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Jihadi Bride
“A timely edge-of-your-seat terrorism thriller that plays on every parent’s worst fears. This cinematic thriller is destined for TV.” –Best Thrillers
Erik Petersson works with the High-Risk Traveler Task Force, an organization that prevents radicalized individuals from joining extremist groups. Disciplined and dedicated, Erik’s carefully controlled world is upended when his daughter, Arielle, leaves university to join the Islamic Caliphate, a terrorist regime in Syria. Erik rallies a desperate effort to stop her, but when he fails, he resolves to bring Arielle back, whatever the cost.
Driven by a secret she can’t outrun, Arielle’s dream of a more purposeful life is confronted with the brutality of life in the Caliphate. When she attracts the attention of Abu Noor al Kanadi, a terrorist leader bent on punishing America for its actions in the Middle East, Arielle must choose whether to sacrifice her dreams to survive or risk a frantic bid to escape. Torn between rival agendas, father and daughter must choose between family or country, love or fear.
Erik Petersson works with the High-Risk Traveler Task Force, an organization that prevents radicalized individuals from joining extremist groups. Disciplined and dedicated, Erik’s carefully controlled world is upended when his daughter, Arielle, leaves university to join the Islamic Caliphate, a terrorist regime in Syria. Erik rallies a desperate effort to stop her, but when he fails, he resolves to bring Arielle back, whatever the cost.
Driven by a secret she can’t outrun, Arielle’s dream of a more purposeful life is confronted with the brutality of life in the Caliphate. When she attracts the attention of Abu Noor al Kanadi, a terrorist leader bent on punishing America for its actions in the Middle East, Arielle must choose whether to sacrifice her dreams to survive or risk a frantic bid to escape. Torn between rival agendas, father and daughter must choose between family or country, love or fear.
326 pages, Kindle Edition
Published September 5, 2019
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 78 reviews
February 14, 2021
4.5 "PTSD inducing Matt Damon" stars !!
2020 Honorable Mention Read
Thank you to BookSirens and the author for an e-copy book in exchange for my honest review.
This is not typical Jaidee fare. This is a book I often wanted to stop due to the extreme violence depicted in it's pages. I could not stop though. The book was so cinematic, so well written and so steeped in a realistic depiction of radicalization of youth, Jihadism and counter-terrorism tactics.
This is also a story of a man willing to do anything to save his daughter when he didn't save his wife. A good man who has had difficulty with alcohol, workaholism and perfectionism. A man who loves deeply but does not know how to express or deal with emotion. This is a book about his college age daughter who feels bereft and alone in her grief and traumata. A woman who is dealt blows by overarching patriarchy, a young woman who feels undeserving of her father's love.
The backdrop is a terrifying world of drug lords, religious fanatics and terrorists. We are taken to Turkey, Iraq, Syria and then to Central Africa. There are horrendous episodes of violence, torture and other extreme situations.
This is a novel that reinforces that living in peace and safety is not the norm in much of the world and that we should never take freedom or peace for granted.
I was mightily impressed with this pulp fiction political thriller that was so very carefully constructed, so well thought through and infused with many wisdoms. Thank you Mr. Luft for this superb novel !
This would make an excellent film starring Matt Damon !
2020 Honorable Mention Read
Thank you to BookSirens and the author for an e-copy book in exchange for my honest review.
This is not typical Jaidee fare. This is a book I often wanted to stop due to the extreme violence depicted in it's pages. I could not stop though. The book was so cinematic, so well written and so steeped in a realistic depiction of radicalization of youth, Jihadism and counter-terrorism tactics.
This is also a story of a man willing to do anything to save his daughter when he didn't save his wife. A good man who has had difficulty with alcohol, workaholism and perfectionism. A man who loves deeply but does not know how to express or deal with emotion. This is a book about his college age daughter who feels bereft and alone in her grief and traumata. A woman who is dealt blows by overarching patriarchy, a young woman who feels undeserving of her father's love.
The backdrop is a terrifying world of drug lords, religious fanatics and terrorists. We are taken to Turkey, Iraq, Syria and then to Central Africa. There are horrendous episodes of violence, torture and other extreme situations.
This is a novel that reinforces that living in peace and safety is not the norm in much of the world and that we should never take freedom or peace for granted.
I was mightily impressed with this pulp fiction political thriller that was so very carefully constructed, so well thought through and infused with many wisdoms. Thank you Mr. Luft for this superb novel !
This would make an excellent film starring Matt Damon !
February 14, 2020
Mamdouh's ambition served him well, but it would get him into trouble sooner or later. "I prefer more subtle methods of instilling fear".
