Product Description

A chilling story of modern terrorism from the grandmaster of international intrigue

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #10916 in Books
• Published on: 2007-08-13
• Binding: Paperback
• 464 pages

Synopsis
When British and American intelligence catch wind of a major Al Qaeda operation in the works, they are primed for action - but what can they do? They know nothing about the attack: the what, where or when. They have no sources in Al Qaeda, and it's impossible to plant someone. Impossible, unless...The Afghan is Izmat Khan, a five-year prisoner of Guantanamo Bay and a former senior commander of the Taliban. The Afghan is also Colonel Mike Martin, a 25-year veteran of war zones around the world, a dark, lean man born and raised in Iraq. In an attempt to stave off disaster, the intelligence agencies will try to do what no one has ever done before - pass off a Westerner as an Arab among Arabs - pass off Martin as the trusted Khan. It will require extraordinary preparation, and then extraordinary luck, for nothing can truly prepare Martin for the dark and shifting world he is about to enter. Or for the terrible things he will find there ..."The Day of the Jackal", "The Dogs of War", "The Odessa File" - the books of Frederick Forsyth have helped define the international thriller as we know it today.

Combining meticulous research with crisp narratives and plots as current as the headlines, Forsyth shows us the world as it is, in a way that few have ever been able to equal. And the world as it is today is a very scary place...

From the Back Cover
`One of the world's best thriller writers' Wall Street Journal

When British and American intelligence learn of a major Al Qaeda operation in the works their only option is to plant someone in Al Qaeda to find out more.

The Afghan is Izmat Khan, a five-year prisoner of Guantanamo Bay and a former senior commander of the Taliban. The Afghan is also Colonel Mike Martin, a 25-year veteran of war zones around the world, a dark, lean man born and raised in Iraq. In an attempt to stave off disaster, the intelligence agencies will try to do what no one has ever done before - pass off a Westerner as an Arab among Arabs - pass off Martin as the trusted Khan.

It will require extraordinary preparation, and then extraordinary luck, for nothing can truly prepare Martin for the dark and shifting world he is about to enter. Or for the terrible things he will find there . . .


`Forsyth's finest novel since the Jackal, a story as fresh as tomorrow's headlines, packed with details that confirm his reputation…all told with a pace and panache that demands that you never put it down' Daily Mail

`An extraordinary story of bravery, fanaticism, extreme espionage and advanced terrorism' Daily Mirror

`An imagination and talent which shows little sign of abating' Daily Express

About the Author
Frederick Forsyth is the author of ten bestselling novels: The Day of the Jackal, The Odessa File, The Dogs of War, The Devil's Alternative, The Fourth Protocol, The Negotiator, The Deceiver, The Fist of God, Icon and Avenger.His other works include The Biafra Story, The Shepherd; two short story collections, No Comebacks and The Veteran; and a sequel to The Phantom of the Opera, The Phantom of Manhattan. He has also compiled an anthology of flying tales, Great Flying Stories, which includes stories by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Roald Dahl, Len Deighton and H.G. Wells.He lives in Hertfordshire, England.

Customer Reviews

Ridiculous plot coincidence ruins book...
I was quite enjoying this book despite, as has been mentioned in other reviews, the virtual "disappearance" of the lead character half way through the book, then all of a sudden an event occurs with a crashed fighter jet which is so unlikely and improbable that it completely ruins the whole book.

I will now describe this moment so if you do not want the any plot details revealed stop reading but I feel I must point it out -

We are expected to believe a fighter jet just happened to malfunction (due to an engineer leaving a spanner somewhere on the jet by accident) at the time it just happened to be flying directly over a secret bunker, just happened to destroy part of it and kill some of the agents, just happened to destroy the wall where the prisoner was held and just happened to give him a chance to escape...what a load of nonsense. The chances of this happening are so remote that it really is beyond ridiculous.

How intelligent critics who are paid to review books can look past this ludicrous plot moment I fail to understand. I can`t bring myself to read any more of this terrible book so would advise anyone else not to bother unless you want quite good background information on the situation in Afghanistan, as this has ruined the book for me completely.

Not finished - probably won't continue.
The premise of this novel sounds good and the first chapter was interesting - typically Forsyth. I don't mind his slow-cooker approach to storytelling.

However, I have read 2 chapters, and I started to smell a rat during the 2nd chapter, and her comes a Spoiler......................





FF has taken 2 major characters from "The Fist of God" and transferred them lock, stock and names from one story to another. It is 10 years since I read FoG, but I can remember the pivotal passage at the same stage in the book.

Its lazy and unnecessary. Don't write the book by copying strong elements of a previous one, however good the story.

It is not a sequel. It could be an excellent book, just feel a bit cheated and I stopped reading Jack Higgins for the same reasons.

Average I'm Afraid
I'm a huge, huge fan but felt a little let down by this one.

It starts off really well and includes one of his best characters but unfortunately the potential of the early stages does not develop well and the ending is weak.