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The Pilgrim is the code name of a covert US operative who has retired in Paris. He had been the lead player in a highly complex Russian operation and although it was ultimately successful it seemed best to  walk away from that life and try something new.  So using his background in covert operations Pilgrim writes a book under a pen name about the forensics of committing the perfect crime which instantly becomes a cult classic in crime fighting circles and becomes the beginning of end of Pilgrim’s retirement.  Soon he is consulting with the NYPD and is called in to solve the strange murder of a woman whose every identifiable feature has been destroyed in attempt to stymie the police from solving the crime. As he works on the case, however, Pilgrim becomes aware of  some deeper underlying connections and soon is on the trail to find and stop the Saracen and the danger that he poses.

The Saracen wants to avenge the death of his father who was beheaded in a public execution by the Saudi regime. Initially he wanted to destroy just the Saudis, but now he realizes that if he can destroy the Saudi Kingdom and the United States his act of vengeance would have an enormous impact and so carefully and patiently he accumulates what he needs to create a plague that will destroy both countries and eventually the world.

This is a modern thriller which captures the complicated history of Afghanistan, Lebanon and the Middle East and the role the US has had in these war torn areas.  Hayes does an excellent job in capturing the Saracen’s relentless desire for vengeance and the formidable focus he maintains in order to complete this goal. Avoiding caricaturization, Hayes allows us to see his tortured soul and the twisted logic of his need for revenge and justice. Hayes also avoids the pitfall of creating a super hero in Pilgrim, keeping him solidly human, even making mistakes and longing for a connection with others that has not been possible in the life he as chosen. Although jaded from his experiences in the CIA , Pilgrim still seems to believe-he’s just become much more realistic about what is possible:

When I had arrived….I had faith. I believed in rock ’n’ roll, the Western dream, and the equality of man. But most of all I believed in a worldwide dragnet for an Arab fugitive and that temperature checks at every border would keep the pin in the grenade. By the time I left, I still had faith in rock ’n’ roll but little else. The old man… had convinced me that what he termed a “modern, intelligent enemy” would never be caught by rounding up the usual suspects.  

 Although this is Hayes’s first novel, he has written several screen plays including Road Warrior and it is clear that his sense of pacing and timing in this novel has benefited from that experience. I enjoyed this book immensely and look forward to hearing more from Terry Hayes, the novelist, in the future!

Brenda’s Rating: ****(4 Stars out of 5)

Recommend this book to: Sharon, Marian and Ken

Book Study Worthy: yes

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