Jihadi Bride by Alastair Luft
3.5 stars. I think this is a book most people will like. It would also make an excellent Television series. While there are things I did not love, that is mostly due to my own personal tastes. One cannot deny how well written this is and when reading it, one can almost see this playing out on television before you,
This was an interesting read. Jihadi Bride is a deeply disturbing book that I started off loving and then as the book went on, not so much as I did in the beginning.
Erik is a Widower who works special operations. He attempts to keep people from going to and joining, terrorist organizations. He keeps people from being radicalized.
But what happens when the person Erik loves most in the world..his daughter Arial..herself becomes radicalized? This is the subject of this book.
Arial has had a tough life. Her mother committed suicide and though her dad loves her, she is away at college and does not see him all that much. When a sudden tragic incident befalls her while at school, it changes her whole way of thinking. She meets another girl at school, Naomi and slowly, her transition begins.
This is not an easy book to read. It is deeply moving with many tragic events and more violence and gore than I was comfortable with. Yet the book itself was impossible to put down..at least at first.
I will still be recommending this book because, as I said, I think most people interested in this subject will really like this book. It was obviously very well researched. Toward the second half things turn around. The book suddenly morphs into non stop chase sequences, people running for their lives etc. At first it is just Ariel but then her dad decides to go search for her and suddenly he is in all these risky situations too.
The book bumps from Erik to Ariel and what bothered me and made me start to seriously skim, was that both were struggling and running..chase sequences, people killed, Ebola.. it turned into different book then I wanted to read.
This is not the writer's fault. But chase scenes bore me. I am a big fan of the TV show Homeland but even with that, when the show goes into action sequences I tune out. Even if Shakespeare had written this book..I just do not find this type of book to my taste. Has nothing to do with the writing.
But I think some people, who like non stop action and electric and fast paced mysteries may disagree with me and like the second half better then the first!
I'd have preferred it stay dialogue driven and would have liked to see more of Arial's life as she struggles to adjust and realizes she made a mistake. But all the killings and escaping and running and chasing and being chased..that is not for me.
I would absolutely recommend this because it is such a relevant book and it is well written and if you also do not like chase scenes do like I did not, you can still read it and skim those scenes or skip them all together. I did have a strong need to know what happens.
SPOILER:
I would have liked to know about Naomi and what happened to her.
In summary..it is a good book but for me, it was not one I loved during the second half, due to the change in how the book was structured. If you do not have issues with the things I mentioned you will likely love this. Regardless, this seems so ready to be a Television show or even a movie. And I think it would make a good one. 3.5 stars.
August 20, 2021
I really enjoyed the book ”Jihadi Bride” it is a rapid pace, plot turning, novel that I read in one day.
It is an in-depth story about a naïve daughter’s to follow her beliefs and her father’s multiple attempts to bring her back to Canada. Additionally it gives an in-depth look at a very powerful terrorist group and how it operates. I must warn you that there is some violence that is described that is a result of action is taken throughout the story. Yet, the author did a superb job of drawing theme into the storyline.
It was well written and factually accurate. Superb characterization as well. I liked the characters Erik, Jordan and most of all, Arielle/Hafsa.
I highly recommend it.
I received an advance copy of this book. The opinions expressed in the review are my own.
It is an in-depth story about a naïve daughter’s to follow her beliefs and her father’s multiple attempts to bring her back to Canada. Additionally it gives an in-depth look at a very powerful terrorist group and how it operates. I must warn you that there is some violence that is described that is a result of action is taken throughout the story. Yet, the author did a superb job of drawing theme into the storyline.
It was well written and factually accurate. Superb characterization as well. I liked the characters Erik, Jordan and most of all, Arielle/Hafsa.
I highly recommend it.
I received an advance copy of this book. The opinions expressed in the review are my own.
September 8, 2019
What a well written and timely novel. Erik Petersson works for the High Risk Travelers Task Force as part of the Canadian police. He’s a former special ops soldier and has had quite a life, professionally and personally. The most important thing in his life, perhaps the only thing he has at all other than his work, is his college age daughter Arielle. At the beginning of the book Erik receives a call from Arielle that she is heading to Syria to join the Islamic State. He hasn’t even known she had converted to Islam and he is both devastated and raving with thoughts of all he knows about radicalism and what’s going on in Syria. Yet despite his position, his task force is primarily focused on stopping people from traveling to the Islamic State in the first place, not finding them once they’ve already left. So while his work ends up being an asset he’s largely alone in his quest to get his daughter back.
