Hunting Season: James Foley, ISIS, and the Kidnapping Campaign that Started a War

by James Harkin

Based on his groundbreaking reporting for Vanity Fair , Hunting Season is award-winning journalist James Harkin's harrowing investigation into the abduction, captivity, and execution of James Foley, at the hands of the masked militant known as "Jihadi John" (Mohammed Emwazi), and the fate of more than two-dozen other ISIS hostages .

On August 19, 2014, the jihadist rebel group known as ISIS uploaded a video to YouTube. Entitled "Message to America," the clip depicted the final moments of American journalist James Foley's life--and the gruesome aftermath of his beheading at the hands of a masked executioner. Foley's murder--and the choreographed killings that would follow--captured the world's attention, and the Islamic State's kidnapping campaign exploded into war. Hunting Season is a riveting account of how the world's newest and most powerful terror franchise came to target Western hostages, who was behind it, and why almost no one knew about it until it was too late.

Genres: Nonfiction, Politics, Terrorism

256 pages, Hardcover

First published November 10, 2015

Reviews

[S · Rating 2 out of 5]

Hunting Season reveals an unprecedented level of detail about the kidnapping and imprisonment of James Foley, a narrative that is interwoven with reports and observations about the broader state of the Syrian civil war. Though compelling in its examination of the kidnapping process, the book suffers from some structural problems that detract from its overall flow. In many cases, long expositions are given for characters that have little relevance to the larger plot, information that makes the author's storytelling more confusing necessary. But when Hunting Season sticks to its declared focus – the capture of James Foley and others – it offers a riveting story that delves into K&R industry on a deeply personal scale.

[Annette · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really liked this book. I had seen the Jim Foley documentary and was interested in what he had went through along with the other hostages. This book gave the most detail information on that. My heart breaks when I think of the horrors that Jim was made to go through, but I feel a little joy to know that his family won't let his memory go to vain with their foundation names in his honor.

[Courtney · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very well detailed and informative book. Thoroughly enjoyed it.

[Gracie Mahon · Rating 5 out of 5]

“For emulating the noble is success.”

[Michele Armstrong · Rating 3 out of 5]

I picked up this book because it seemed approachable: written by a Vanity Fair reporter, small book, large font. I would have been better off reading something three times this length because it probably would have included more necessary information. This book does exactly what it says it does: follows the story of one US freelance journalist who was kidnapped in Syria. It assumes you know the players in the game and have a decent working knowledge of the region in which the book takes place. Needless to say, I had a hard time following most of the story. ISIS has come so far since this story gained relevance that I didn't end the book feeling like I had any idea what is going on now. If you are interested in this specific case or have enough of a handle on the entire situation that you're just looking for more individualized stories, then I can recommend this book. If you claim ignorance, don't fool yourself into thinking this book will brighten you up.

[False · Rating 4 out of 5]

This finally turned up as a library hold from something I had ordered AGES ago. I have no idea why it took so long. It also appeared with a Ted Hughes biography, again I have no memory of ordering it's been so long. I almost didn't read it. I have seen a documentary on Foley's life, and I've read a great deal about the Middle East and ISIS in the past few years. I wasn't sure I wanted to wade through the imprisonments and tortures and gruesome deaths again, but that was just a small part of what he has to say. The author seems to have arrived at the same conclusion I did: that the British ISIS members were a bunch of sociopathic killers, going after money and power and the thrill of unchecked murder. They are not political in any sense of the word. The main executioner has since been killed himself, since this book was written. Things change that quickly in the Middle East now.