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I Am Pilgrim: A Thriller

I Am Pilgrim: A Thriller - Terry Hayes Pilgrim is the code-name for one of the world’s foremost authorities in forensic investigation. Spending his entire career employed by a secret division of the US government, Pilgrim rode off into the sunset by putting a lifetime of knowledge into what would become the definitive text on forensic crime scene investigation. But what happens when someone uses Pilgrim’s book as a manual for committing the perfect crime?

I received a free copy from Simon & Schuster in exchange for an honest review.

The scope of Terry Hayes’ I Am Pilgrim is much larger than I initially expected. This tightly constructed, well researched thriller takes us around the world and into the lives of two very driven men on opposite sides of the spectrum. What begins as a squeaky clean murder scene expands into a global manhunt with the fate of the Western world hanging in the balance.

When I first heard the synopsis, I instantly associated it with a Jack Bauer adventure. I expected a macho superspy loaded up with overflowing bravado with a penchant for kicking terrorist ass. Luckily for us, the author is ambitious enough to take a 600 page novel and really give it some backbone. The character development is top-notch and when both adversaries finally do meet, the groundwork has been laid perfectly to support such a high stakes battle.

Without giving anything away, make sure you keep an eye on your pulse as the novel draws to a close. Despite all the work and all the room Hayes allotted himself to draw out the conclusion given the page count, he leaves it for the last thirty pages or so. That means that the storytelling is flying with white knuckle speed as Pilgrim tries to stop a global apocalypse. Great stuff.

Supposedly this is the first in a series and while I’m up for revisiting the character, I would have been fine with this existing as a stand-alone novel – it’s that strong. If you’re a fan of blockbuster movies, this is one of those rare instances when a book can perfectly capture that feeling. Read with popcorn.

Also posted @ Every Read Thing