I was quite excited to win this book from a GoodReads giveaway. While severe illness cut short my dreams and plans, I had been a Middle East Studies Major with either a focus on going into the foreign service or pursuing a counterterrorism career, so this book was right up my alley. I’ve read extensively about young people from the west who left to join ISIS, just trying to wrap my head around why someone would do that. I found Arielle’s story and experiences to ring very true to all I’ve read and am certain the author did a ton of research. And I must admit, it was Arielle’s part of the story I found most fascinating.
I do think things went a bit unrealistic at points but I suppose that’s the way these sorts of thrillers go and I still found the story extremely gripping and did not anticipate the climax and ending. Besides a bit of a look inside at counterterrorism efforts, I especially enjoyed that the book looked at what lead Arielle on her path and others like her, how young people could be drawn to radicalism. I also enjoyed some meditations on war and love that occur within the book and thought they were handled excellently.
I do have one caveat and note for the author or his editor- when the death of Erik’s wife and Arielle’s mother is mentioned, the age that Arielle was at the time changes at least three times (11, 8, 10, 11 again) and that stood out to me and even sent me flipping back to check. I understand this is relatively minor and there’s so, so much about this book that is spot on and well researched but perhaps something to fix in a future edition. Also, this is totally personal preference, but I think I would’ve liked to have heard her friend Naomi’s fate in the end but that thread gets dropped entirely.
All that said, I read this book in a day and could not put it down. It was better than I expected and I definitely recommend it, though (and maybe because) it is not an easy read. I also look forward to seeing what this author does in the future and would like to thank him and his publisher for offering the giveaway.
I was quite excited to win this book from a GoodReads giveaway. While severe illness cut short my dreams and plans, I had been a Middle East Studies Major with either a focus on going into the foreign service or pursuing a counterterrorism career, so this book was right up my alley. I’ve read extensively about young people from the west who left to join ISIS, just trying to wrap my head around why someone would do that. I found Arielle’s story and experiences to ring very true to all I’ve read and am certain the author did a ton of research. And I must admit, it was Arielle’s part of the story I found most fascinating.
I do think things went a bit unrealistic at points but I suppose that’s the way these sorts of thrillers go and I still found the story extremely gripping and did not anticipate the climax and ending. Besides a bit of a look inside at counterterrorism efforts, I especially enjoyed that the book looked at what lead Arielle on her path and others like her, how young people could be drawn to radicalism. I also enjoyed some meditations on war and love that occur within the book and thought they were handled excellently.
I do have one caveat and note for the author or his editor- when the death of Erik’s wife and Arielle’s mother is mentioned, the age that Arielle was at the time changes at least three times (11, 8, 10, 11 again) and that stood out to me and even sent me flipping back to check. I understand this is relatively minor and there’s so, so much about this book that is spot on and well researched but perhaps something to fix in a future edition. Also, this is totally personal preference, but I think I would’ve liked to have heard her friend Naomi’s fate in the end but that thread gets dropped entirely.
All that said, I read this book in a day and could not put it down. It was better than I expected and I definitely recommend it, though (and maybe because) it is not an easy read. I also look forward to seeing what this author does in the future and would like to thank him and his publisher for offering the giveaway.
September 4, 2020
What extent will a father go to, to get his daughter out of danger & bring her back to safety? This book puts this question to the test.
Erik Peterson is in charge of the High-Risk Traveler Task Force which intercepts radicals travelling to the Middle East. His world comes to a grinding halt when his beloved daughter, Arielle, calls stating that she has converted to Islam and is travelling to Syria. Under the Caliphate, hijrah is an obligation & all Muslims have to migrate to the Caliphate for the greater good.
The story flashes between the lives of Erik & Arielle. Erik does everything in his power to get to Arielle, even though he has been sidelined at work since he's close to the case. With his ex-army background, the world of bombs, torture & guns come naturally to him. He somehow evades dangerous situations bravely, with his sight trained on getting his daughter to safety.
Meanwhile, Arielle was promised that she could work selflessly & earn respect which is never seen in the Western world. But her dreams are shattered when she realizes the dangerous state of affairs in Syria, & she lives in constant fear. The circumstances are dismal and one has to read it to believe it. But when bad comes to worse, she realizes she is the guinea pig for a master plan formulated by the Caliphate.
This book shocked me, enthralled me & educated me about The Caliphate & its workings. Some events were hard to believe, but then such a license is permitted to make it interesting. I just could not imagine the events that occurred at the baggage claim in Montreal Airport. Shots fired, people injured and hostage situation went unnoticed for a while until help presented itself.
