The Good Jihadist

by Bob Shepherd

Disillusioned SAS veteran Matt Logan is struggling on civvy street. The life he dreams of can be his - if he takes a private security job with the American commander who ended his military career. But when a seemingly random act of terror destroys everything Matt holds dear, the only way to settle the score is to sell his soul. Matt returns to the murky world of Black Ops. But this time, he's not part of an elite crew. To find and kill an elusive insurgent leader, he must go undercover in Pakistan to single-handedly unravel a jihadist network more complex than he realizes and closer than he knows. Stalked by fundamentalists and Pakistani intelligence, Matt ends up a pawn in a conspiracy to redraw the boundaries of global power; a secret war that is ripping a nation apart. But not the one he thinks ...From ex-SAS soldier and bestselling author Bob Shepherd comes an action thriller torn from tomorrow's headlines. A heart-pumping journey through the breeding grounds of Islamic terrorism, The Good Jihadist combines the intrigue of a spy novel with all the adrenaline you'd expect from an elite warrior turned writer.

Genres: War

372 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2007

About the author

Bestselling author Bob Shepherd is an ex-SAS soldier and security advisor. During his twenty years of service with 22 SAS Regiment, Bob participated in the Oman campaign, the Iranian Embassy siege in London, The Falklands War, the first Gulf War and Bosnia. He left the Regiment in 1994 as a Warrant Officer and went to work on the international security circuit as an advisor to media, diplomats and VIPS. Bob’s work in the private sector has taken him to some of the most volatile places on earth including Afghanistan, Iraq, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia. He is a regular media commentator on security issues and has appeared on CNN International, BBC One, BBC World, BBC Radio and SKY News. For more information on Bob or to read his insights on security issues and politics, please visit his blog; www.bobshepherdauthor.com

Reviews

[Julian Raithby · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a real eye opener about the complexities of regions such as Afghanistan and Pakistan. Matt Logan is a member of the worlds finest special forces, the SAS. After events lead to him leaving the Regiment, he has the chance to join a private security firm and undertake black ops once more, but this means joining a group led by the American commander who eneded his SAS carreer. An horrific incident is the driving force behind Matt and this seeking of revenge leads him into a world where no one is who they seem to be and the lines in the sand are ever blurred.
Although a fictional book, using his 22 years in the SAS and his knowledge gained from around 17 years in the private security trade, Bob embeleshes his books with the kind of details and passion only gained from experience. I for one never knew there were more than one type of Taliban and that China has a massive vested interest in places such as Afghanistan. As with many great stories, you never really know who is on who's side and which people can or can't be trusted. I love the book, and if you enjoy it too, then get his first book 'The Circuit' and his second ' The Infidel'. The first is about his time in private security giving close protection to many media and VIP types and the second is his first fictional novel. I guarantee it will open your eyes to things you never knew went on. Fingers crossed there's many more to come.

[Candi Smith · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received this book for free from GoodReads First Reads. My favorite part about this book was the main story line after Part I. The only reason I gave this book only 3 stars is because I couldn't get into it until Part II, but I stuck with it because it got good reviews and I was glad I did because I ended up getting really into it. Also, I had some trouble getting confused with some of the military terminology, but that is only because I have no military background whatsoever. There is a glossary of terms at the beginning of the book, but I got sick of flipping back and forth to look up all the terms. Overall, beginning was a little dry but the book ended up being great! I would recommend it to anyone with at least some knowledge of military terminology or anybody who doesn't, but is patient enough to allow the compelling storyline to kick in. From Part II on, I could hardly put the book down and even fell asleep reading it a few times!

[Steve Pawley · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the first book I’ve read in years. I enjoyed the pace, the characters and the twists in the story.

Some of the military lingo took a little bit of getting used to, but this all helped to make the story more convincing. As I progressed through the chapters I found myself recalling press stories and films that echoed some of the events in this story and I found myself researching Middle Eastern politics and real life conflicts within the region.

Having not read a book for many years, i really wasn’t sure what to expect when I picked it up, but it left me wanting more. I’ll be checking out ‘The Infidel’ soon and hoping it’s as suspenseful and thrilling as this book was.

