I Am Pilgrim: A Thriller

This is an unusual book, told in 1st person by a very inventive (unusual) principal character. The book starts at a strange murder with the protagonist musing of past memories. The 'looking back' memories continue in support of the theme and to fully develop the main character … and more importantly to later explain several threads which come together. There is a main plot and a sub plot (sub the initial murder ... not giving anything away by writing this). They convolve in an interesting and creative way. The story is very creative but only about halfway through did it become magnetic for me, as in I was compelled to read (older now, I no longer read until the end in one sitting unconscious of time). This morning I finished it. Although I could foresee the ending in latter pages, how it would evolve and what else would take place was not obvious, interesting, needed. It's impossible to express the wonderment at how Hayes managed to invent the story, and details supporting it. Stunning! I wrote this review only to advise strongly ... if you buy it and begin reading, stick with it. One more thing in my Columbo moment. In addition to the "thriller" there is a philosophical voice from time to time. Tune in.

Holy crap. This was an intense, terrific read that still has my heart pounding.There's a man whose real name is known by very few people. Call him Pilgrim. At one point he was the head of a secret intelligence force within the U.S. government, but after retiring from that job, he is forbidden to speak about what he did, where he was, or for whom he worked. He wrote a book about some of the most notorious cases he dealt with, some of the most ingenious criminal minds he encountered, but he had to publish it under a pseudonym.Asked by a detective friend to observe a crime scene, he finds something tremendously disturbing—the murder was committed using techniques from his book. It seems nearly impossible to determine the identity of the victim or the killer. But little does he realize that this will be the least of his problems.Pilgrim is called into service once again by the government, after traces of a bio-hazard are found within the smoldering remains of three bodies in Afghanistan. This investigation sends him to Turkey, Afghanistan, Bulgaria, even Saudi Arabia, in search of a "cleanskin"—a ghost, a criminal with seemingly no past he refers to as the Saracen (the nomad). The Saracen has plans for full-scale destruction, plans that he has been nurturing since childhood. And Pilgrim has no idea just how he is connected to other cases, other events in his own past—and he isn't even sure if the sharpest minds in the intelligence community are good enough to find the Saracen before disaster strikes.There's so much more to this book than I've described, but it is better to let these things unfold as you read them rather than lose the elements of surprise and suspense. Pilgrim is a fantastic character, and some of the supporting characters are equally as fascinating and well-drawn. I Am Pilgrim is a sweeping thriller with intelligence and heart. It's the story of an immensely clever man on the hunt of someone who might be even more clever—and infinitely more dangerous. It's the story of friendship, of loyalty, of bravery, of trying to do right by those who believe in you. There's some fantastic action and suspense, but it is so well-written as well. This is a big book, over 600 pages, but I flew through it as quickly as I could (and if I could have just sat and read uninterrupted by life, I would have finished it a few days ago).It's the first day of 2015, and I have little doubt that this will make my list of the best books I'll read all year. And as I read it, all I kept thinking was, I am so sad that my father is no longer alive, because he would have loved this book as much as I did.

This book was so well plotted and kept me turning the pages. The protagonist does seem to have extraordinary spy craft abilities that at times suspend belief. However, that also made it fun to read. The antagonists were equally crafty and intelligent.It is a very long read but it certainly doesn’t lag in any sense. Worth the time if you like thrillers. I fully intend to read his new book “The Year of the Locust” but not right away. It is definitely a time commitment.

"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!!!

This complex and amazing story leads to a place I rarely go... a Five Star review! And it is easily worth each star. The amount of detail brings this story right off the pages and creates a fully believable story! Thank you to Terry Hayes for giving us such a wonderful read!

Everything about this amazing book is beyond excellent. The background research, the maturity of the writing, the plot complexity, the suspense.....just brilliant. Now reading for the 3rd time!PS The only other book I have read this often is Wolf Hall.

A veces demasiado irreal, sobre todo el “machote” del personaje principal, pero la historia engancha, que es lo que cuenta en este tipo de libros, y el estilo es mejor que el de la media.

Although the number of pages will make you think twice but the author have not left the main plot not even for a single page. Just imagine the shere volume of story he is telling.Great one and waiting for more from this author.

Livre intéressant et plein de suspense ! À lire!