The characters were fleshed out well & I fell in love with Erik for his wealth of love for his daughter. I felt Arielle was a fool to believe in the empty promises made to recruit her, and to head to a war-torn country, especially when she knew her father was tasked to stop this exact same thing from happening.
I thank BookSirens for sending me a copy in exchange for an honest review.
Erik Peterson is in charge of the High-Risk Traveler Task Force which intercepts radicals travelling to the Middle East. His world comes to a grinding halt when his beloved daughter, Arielle, calls stating that she has converted to Islam and is travelling to Syria. Under the Caliphate, hijrah is an obligation & all Muslims have to migrate to the Caliphate for the greater good.
The story flashes between the lives of Erik & Arielle. Erik does everything in his power to get to Arielle, even though he has been sidelined at work since he's close to the case. With his ex-army background, the world of bombs, torture & guns come naturally to him. He somehow evades dangerous situations bravely, with his sight trained on getting his daughter to safety.
Meanwhile, Arielle was promised that she could work selflessly & earn respect which is never seen in the Western world. But her dreams are shattered when she realizes the dangerous state of affairs in Syria, & she lives in constant fear. The circumstances are dismal and one has to read it to believe it. But when bad comes to worse, she realizes she is the guinea pig for a master plan formulated by the Caliphate.
This book shocked me, enthralled me & educated me about The Caliphate & its workings. Some events were hard to believe, but then such a license is permitted to make it interesting. I just could not imagine the events that occurred at the baggage claim in Montreal Airport. Shots fired, people injured and hostage situation went unnoticed for a while until help presented itself.
The characters were fleshed out well & I fell in love with Erik for his wealth of love for his daughter. I felt Arielle was a fool to believe in the empty promises made to recruit her, and to head to a war-torn country, especially when she knew her father was tasked to stop this exact same thing from happening.
I thank BookSirens for sending me a copy in exchange for an honest review.
August 30, 2019
Jihadi Bride is an edge-of-your-seat inside look at a daughter’s decision to follow her beliefs and a father’s resolve to save her.
Working on a daily basis in the High-Risk Traveler Task Force, Erik Petersson is well-acquainted with the world of terrorism and extremist groups. But he is unprepared for the news that his daughter, Arielle, has left the country to join one of the groups in Syria. Driven by love, Erick risks his life to find her as Arielle fights to escape the horrifying consequences of her decision.
The author provides an in-depth exploration of the inner workings of a terrorist group, along with the challenges and risks for those who try to fight them. The novel is oftentimes grim and gritty, but it’s fast-paced, captivating, and it aims to draw on your émotions. A definite must-read.
Working on a daily basis in the High-Risk Traveler Task Force, Erik Petersson is well-acquainted with the world of terrorism and extremist groups. But he is unprepared for the news that his daughter, Arielle, has left the country to join one of the groups in Syria. Driven by love, Erick risks his life to find her as Arielle fights to escape the horrifying consequences of her decision.
The author provides an in-depth exploration of the inner workings of a terrorist group, along with the challenges and risks for those who try to fight them. The novel is oftentimes grim and gritty, but it’s fast-paced, captivating, and it aims to draw on your émotions. A definite must-read.
January 8, 2020
An amazing book about love, hate, social responsibility and social injustice, Jihadi Bride catches the reader from the first page. Contemporary issues are transposed into an engaging story where a happy end means to survive a cruel world of a never ending war.
Alastair Luft has skilfully revealed the deepest feelings of the human soul by putting his characters in crucial situations where the good intermingles with the evil and justice is the flag under which everyone pretends to save/clean the world while they all condemn it, a way or another.
If you choose Jihadi Bride as your next reading you need to know it is a thriller that both moves your heart and teaches you that living means loving; and love needs time, commitment and physical presence.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
Alastair Luft has skilfully revealed the deepest feelings of the human soul by putting his characters in crucial situations where the good intermingles with the evil and justice is the flag under which everyone pretends to save/clean the world while they all condemn it, a way or another.
If you choose Jihadi Bride as your next reading you need to know it is a thriller that both moves your heart and teaches you that living means loving; and love needs time, commitment and physical presence.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
September 14, 2019
Very real issue in the world today. Young girls falling for jihads on line and falling for the better life they offer. Where they seem very quick to find out life isn’t always greener on the other side. Was a good read but felt it got lost along the way and dragged out more than it had to. Had gone so well to until Eric arrived in Syria then it just seemed to fall apart for me
September 27, 2019
I received this book from Goodreads for my honest opinion.
What a THRILLER! This book took me on an emotional rollercoaster. This book needs to be a movie or TV series. Radicals, violence, death. This book has a little bit of everything. Very well written book, that keeps you wanting to read more.