[Rushabh · Rating 4 out of 5]

A nicely paced read with superb history/geography lessons

[Aviva · Rating 2 out of 5]

It started out good. But I quickly lost interest once Emma was killed off.

[Damini Ganguly · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was alright. It wasn't to my taste. I could definitely visualise it being a kick-ass movie. Text format is a little meh.

[Tariq Mahmood · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a must read for all Pakistanis........

If you want to know what the average Brit thinks about Pakistan at the moment, read on. This book has it all, Islamic fundamentalist pitied against American Christian ones, separatist like the Baluch's. Pathans, Sindhis, even Punjabis are up in arms in this page turner of a book. At times it seems a trifle paranoid and surreal with business like explanatory meetings happening right in the middle of a firefight but as a Pakistani I loved all the attention. I thought all the conspiracy theories with the Chinese and American interests in Pakistan were very interesting, and especially the focus on the Baluch movement. Money seems to rule the roost as very paradoxical Pakistanis are easily swayed by American dollars. I also enjoyed the difference in characters of the suicidal bombings adopted by Pathans and Punjabi have not taken up by the Baluchis. The books is filled with rich anecdotes which as a Pakistani I thought were very apt like:

'watching too much news makes you loose touch with reality'
'people love talking about themselves unless they have something to hide.'
'worst form of torture is silence.'
'The Baluchs are simple, he does not think unless we ask.'

[jPhx · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Good Jihadist by Bob Shepherd

A superb SIS thriller set around the double dealing grey ops of a covert and private military contractor team that is ensconced in the maddening mire of maintaining the conflict in Pakistan. Absolutely absorbing, this page turning twister introduces the western reader to some of the complexities of the Pakistan internal and Afghan border conflict and the sovereignty aims of some including, the Pashtun, Baluch and BLA and the confident corruption of all involved, including hopeful foreign puppet masters.

From what seems to start with an apparent killing of a live news reporter at the time of an explosion, our determined combatant is on a quest to avenge his fiancée’s surreptitious murder in plain sight. Little does he know that nothing is quite as it seems, not the media she worked for, the close protection unit of former colleagues, fixers, interpreters nor local leaders or principal politicians.

The action is relentless and realistic, even showing clearly why one should always service their piece and other pragmatic situations. This is an excellent action thriller for those who enjoy the genre and not just simply a shoot them up and win the day fantasy of many. Excellent ending.

[Tara Horak · Rating 5 out of 5]

I just finished reading “The Good Jihardist” written by Bob Shepherd and ... wow. I don’t know whether it was the subject matter, the character or simply the way Bob writes but I found myself riveted to every part of this book.

The main character Matt Logan was likable and I found myself feeling for him, aching for him and sitting on the edge of my seat as he was taken for a spin more than once to find the answers that he was so desperately seeking.

For me? When I read a book, I have to be able to connect to the characters. I have to be able to feel for them. Characters are very important to my enjoyment of a book and are just as important as the story itself. Matt was easy to get attached to right from the start.
I found my heart racing during the action scenes and riveted to the story telling from the other characters as Matt learned more and more about what he was dealing with.

Great book! Enjoyed every minute! Thanks once again, Bob, for an awesome read.

[Rob Damon · Rating 3 out of 5]

Will this book help you understand the motives for the war on terrorism? I don't think so. But it will give you an absorbing read about such things. Matt Logan is a sympathetic character who leads you through some complex and dangerous situation as he tries to infiltrate a network of terrorists in Pakistan, bringing you face to face with the "enemy". With so many twists and secret agendas going on, I found it hard to know who was fighting against who. But I think that was the point. It certainly made me see the complexities of relations between the US, the UK, Pakistan, Afghanistan, India, and China.

[Studvet · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting in many ways and the writer obviously knows his stuff about the region and the geo-political facts, but it all got a bit confusing and hard to keep it all together and who was who and which was which. I had to keep re-reading passages to keep things straight. Everything seemed built on straw houses. The lead character seemed as confused as I was as it seemed double-dealing upon double -dealing. As I said, interesting in its own way but won't read any more of the series.

[Bec · Rating 4 out of 5]

Yet another great read from Mr. Shepherd. He writes these books so well, and with a refreshingly different angle on events.

[Kalpana Murari · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fabulous..