Lie Down with Lions

[Heather]

"In the Afghan mountains lies the Valley of Five Lions, a place of ancient legend. To it come two young aid workers and an American who has a message for the legendary guerrilla leader, Masud, who is wanted dead or alive by the Russians. Below, in the Valley, a woman stumbles upon a terrifying treachery, leading to a chase across impassable mountains and a confrontation that echoes all our nightmares."
-From Follett's website.

[Michael]

I just read this book after coming across a used copy while traveling and searching around for something to read. Even though it was written during and about the Cold War, it is surprisingly timely, given the US-led war in the same region of the world.

Above that, it's a great story. The first half, especially, is perfectly paced, with wonderful characters and a gripping plot. The second half is still very solid. If I had one gripe it was that I found the sex scenes kind of silly and not particularly erotic. Oddly enough, I find this level of explicit sex that goes on for page after page to be the most dated part of the book.

Still, highly recommended. Looks like you can grab it as an e-book for 8 bucks.