What a THRILLER! This book took me on an emotional rollercoaster. This book needs to be a movie or TV series. Radicals, violence, death. This book has a little bit of everything. Very well written book, that keeps you wanting to read more.
October 13, 2019
Good story, very up to date with the threats and usage of social media etc to gain support for terrorism.
Quite a few violent scenes.
Threat of rape but no scenes with the heroine though vague details of a past incident.
No intimate scenes, these fade to black.
Idea of HEA for the heroine.
ARC.
Quite a few violent scenes.
Threat of rape but no scenes with the heroine though vague details of a past incident.
No intimate scenes, these fade to black.
Idea of HEA for the heroine.
ARC.
September 25, 2020
The plot of this book seemed very interesting to me. Arielle, a 20 years old Canadian girl converted to Islam and then sympathized over Muslims in Syria. She thought that she would go to Syria and do the right thing by serving the sick and injured people. Here, she presumed many things wrong.
When someone is not in a sensible state, she can assume things in the wrong way. So, while reading this book, I was interested to know what was going in her mind, why she chose a path, no sensible person would choose. What is the background that made her thinking insensible? Slowly the root cause was revealed which I could guess from the start. And, what happened next? One accident happened - that was not enough for me to understand everything. Maybe that accident pushed her into this, but how she dealt with that, how the idea of converting came to her - I didn't get my answer.
Arielle landed in Syria. Then the story got straight to the war field. I was missing so much details. How Arielle was adjusting herself, how she is holding up her transition from "Arielle" to "Hafsa", I couldn't know. All that was different in Syria was the niqab and abaya. Well, that I could know without reading this book. What about the food, air, the temperature felt under her skin...
The character of Mus'ab Saleh seemed unrealistic to me. On the one hand, he chose this path of killing people in the name of Jihad and on the other hand, he comes out as a real romantic husband who "respects" his wife. I should say, it was too much respect considering how a normal Eastern guy treats his wife. And not surprisingly, "he looks like a model". So, why this handsome, dashing man is doing war here? No answer. All these things gave me the impression that this character is only brought to excite reader's imagination, not to enrich the story.
Too much coincidences also disturbed me. This is the kind of book where the hero is alive even if you kill him a hundredth times. I am not gonna start with that.
And what disappointed me most is the ending. Arielle and his father Erik are back to normal. Happy ending. REALLY??? A 20 years old girl did the biggest mistake of her life, suffered like a dog and no change! She was supposed to undergo a hell lot of depression as anybody would. It's not like she is a professional trooper who has just come from another war. She is a goddamn normal girl!
The book started at the action stage of thriller. And ended the same way. I like thrillers to nicely rise at its tip point. But this book was action, action and action - so I could not focus on one particular action and think what was the most thrilling point of this book.
I had sooo many doubts with the authenticity of this story. It was my first ARC from BookSirens. I wish I could perceive the book more nicely, but it's really not my type. It took my energy when I was trying to relax after a busy week with so many deadlines of assignments. The first thing I did after finishing this book was to read few lines from another book of my favorite writer to feel better...
When someone is not in a sensible state, she can assume things in the wrong way. So, while reading this book, I was interested to know what was going in her mind, why she chose a path, no sensible person would choose. What is the background that made her thinking insensible? Slowly the root cause was revealed which I could guess from the start. And, what happened next? One accident happened - that was not enough for me to understand everything. Maybe that accident pushed her into this, but how she dealt with that, how the idea of converting came to her - I didn't get my answer.
Arielle landed in Syria. Then the story got straight to the war field. I was missing so much details. How Arielle was adjusting herself, how she is holding up her transition from "Arielle" to "Hafsa", I couldn't know. All that was different in Syria was the niqab and abaya. Well, that I could know without reading this book. What about the food, air, the temperature felt under her skin...
The character of Mus'ab Saleh seemed unrealistic to me. On the one hand, he chose this path of killing people in the name of Jihad and on the other hand, he comes out as a real romantic husband who "respects" his wife. I should say, it was too much respect considering how a normal Eastern guy treats his wife. And not surprisingly, "he looks like a model". So, why this handsome, dashing man is doing war here? No answer. All these things gave me the impression that this character is only brought to excite reader's imagination, not to enrich the story.
Too much coincidences also disturbed me. This is the kind of book where the hero is alive even if you kill him a hundredth times. I am not gonna start with that.
And what disappointed me most is the ending. Arielle and his father Erik are back to normal. Happy ending. REALLY??? A 20 years old girl did the biggest mistake of her life, suffered like a dog and no change! She was supposed to undergo a hell lot of depression as anybody would. It's not like she is a professional trooper who has just come from another war. She is a goddamn normal girl!
