by Terry Hayes
First published 2014
Pilgrim operates under a codename because officially he does not exist. The former head of a specialized American intelligence unit has vanished into complete anonymity after writing the authoritative manual on criminology and forensic medicine. His carefully constructed invisibility crumbles when a young woman turns up murdered in a seedy Manhattan hotel. The killing connects to a father's public beheading under the scorching Saudi Arabian sun. A researcher suffers torture outside a classified Syrian laboratory. Fresh corpses appear in the Hindu Kush mountains. These scattered deaths form a pattern that reveals a conspiracy targeting humanity itself. Pilgrim must emerge from hiding to trace the thread linking these brutal events. His pursuit leads him across continents as he races to prevent an unthinkable atrocity. The investigation forces him to confront the skills and enemies he thought he had left behind forever.
Genres: adventure, mystery, crime, thriller, action
Vibes: fast-paced, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: enemies-to-lovers, investigative-journalism
Setting: Manhattan, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Hindu Kush
Period: 21st-century
600 pages · Paperback · Jean-Claude Lattès
Content warnings: violence