawyers) and One Step Ahead – A Mother of Seven Escaping Hitler’s Claws (an acclaimed WWII biography, which inspired the musical By Wheel and by Wing). Azrieli grew up in Israel, where he received extensive Talmudic education, served as an intelligence officer and, after attending law school, served as a law clerk at the Israeli Supreme Court in Jerusalem. He later earned another law degree from Columbia Law School in NYC, served as a law clerk at the Federal District Court in Maryland, and started his legal career with Davis Polk and Wardwell. He currently lives near Washington DC with his wife and children. Like Ben Teller, the protagonist in The Mormon Candidate, Azrieli often rides his motorcycle in the mountainous forests of western Maryland. To learn more, visit www.AzrieliBooks.com