The book started at the action stage of thriller. And ended the same way. I like thrillers to nicely rise at its tip point. But this book was action, action and action - so I could not focus on one particular action and think what was the most thrilling point of this book.
I had sooo many doubts with the authenticity of this story. It was my first ARC from BookSirens. I wish I could perceive the book more nicely, but it's really not my type. It took my energy when I was trying to relax after a busy week with so many deadlines of assignments. The first thing I did after finishing this book was to read few lines from another book of my favorite writer to feel better...
April 5, 2020
I received a free copy of Jihadi Bride through Booksirens in return for an honest review. I had a lot of problems downloading this, so it took me longer than I had intended to get started and then I flew through it very quickly.
Erik knows about terrorism. He works in a unit of the Canadian Police that tries to stop radicalised young people from travelling to Syria, so it's politically embarrassing and personally upsetting for him when his student daughter, Arielle, calls from Frankfurt airport to say she's on her way to Syria to join the Caliphate. Now, it's not unusual for parents to get a bit out of touch with what their kids are up to, but failing to spot that your daughter has been made very unhappy (we find out why), has sort sanctuary in religion, and has subsequently converted (or in the eyes of her converters, reverted) to Islam. That goes a bit further than not knowing your daughter's taken up crochet and doesn't love Justin Bieber any more. But hey, Erik's a busy man and you can't watch the kids all the time, can you?
She soon discovers Syria's not the paradise on earth that she's been promised, and Erik is soon pulling all the strings at his disposal to follow her to Syria and try to bring her home.
Some bits of the book are very good. Arielle's rapid realisation that she's made a terrible mistake fits with the many other books I've read about the first-hand experience of Jihadi brides. Her emotional attachment to her young husband also rang true, though I can imagine many might have found it surprising. What takes rather more suspension of disbelief is that Arielle just happens to be the key to a complex, multi-country plot to wreak havoc in North America. Whilst Erik is bouncing around Syria with some friends whose morality is for hire, his daughter is already thousands of miles away. Think of Liam Neeson hunting down the Albanians in any of his 'Taken' films and we've got a Canadia version of him using his 'very special skills' to try to find who has his girl.
There's a lot to believe in this. The role of radical groups in recruiting impressionable young people, in supplying the drugs trade to fund their activities, and a willingness to cut of heads, boil people alive and stone their enemies (or sometimes their own followers who step out of line) are all very viable. I'm not so sure the lone wolf father with a wealth of uncanny coincidences and connections is quite so believable.
All that said, it's not a bad book at all. It rattles on a bit too long in places - some of the conflict in the middle seems a bit repetitive - but the theory is sound and, as I write this in the midst of a global pandemic, the attempted twist on weaponising humans is rather more disturbing that it might otherwise have been.
Erik knows about terrorism. He works in a unit of the Canadian Police that tries to stop radicalised young people from travelling to Syria, so it's politically embarrassing and personally upsetting for him when his student daughter, Arielle, calls from Frankfurt airport to say she's on her way to Syria to join the Caliphate. Now, it's not unusual for parents to get a bit out of touch with what their kids are up to, but failing to spot that your daughter has been made very unhappy (we find out why), has sort sanctuary in religion, and has subsequently converted (or in the eyes of her converters, reverted) to Islam. That goes a bit further than not knowing your daughter's taken up crochet and doesn't love Justin Bieber any more. But hey, Erik's a busy man and you can't watch the kids all the time, can you?
She soon discovers Syria's not the paradise on earth that she's been promised, and Erik is soon pulling all the strings at his disposal to follow her to Syria and try to bring her home.
Some bits of the book are very good. Arielle's rapid realisation that she's made a terrible mistake fits with the many other books I've read about the first-hand experience of Jihadi brides. Her emotional attachment to her young husband also rang true, though I can imagine many might have found it surprising. What takes rather more suspension of disbelief is that Arielle just happens to be the key to a complex, multi-country plot to wreak havoc in North America. Whilst Erik is bouncing around Syria with some friends whose morality is for hire, his daughter is already thousands of miles away. Think of Liam Neeson hunting down the Albanians in any of his 'Taken' films and we've got a Canadia version of him using his 'very special skills' to try to find who has his girl.
There's a lot to believe in this. The role of radical groups in recruiting impressionable young people, in supplying the drugs trade to fund their activities, and a willingness to cut of heads, boil people alive and stone their enemies (or sometimes their own followers who step out of line) are all very viable. I'm not so sure the lone wolf father with a wealth of uncanny coincidences and connections is quite so believable.
