I Am Pilgrim: A Thriller

Holy crap. This was an intense, terrific read that still has my heart pounding. There's a man whose real name is known by very few people. Call him Pilgrim. At one point he was the head of a secret intelligence force within the U.S. government, but after retiring from that job, he is forbidden to speak about what he did, where he was, or for whom he worked. He wrote a book about some of the most notorious cases he dealt with, some of the most ingenious criminal minds he encountered, but he had to publish it under a pseudonym. Asked by a detective friend to observe a crime scene, he finds something tremendously disturbing—the murder was committed using techniques from his book. It seems nearly impossible to determine the identity of the victim or the killer. But little does he realize that this will be the least of his problems. Pilgrim is called into service once again by the government, after traces of a bio-hazard are found within the smoldering remains of three bodies in Afghanistan. This investigation sends him to Turkey, Afghanistan, Bulgaria, even Saudi Arabia, in search of a "cleanskin"—a ghost, a criminal with seemingly no past he refers to as the Saracen (the nomad). The Saracen has plans for full-scale destruction, plans that he has been nurturing since childhood. And Pilgrim has no idea just how he is connected to other cases, other events in his own past—and he isn't even sure if the sharpest minds in the intelligence community are good enough to find the Saracen before disaster strikes. There's so much more to this book than I've described, but it is better to let these things unfold as you read them rather than lose the elements of surprise and suspense. Pilgrim is a fantastic character, and some of the supporting characters are equally as fascinating and well-drawn. I Am Pilgrim is a sweeping thriller with intelligence and heart. It's the story of an immensely clever man on the hunt of someone who might be even more clever—and infinitely more dangerous. It's the story of friendship, of loyalty, of bravery, of trying to do right by those who believe in you. There's some fantastic action and suspense, but it is so well-written as well. This is a big book, over 600 pages, but I flew through it as quickly as I could (and if I could have just sat and read uninterrupted by life, I would have finished it a few days ago). It's the first day of 2015, and I have little doubt that this will make my list of the best books I'll read all year. And as I read it, all I kept thinking was, I am so sad that my father is no longer alive, because he would have loved this book as much as I did.

Terry Hayes is a wonderful storyteller.....lengthy and detailed, well worth the journey...wonderfully creative, plenty of twists from start to conclusion.

This was a very good read, if we had a "half star" I would rate it 4 1/2 stars. This is not an absolute page turner, where you stay up all night to finish the book-it's better than that, and the kind of story you may want to "drag out" a bit. I believe this is the author's first work? This is a good sign. This is a good story, perhaps made just a touch too complicated by the author. There were several little subplots, that at times I thought cumbersome, didn't add much to the story line, and made things a touch confusing at times (maybe if I stayed up all night to finish the book I might not have been confused, but I didn't, and so be it). But even with the minor confusion of sub-plots, the main story remained intact. The character development was excellent-so good that it's hard to believe this is the author's first work. You could visualize these folks....even in your sleep. Just the character development alone puts this new author near the top of his class. OK, we have to say something negative. The book was a little bit too long. I think the numerous sub-plots already mentioned contributed to this, which was a shame as the central story was powerful enough so that it didn't have to get cluttered up. The wrap up was too hurried, and almost a touch contrived-almost(in my view) that the author weaved this really great story of cataclysmic implications, and thought how can he wrap this all up in 25 pages or less. Poor ending (well, not too poor, the world didn't die), but a little bit of a rushed job, IMO. I think experience will improve this minor deficiency. I'm looking forward to seeing more from Terry Hayes.

"I am Pilgrim" is a superbly crafted first novel by Terry Hayes. It is both a murder mystery and a top notch spy/terrorism novel. The first part of the book seems to drag a little, but the ending more than makes up for that. A seemingly unconnected series of events at the outset is pulled together at the end, and I was not able to put the book down for the last few hundred pages. A woman is found murdered, face down in a bathtub of acid in a New York city hotel. Her teeth had been removed and the acid had eaten away her fingerprints and face, making identification of the body almost impossible. The room was sprayed with industrial disinfectant and wiped clean of fingerprints, destroying any and all forensic evidence. Enter Scott Murdoch (or Peter Campbell or Brodie Wilson, we never find out what his real name was) who had written a book on investigative procedures under the pen name of Jude Garrett. The crime scene is right out of his book, seemingly the perfect crime. We get a little back story of Scott. Adopted by a wealthy family and given the best education possible, he did not seem to fit in and was always a loner. Possessed of high intelligence and great intuition, he was recruited by a covert branch of U.S. intelligence known as the Division. He quickly rose in the ranks and became the youngest director of the organization, known as the "Rider of the Blue." When the Division was dismantled, he tried to disappear and lead a "normal" life, but fate was not kind to Scott. All to soon he was brought back to the world he wanted to forget, and eventually the stakes were raised so high that it became an all or nothing proposition. Meanwhile, half a world away in Saudi Arabia, a young boy watches his father beheaded in a public square for criticizing the royal family.The scene would be burned into his memory forever and set him on a path of retribution. At 16, he joined the muj in Afghanistan fighting the Soviet invaders, where he distinguished himself as a brave and noble fighter. The Saracen, as he would become known, was also extremely intelligent. When the war was over, he bought a fake death certificate and a new passport, taking on a completely different identity. He made his way to Lebanon where he attended and graduated medical school. He was then ready to begin his plan of retribution and devised a plan to devastate the United States and thus leave Israel and Saudi Arabia vulnerable. The murder investigation becomes entwined with the terrorist plot, and Scott will have to use all of his skills to find the Saracen and stop the deaths of thousands of innocent lives. Thus the two loners are destined to meet. Two of the best for their individual causes, and only one would walk away. I love how the book made use of everything. The old memories drudged up, the places visited, the murders, etcetera. They all came into play at some point during the events leading up to the climax Time seemed to stop for me as I neared the end of the book and the pages just kept turning. I looked at my clock and it was 4 am, but I still couldn't stop. The book was that good, and plausible too, which made it really scary. I found myself rooting for Scott, code named Pilgrim, as he was a character that it was hard not to like. As was said of him, "his heart was his weight." But I also felt for the Saracen. He was brave and brilliant, and if not for the terrible events of his childhood, he too could have been a great man. But they were destined to face off at the end in an epic game of chicken, and you'll have to read to find out who blinks first. Great book!!!

