*Seymour,
Gerald. The Unknown Soldier. Overlook, dist. by Penguin Putnam.
February 2005. c.400p. ISBN 1-58567-634-9. $24.95. Fiction.
British-born Caleb Hunt, recruited and
trained in Afghanistan by al Qaeda, has been imprisoned for
two years at Guantanamo Bay in Cuba. Having convinced intelligence
specialists that he is an innocent taxi driver from Kabul,
he is slated to be released. Before he can be turned over to
the Afghanis for final processing, however, he escapes. Soon
he is in the hands of men who lead him on a grueling journey
into the vast deserts of Saudi Arabia, where he hopes to rejoin
his terrorist “family” and complete a mission of
terrifying devastation. Caleb is the ultimate horror for counter-intelligence
officers—that unknown soldier who is “one of us,” a
Westerner, yet an enemy. Author of 17 novels, Seymour (A Line
in the Sand) constructs a complicated scenario with masterful
clarity, following the actions of more than seven intriguing
characters. As the suspense builds, an unsettling realization
sinks in that the reader might have been sympathizing with
a character who is a deadly terrorist. This intelligent, solidly
entertaining thriller is highly recommended.