Purpose of Evasion: A Sami Lakhani Thriller

Sami Lakhani #1

by J.A. Walsh

Terrorists killed his parents. Now Sami Lakhani works in the dark corners of intelligence to kill the terrorists, but he’s not your average spy. Sami is gay. And Muslim-American. His job and his identity keep him bouncing between a sense of patriotism and the shame of feeling part of a dangerous machine.

Life in the shadows is still better than reckoning with family and the secrets Sami does not want to confront, until he is assigned to stop a terrorist attack which forces him back into the orbit of one person he knows he cannot trust, his own grandfather.

Sami’s dream team of outcasts from the buzzcut world of intelligence uncover links no one wants exposed, including the White House. Before they can stop the plot designed to strike at America’s cultural flashpoints, they are ordered to shut down their investigation.

Sami's sense of duty and pride in his identity finally coalesce in one mission, but to save lives he will have to defy his orders, confront his grandfather, and take on nefarious elements of the government that he serves.

From the mind of J.A. Walsh, former intelligence officer, Purpose of Evasion is a political thriller full of real spy tradecraft.

239 pages, Paperback

Published May 17, 2019

Reviews

[Randall · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Purpose of Evasion" is a page-turner full of great detail culled from Walsh's personal experience as an intelligence officer. For as much detail as there is, it's never overwhelming and never slows down the pace of the story which is timely, creative, and chilling.

I look forward to reading more Sami adventures in the future.

[Mark Sibley · Rating 4 out of 5]

There are no spoilers here. This is J.A. Walsh's debut novel. He is a weaver of tales! I was engrossed in his backstory of Sami Lakhani. It was very well done and not too much at any given moment. I was able to put it down and pick it back up a week later (not due to the story, but life) and was back into a familiar and resonating plot. I had an inkling early on as to who the bad guys were, but I wasn't entirely sure. Also, I usually let myself get caught up in the story and not try to guess what's going to happen. I'm a fan of thrillers and I really like sidekicks and team stories, which this one is. On that note, I love the team that Sami works with and I only wish we'd gotten to know them better, especially Yoda. I really wanted to give this that fifth star and am on the fence even now. I think it was my own hang up on the different character names in the first quarter of the book. I can usually follow intricate characters and aliases, but here I often found myself trying too hard to place them. Don't get me wrong here. It was all for a reason. There is intrigue and spies and history to build up in this story and without the parts that I stumbled on (minor), this story wouldn't have been as good as it was in the second half. And it was really good in the second half. I am eagerly awaiting the sequel and if you like thrillers, this is for you.

[Brad Sears · Rating 5 out of 5]

An Intelligent Thriller

Not the typical page turner, Walsh's style is at once literate and engaging. He offers insightful criticism of contemporary American culture while building the character of a flawed protagonist who in some ways exemplifies those weaknesses, yet manages to do his duty. The ending is a bit stereotypical; but all in all, "Purpose of Evasion" is an impressive initial effort. I look forward to succumb work by this author.

[Jenni · Rating 3 out of 5]

A worthy read. Story was entertaining and loved the main character, Sami. I found the story got a little jumbled at times and marred down with too many names and acronyms.