Official Review: The Infidel Khan by Scott JC Buckingham

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casper
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Official Review: The Infidel Khan by Scott JC Buckingham

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[Following is the official OnlineBookClub.org review of "The Infidel Khan" by Scott J C Buckingham.]

This is a fast-paced adventure story which centres around a plot to assassinate Osama Bin Laden, hatched by a rogue CIA agent. In order to carry out his scheme he needs to enlist the aid of someone with experience and intimate knowledge of the North West Frontier region of Pakistan, someone who will also perish in the fallout and thus be unable to claim a share of the glory.

By chance he comes across the ideal candidate in the person of Wil Sanderson, a biologist and tracker who has spent decades working in the wilds of the Hindu Kush. Finding that Wil, not surprisingly, is unwilling to co-operate when the plan is suggested to him, the agent sets about coercing his assistance through a devious scheme involving kidnap and al-Qaeda.

What he doesn't know is that Wil is a lot more switched on than he gives him credit for and can count on the support of three very special people: his blood brothers, truly tied by bounds of blood, if not by nation. We meet many memorable characters as the story weaves its way from the African veldt, via Australia, and on to the North West Frontier; some are heroic and honourable, while others are suitably obnoxious and, one hopes, heading for a downfall.

The author's descriptive style works for me; he has spent some time in the Afghanistan / Pakistan borderland and he either has first hand experience of the other locations or he has done extensive research - he certainly makes me believe he has been there. I am impressed by his knowledge of the Pathans and the other inhabitants of the Hindu Kush; their religious beliefs, code of honour, customs, and way of dress, as well as the geography and climate of the region. He appears to be similarly well-acquainted with all the different weaponry that features in the story, although I have to admit that it is not a subject I know much about.

I find the writer's imagery unusual and striking, and quite often animal related: 'An indistinct, but lethal, shudder traveled down his spine, as if a funnel-web spider were using his vertebrae for a game of hopscotch.' and there are many encounters with animals in the book, from lions and wolves to meat ants, so maybe he shares some of Wil's training as a biologist.

There is a strong underlying sense of comedy running through the book; the hero himself is self-mocking and does not spare his companions, and black humour in abundance is provided by 'The Identicals' who spend most of their time dreaming up spectacularly nightmarish tortures for those they consider deserve punishment.

A few things slightly spoil it for me. I find the story jumps about a bit at beginning, both in time and in location, so the reader needs to be aware of the order in which the events occur. There are also quite a few typographical errors and too many missing speech marks which cause me a bit of confusion while working out whether the next sentence is part of the dialogue or part of the narrative. In addition, on a couple of occasions it seems to me that Wil behaves so completely out of character that I have to suspend belief in his actions and the subsequent events. For these reasons it just falls short of my four star rating.

Overall, I think it is a clever, well constructed book; a plot within a plot. I would recommend it to anyone who loves a good story which actually imparts a lot of information along with the action. I rate this book 3 out of 4 stars.

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