Wow! I agree with all of the positive things about this book that have been pointed out by the other reviewers. It is a long novel, but I didn't want it to end and had trouble putting it down. I generally read about one book per week, almost always of the mystery/suspense/thriller type. I have read all of the most well-known and acclaimed authors in this genre. Greg Iles is still my favorite, BTW, but this novel, the first offering by Terry Hayes, stands out as one of the very best thriller/espionage novels I have read in some time. Highly recommended In short, an awesome new talent has obviously emerged. I can't wait to read his second novel! As an aside, being a professional molecular biologist, I noticed that there were a few minor aspects of the science that Mr. Hayes didn't quite get right, but this didn't diminish my enthusiasm for the novel. Just in case he reads this, I feel compelled to point out that when an order is placed with a company for synthetic DNA, it is routine to compare the sequence of the requested DNA fragment with the database of nucleic acid sequences in GeneBank and/or other similar databases. If the sequence matches part of the genome of an organism that is a so-called "select agent", like anthrax, plague, smallpox, tularemia, ebola, etc., then it is almost certain that law enforcement agencies would be notified. I know for a fact that this is true in the United States, where most companies that market synthetic DNA are located. Whether this is also true in secondary markets like China, I am not sure. Yet in the novel, the Saracen purchased at least several DNA synthesizers of his own. Using just these instruments it would have been possible to accomplish his objective in secret. Of course, the more DNA synthesizers, the less time it would take. His objective comprised about 130,000 base-pairs of DNA, which would take a lot of time to make in one's garage, but nonetheless, theoretically it could be done. If a rouge country or group with considerable financial resources desired to do this, it would not be that difficult for them to accomplish in a relatively short period of time. The genetic blueprints of virtually all deadly human pathogens are accessible on-line, as the author points out. Moreover, the particular pathogen that the Saracen was seeking to produce happens to be one of the few for which the assembled DNA itself can easily be used to produce the infectious agent, and a deadly one it is indeed! This novel should be a wake-up call for all of us. The ability to produce synthetic pathogens is now firmly within our grasp, and it seems reasonable to be worried about this. We need surveillance not only of customers ordering fragments of DNA that correspond to genomes of known pathogens and potential bioterrorism agents, but more so on the sales of DNA synthesizing machines. One machine, or even two, in a single laboratory is of no concern at this time because it would take at least decades to do any harm. However, the threat from dozens or hundreds of those instruments, located in a single facility, is palpable. What assurance do we have that private companies or wealthy individuals are not accumulating the necessary tools to transform the fiction in Mr. Hayes' novel into a terrible reality? I think many scientists could do it, if they wanted to, given enough money... I am not going to accuse a particular group, but in general, religious fanatics who have earned a higher degree in molecular biology need to be watched most closely. You would have to have a PhD to do this kind of genetic engineering.