All that said, it's not a bad book at all. It rattles on a bit too long in places - some of the conflict in the middle seems a bit repetitive - but the theory is sound and, as I write this in the midst of a global pandemic, the attempted twist on weaponising humans is rather more disturbing that it might otherwise have been.
March 25, 2021
Jihadi Bride evokes a gambit of emotions -
INCREDULITY that a strong-willed, free thinking person such as Arielle, could be so easily radicalized.
ANGER when you discover what happened to her and how she was manipulated.
SORROW on learning how Eric lost his wife and
GRATITUDE that it was his love for his daughter that pulled him out of his self-destructive behaviour.
DESPERATION when all attempts to find Arielle were met with failure.
HORROR on discovering what they had turned his daughter into.
WORRY that Arielle would not recover and
FEAR that if she did, irreparable damage had been done to their relationship and finally,
EMPATHY when Eric realises that by working so hard to make the world a safer place for his daughter, his absence from her life when work took precedence, did the exact opposite.
Happy reading. Annemarie
I received a free Advance Reader Copy of Jihadi Bride through BookSirens and have chosen to leave a review.
INCREDULITY that a strong-willed, free thinking person such as Arielle, could be so easily radicalized.
ANGER when you discover what happened to her and how she was manipulated.
SORROW on learning how Eric lost his wife and
GRATITUDE that it was his love for his daughter that pulled him out of his self-destructive behaviour.
DESPERATION when all attempts to find Arielle were met with failure.
HORROR on discovering what they had turned his daughter into.
WORRY that Arielle would not recover and
FEAR that if she did, irreparable damage had been done to their relationship and finally,
EMPATHY when Eric realises that by working so hard to make the world a safer place for his daughter, his absence from her life when work took precedence, did the exact opposite.
Happy reading. Annemarie
I received a free Advance Reader Copy of Jihadi Bride through BookSirens and have chosen to leave a review.
March 29, 2020
This is a gripping read. It was well written, very engaging and so very current. Erik is a widower as his wife committed suicide many years before so he is raising his daughter Arial alone. His mission ironically is preventing young people from becoming radicalised. Little does he know that the same fate awaits his beloved daughter when an incident at university sends her on this path of destruction. This book is action packed and fast paced. It's told from the point of view of Erik and Arial at different points. Their characters are strong and well written. Descriptive language is well chosen and the topic is very hard hitting. Luft dealt very sensitively with it. His writing is praiseworthy and drew me in form the beginning. I look forward to reading more from this talented writer.
January 24, 2021
Erik Petersson was an ex soldier serving at a desk job for the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. His job involved intelligence on terrorists organizations. Pettersson is a single father with a daughter in college. Little did he know how close to terrorists his family was about to get.
This book was amazing. I was hooked from the first chapter. Luft is an amazing story teller who keeps building suspense without stopping to take a breath. He does a beautiful job of portraying a father's love and the lengths he would go to protect his family. I only wished I had the time to read it all the way through in one sitting.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
This book was amazing. I was hooked from the first chapter. Luft is an amazing story teller who keeps building suspense without stopping to take a breath. He does a beautiful job of portraying a father's love and the lengths he would go to protect his family. I only wished I had the time to read it all the way through in one sitting.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
January 6, 2020
Full disclosure I received a copy of this book free. It took a while for me to get through this book because I didnt really enjoy it. I didnt enjoy the main characters in the story. The dad and daughter were two characters that were fleshed out in the story but I had no connection too. I didnt really care what heppened to them and I was hoping for ill will toward the daughter. I cant recommend this book at all and I wont go into spoilers but it wasnt a pleasant read.
December 8, 2019
I won this Kindle book as part of a Goodreads giveaway. the following is my honest opinion.
The cover and title of the book is not the usual for me. I am feeling all the terror and loving the action. I am already chasing a daughter that is not mine, checking flights with government officials, and wishing I had more to go on. Bring the thrills!
The cover and title of the book is not the usual for me. I am feeling all the terror and loving the action. I am already chasing a daughter that is not mine, checking flights with government officials, and wishing I had more to go on. Bring the thrills!
September 26, 2019
Erik Petersson has lost his college-aged daughter Arielle. As a seasoned, cynical member of the Royal Canadian Police Force he fears he's lost her to sex traffickers at her university campus, when actually he'd lost her years ago, by turning to overwork and drinking rather than confronting the truth about his own failures as a husband and father. I thought that was a really interesting plot device, plus I'm always interested in reading about cultures I'm unfamiliar with, and hoped to learn more about the many varied settings in Canada, Iran, Syria, Turkey, and the far reaches of Africa.
