I Am Pilgrim in SSG: Spy/Spec-Ops Group

Apr 10, 2014 Bill Ward rated it it was amazing

This book was recommended by a number of reading friends who know I love a good thriller and WOW what a great read! Fabulous characters, amazing detail and a fast moving plot that held my attention from start to finish. I so enjoyed the first half of the book I saved the rest for my holiday and couldn't put it down. I can't wait to watch the inevitable film. ...more

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Oct 06, 2015 Arqam rated it really liked it · review of another edition

3.5 stars!
Word page-turner simply wouldn't do justice with 'I Am Pilgrim', a new reader like myself wouldn't be courageous enough to put his hand on 'I Am Pilgrim' simply because of its 900 pages. Albeit it turned out to be like watching 007 on a rollercoaster ride;
A great plot for a thriller book by a script writer, written about the same propaganda’s against America and their secret service saving them spectacularly bla bla bla. He puts 9/11 in topic for all the same known reasons.
I would put ...more

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Apr 05, 2015 Bodo Pfündl rated it it was amazing

Shelves: current-champion

Mind blowing, complex and without exaggeration probably the best of it's genre!

"I am Pilgrim" is the story of two titans. A brilliant terrorist with a devastating (and frightening realistic) plot to destroy America and the best intelligence agent there is, who's desperately trying to catch him before it"s too late.

The book got my attention due to the amazing number of positive reviews, yet I wasn't expecting it would be the best book I'd ever read!

The narrative is so fascinating, the characters ...more

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Aug 03, 2015 Niles rated it it was amazing

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 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!!! ...more

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