Solo Piano Music is a political thriller that tackles issues of violence, belief, international terrorism, and the bonds of friendship. Set in early-twenty-first century Syria, the novel introduces the reader to a mid-level investigator who works at a state-sponsored Institute for combatting terrorism. After a prominent secularist intellectual, Fateh al-Qalaj, is assaulted by an unknown assailant, the novel tracks Fateh’s descent into a labyrinth of political intrigue and personal relationships that draw attention to the brutality of political tyranny, the violence of international terrorism, and the challenges of friendship and belief in tumultuous times. Fawwaz Haddad transforms the challenges and dangers of life under authoritarian rule in the context of international geopolitics into a story of loss, faith, and personal responsibility.