I am Pilgrim by Terry Hayes

 Most of us would give up.  How do you possibly investigate a terror threat when there seem to be no clues to the perpetrators.  Ramon, not his real name, isn't stumped for long, he is after all a member of one of the United States most secret intelligence organizations.

The day had started in a more normal manor, helping his friend, homicide lieutenant Ben Bradley, investigate a grisly murder.  Now Ramon is pulled from retirement to find an unknown terrorist.  As the story continues, we learn about his background and why he is the perfect man for the job.  We are introduced to the man dubbed the Saracen that Ramon must find.

I enjoyed Ramon's back story. His is a fascinating one that I never even imagined could exist.  How close this fictional agent is to real life I'll never know.  As for the Saracen, I was uncomfortable reading his story. Step by step, the author twisted his life and re-made him as the ultimate terrorist.  I hurried reading through his story so I could get back to Ramon's.

I am Pilgrim is a well thought out story and it keep me on edge switching back and forth between Ramon and Saracen.  The only problem I had was the over use of foreshadowing.  When used sparingly, it can be a very effective devise, when over used, it falls flat and in this book it even got laughable.  At one point it was used twice on one page.  If you can over look this, it's a book well worth reading.

Cover image courtesy Simon and Schuster