I Am Pilgrim
A Thriller
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4.7 • 2.4K Ratings
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- $14.99
Publisher Description
“I Am Pilgrim is simply one of the best suspense novels I’ve read in a long time.” —David Baldacci, #1 New York Times bestselling author
“A big, breathless tale of nonstop suspense.” —Janet Maslin, The New York Times
“The pages fly by ferociously fast. Simply unputdownable.” —Booklist
A breakneck race against time…and an implacable enemy.
An anonymous young woman murdered in a run-down hotel, all identifying characteristics dissolved by acid.
A father publicly beheaded in the blistering heat of a Saudi Arabian public square.
A notorious Syrian biotech expert found eyeless in a Damascus junkyard.
Smoldering human remains on a remote mountainside in Afghanistan.
A flawless plot to commit an appalling crime against humanity.
One path links them all, and only one man can make the journey.
Pilgrim.
APPLE BOOKS REVIEW
Terry Hayes shatters the mold with his debut thriller, which nimbly hops between archetypes to create a dazzlingly original spy story. We’re dropped into the scene of a perfectly executed murder in Manhattan, accompanied by a brilliant investigator whose shadowy past life catapults us across the globe to witness formative cloak-and-dagger chases and the decades-long rise of a jihadist doctor named Saracen. We were completely in awe of Hayes’ storytelling as he unfolds a race-against-the-clock terror plot. I Am Pilgrim is vast, violent, believable, and engrossing—an entertaining adventure that doesn’t lose steam until all the loose ends are tied up.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Screenwriter and producer Hayes (Payback) makes his fiction debut with an exceptional thriller that boasts an utterly credible narrator who has had so many covert identities he can barely remember his original name. Soul-weary Scott Murdoch (aka the Pilgrim) has retired from the top echelon of ultrasecret espionage, but duty and faith in the human spirit call him back into service. A lone-wolf Middle Eastern native whom the Pilgrim code names "the Saracen" has a sure-fire bioterrorist plot to destroy the United States. In the cinematic chase that ensues, the action traverses the globe, from the Oval Office to the dusty trails of Afghanistan, each scene fleshed out in the smallest resonating detail (e.g., a Down syndrome child's laughter, the endless nausea of waterboarding). Like many pilgrimages, this one is painfully long and packed with unexpected menace, its glimpses of the goal fitful and far between, but readers will agree that this journey of body and soul is well worth the effort.
Customer Reviews
Fascinating; excellent read
Absolutely first rate. Extremely fast paced. Could not put it down. I desperately hope that we will see the hero (choose which name to refer to him by) again. And soon.
Definition of Suspenseful
I can’t believe Amazon is just sitting on the rights to this book. It would make an amazing movie! It has all the elements: suspense, intriguing story, believable and likable characters, and a villain whose horrible plan is both repugnant and understandable. I often read about books that are impossible to put down, but this is my first after 100s (1000s?) of books over the 69 years I’ve been reading.
Must read! I couldn’t put this down.
This is easily my favorite book of the year. A must read. I’m not typically one for a spy novel, but this is so much more than that. Just wow. I’m sad it’s over!