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THE PRINCE OF BAGRAM PRISON
by Alex Carr
Random House, March 2008
304 pages
$13.95
ISBN: 0812977092


Buy in the UK | Buy in Canada

Raised in an orphanage, Jamal is a young Moroccan who has learned to work all sides – the terrorists, the pedophiles, US military intelligence, and the CIA. When he goes missing in Madrid after the sighting of a leading terrorist, the CIA calls in Katherine Caldwell, an Army Intelligence officer in the Reserves, to help locate Jamal before more sinister forces do.

Caldwell had befriended the young boy during questioning in Bagram Prison in Afghanistan. Now, it is up to Caldwell to help locate him and figure out the connection between the disappearance of Jamal and the recent deaths of two other military intelligence officers.

THE PRINCE OF BAGRAM PRISON is fascinating on many levels, as it intertwines the stories of the boy’s disappearance with the current war on terror and the story of the boy’s own mother, one of the 'disappeared' in Morocco. Author Alex Carr (pseudonym of author Jenny Siler) has used the thriller format to bring to light the story of the 'Years of Lead' in Morocco without ever being heavy handed in the telling.

Where other thriller writers might have a political axe to grind, Carr instead relies on the character development to make her readers care about the background of the story. As with most thrillers, there is plenty of action to follow, but it is the back story that Carr adds that makes the book worth reading.

Like other books in the Mortalis series, THE PRINCE OF BAGRAM includes a 'dossier' about the author's reasons and perspective on writing the novel, which adds considerably to the reader's journey. Within this Mortalis series format, each author illuminates the unique feature of the thriller; in this case, it is the story of the 'Years of Lead' in Morocco in which King Hassan II of Morocco systematically imprisoned and killed dissidents.

Even without the back story, Carr is a fine writer. Her crisp storytelling and layered plotline bring new information and changing storylines with every chapter. She’s spare and lean in her descriptions, with a voice that commands attention. She also knows how to present a complex story with twists and turns that make sense and add to the plot’s development, foregoing elements that many thriller writers seem to add gratuitously.

Most of all, Carr knows how to end the story well. With so many thrillers, there is the feeling of bounding off a cliff or wrapping everything up a little too neatly. With THE PRINCE OF BAGRAM, the developments seem a natural progression in her characters’ lives. Carr has written an outstanding novel, and her readers can look forward to more great books, both from Carr and from the Mortalis series, if THE PRINCE OF BAGRAM is any indication.

Reviewed by Christine Zibas, January 2008

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Contact: Yvonne Klein (ymk@reviewingtheevidence.com)


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