Brief summary and review, no spoilers. This lengthy novel goes back and forth between our two main characters: an American high-ranking ex-spy who will go by the code name Pilgrim and a Saudi Arabian born mujahideen fighter known as the Saracen. At the start of the book, we know that Pilgrim had retired (at an early age) and has written a book about investigative techniques and basically how to commit crimes without detection. He thinks that no one will ever figure out he is the author, but when a wily NY City police detective named Ben Bradley and his wife do their own checking, they figure it out and Pilgrim (who they find out was born with the name Scott Murdoch) is asked to help solve a mysterious crime that occurred in a rather ramshackle NY hotel. The reason Bradley finds Scott and asks him for help with the case is because it's obvious that the killer had read Scott's book and employed his techniques. Scott is both perturbed and impressed that Ben has figured out who he is, and once he finds out about Ben's heroism during 9/11 he decides he'll help. Meanwhile, we go to the chapters that tell the story of the Saracen, and how he witnessed the brutal execution of his beloved father at the hands of the Saudi police on orders from the Saudi royal family. The father had been trying to expose their corruption. With a deep-seeded hatred, the young boy decides to join a fundamentalist Muslim group and from there, goes on to help the Muslim freedom fighters during their war with the Russians. As his tale continues, we learn about his intelligence, the tragedies in his life and the reasons he has become so embittered against the United States and Israel. He comes up with a brilliant plan to kill as many Americans as possible - I won't divulge that plan although you learn it rather quickly in the book because it's better for the reader to find that out when the author intended we find that out. Meanwhile, the head of the intelligence services in the United States finds out about the Saracen's plans, and Scott is recruited to find him and foil his efforts before catastrophe. He reluctantly agrees and once again becomes a covert agent, this time on his own albeit with the top USA intelligence forces behind him. The story goes back and forth between Scott and the Saracen and goes back and forth in time. In this way we get background as to both characters and see what makes them tick. As the story continues it becomes a nail-biter as we follow Scott as he trails the Saracen in a mad rush to prevent the mass destruction and at the same time, we also learn more about the murder in the NY City apartment building as that mystery still looms. The chapters about Pilgrim are told from his point of view, whereas the chapters about the Saracen are told in third person. Both are very effective narration forms for this novel and really keep the action moving. I very much enjoyed this book. I thought it was a page-turner although it took me a long time to finish; it's a long book and there is a lot of going back and forth in time to various subplots and histories. I learned a LOT about currently investigative techniques and the book does a wonderful job showing us how the spy business has changed since the days when Russia was our enemy; the fight now is very different especially with the adversaries willing to give up their own lives for a religious cause. Another thing I really liked about this book is that I thought it gave a balanced view of some of the possible causes of Muslim extremism and a sympathetic view of many in the Muslim community. It also critiqued American interrogation techniques such as water-boarding and showed the power and scope of America's intelligence community - not a lot is private anymore. Recommended. I look forward to reading the next novel by this author.

Let me first say that I loved this book. As long as it was, it was difficult to put down and the story was compelling. But I must say, that I always felt that the art of writing included what parts of a narrative need not be voiced. There is an old joke about how Michelangelo carved his David. When they asked him how he did it he said he just took a big stone and chipped away everything that wasn’t David. I think that as good as the story was, Terry Hayes could’ve chipped away some more stone without hurting the story. It’s a great book to get immersed in and very satisfying in the unraveling and conclusion of the plot

I was reading another novel, and this book was mentioned in it, and the author had said it was immediately captivating. I ordered it that same day and was barely able to put it down over the next few days as I finished it. So well written, so well executed. Characters were amazing. Can't say enough. Buy this book and read it!

Started off thinking this may not be a story for me, but it just kept getting better! Great plot, interesting characters & an easy to read style! I urge you to give a read!

!!NO SPOILERS!!- JUST A REVIEW OF HOW AMAZING THIS BOOK IS! Clear your schedule because once you pick up this book, you are not putting it down! This is hands down one of the most engaging, riveting and surprising books I have ever read. The intricate complexities of this book keeps your mind wondering about it long after you've finished reading. The storyline is unlike any I have ever come across-- you'll be missing out if you don't add this to your cart right now.

Hayes weet op een unieke manier een fictioneel verhaal neer te zetten in de echte wereld, dat zo goed is uitgedacht en onderbouwd met echte feiten dat het zomaar echt gebeurd zou kunnen zijn. Hierdoor begon ik zelf te denken over hoe het verhaal zich in het echt zou uitspelen, en dan blijkt dus dat dit boek helemaal niet zo vergezocht is als het misschien allemaal lijkt. Wel is het redelijk gestereotypeerd, en mogelijk zullen niet al die stereotypen bij iedereen in goede aarde vallen. Iets wat ik origineel verwachtte als kritiekpuntje, maar uiteindelijk juist het tegenovergestelde is geworden, is de manier waarop het verhaal wordt beschreven. Zeker in het begin lijken er meerdere compleet van elkaar losstaande verhaallijnen te zijn, die soms heel lang achter elkaar worden beschreven, waardoor je de andere verhaallijnen 'mist'. Het is dus belangrijk om goed te blijven nadenken en niets door elkaar te halen. Naar het eind toe wordt echter steeds duidelijker hoe alles bij elkaar komt, en heb je echt momenten waarop het 'klikt'. Juist het feit dat je nu zo veel achtergrond hebt, die in het misschien regelmatig onnodig leek, zorgt ervoor dat de karakters goed tot leven komen. Het verhaal begint goed, was daarna wat minder interessant, maar eindigt zeer intrigerend. Het duurde misschien even voordat het écht goed werd, maar uiteindelijk heb ik er meer dan genoten van verwacht, en zelfs nu het boek uit is blijf ik aan het verhaal denken. Zeker de moeite waard als je het niet erg vind dat het een wat dikker boek is.

882 pages of an absolute viscerally tense page turner. What a ride!? it took me a kindle & a paperback. #highlyrecommended

Produto perfeito e recebido adequadamente.