His real name was Yehiya Ayyash, but he was known to the world as "The Engineer." During a twenty-four-month campaign of terror beginning on April 6, 1994, he killed 130 Israelis and wounded nearly 500. His first car bomb, detonated by a suicide bomber, killed eight and wounded thirty people; a week later a man devastated a crowded bus with 50 pounds of explosives strapped to his body. More bombings, all masterminded by the Engineer, followed with horrible regularity. As the carnage in the streets of Israeli cities mounted, the Engineer became the most wanted man in modern Israeli history. The result was one of the largest manhunts in history. The search involved Britain's MI-5, the Royal Jordanian Special Forces, the FBI, and the New York City Police Department. In charge of catching Ayyash was the Shin Bet, the most elite of Israel's secret services. Here, author Katz reveals for the first time how the Shin Bet conducted its mission against the elusive genius. Truly an expert at disguise, Ayyash on one occasion escaped detection dressed as an old Arab woman and on another as an Orthodox Jewish student. As the search wore on, and the killings continued, Ayyash became revered among Palestinians, more than 100,000 of whom turned out for his funeral. "The Hunt for the Engineer" is a real-life thriller that provides a rare look behind the scenes of Israel's secretive security apparatus and how it operates within the stark context of life and death in the Holy Land, where bombs are once again shaping the political landscape.

The chess match begins -- The thin blue line -- The other sons of Abraham -- The autumn of hope and fire -- The ticking bombs -- The autumn of the assassin -- Payback -- Ghosts -- Postscript: the stopwatch of borrowed time.