I gave Alasatair Luft an extra star since this is his first novel and it is technically well-constructed, practically typo-less, and the cinematic feel of the mounting suspense was deft and tangible. Initially I thought with the descriptions of military installations and private police areas, and military and political history in the Middle East that Luft lends credibility to his characters. The volume of military anagrams (HUMINT, JIATF-South, HMMVWs) was realistically daunting. But gradually, as I became impatient with Erik's unawareness of his gross neglect as a parent and uncomfortable with the ever rising level of graphic violence, and the lack of humanity that ran through all the characters involved (either so bereft of morals in the case of the men in power, or attributed no value in the case of the women and POC) ultimately for me, this story devolved into a series of cartoonish tropes: work romance, blustering boss buffoon, stripper co-ed, millionaire fraternity bro, etc.
Although Luft raises intriguing issues such as the treatment of women in the west vs the middle east, rather than follow through with a balanced, objective viewpoint he bails. I'm looking to find faith in the future of humanity, and cultural understanding for peace, not Harrison Ford/Liam Neeson and his daughter being immortal amidst a disposable stream of bad guys. Clearly this was not the book for me.
I gave Alasatair Luft an extra star since this is his first novel and it is technically well-constructed, practically typo-less, and the cinematic feel of the mounting suspense was deft and tangible. Initially I thought with the descriptions of military installations and private police areas, and military and political history in the Middle East that Luft lends credibility to his characters. The volume of military anagrams (HUMINT, JIATF-South, HMMVWs) was realistically daunting. But gradually, as I became impatient with Erik's unawareness of his gross neglect as a parent and uncomfortable with the ever rising level of graphic violence, and the lack of humanity that ran through all the characters involved (either so bereft of morals in the case of the men in power, or attributed no value in the case of the women and POC) ultimately for me, this story devolved into a series of cartoonish tropes: work romance, blustering boss buffoon, stripper co-ed, millionaire fraternity bro, etc.
Although Luft raises intriguing issues such as the treatment of women in the west vs the middle east, rather than follow through with a balanced, objective viewpoint he bails. I'm looking to find faith in the future of humanity, and cultural understanding for peace, not Harrison Ford/Liam Neeson and his daughter being immortal amidst a disposable stream of bad guys. Clearly this was not the book for me.
April 2, 2020
Overall Rating = 4.38
Storyline & Concept = 4
Writing and Delivery = 4
Cover Marketability = 4.5
Editorial = 5
Jihadi Bride by Alistair Luft (The Battle Within, 2017) is a gut-wrenching, technically intuitive, story that shows the author’s rising potential. When task force agent Erik Petersson’s college-aged daughter, Arielle, converts to Islam and decides she’s going to answer the call to travel to Syria to assist victims of the raging civil war, he begins a tireless campaign to save her. What follows is a well-researched account of Islamic culture and the horrors of terrorism.
Erik’s quest to rescue her also forces him through a downward spiral. The author shows a gift with dialogue—conversations throughout the book are believable, and you can feel his characters’ emotions. In a few instances, the author could have expanded on an adequate description of the settings and locational transitions that leave the story feeling like a single-stage theatrical play when the scenery changes before the lights come back up. Jihadi Bride’s action scenes are compelling, descriptive, and excellently paced.
Sublime Line: “Ultimately, aside from a few slow chapters, Jihadi Bride is a smart thriller that gives the reader a scary peek inside one family’s harrowing experience with modern Islamic terrorism.”
Storyline & Concept = 4
Writing and Delivery = 4
Cover Marketability = 4.5
Editorial = 5
Jihadi Bride by Alistair Luft (The Battle Within, 2017) is a gut-wrenching, technically intuitive, story that shows the author’s rising potential. When task force agent Erik Petersson’s college-aged daughter, Arielle, converts to Islam and decides she’s going to answer the call to travel to Syria to assist victims of the raging civil war, he begins a tireless campaign to save her. What follows is a well-researched account of Islamic culture and the horrors of terrorism.
Erik’s quest to rescue her also forces him through a downward spiral. The author shows a gift with dialogue—conversations throughout the book are believable, and you can feel his characters’ emotions. In a few instances, the author could have expanded on an adequate description of the settings and locational transitions that leave the story feeling like a single-stage theatrical play when the scenery changes before the lights come back up. Jihadi Bride’s action scenes are compelling, descriptive, and excellently paced.
Sublime Line: “Ultimately, aside from a few slow chapters, Jihadi Bride is a smart thriller that gives the reader a scary peek inside one family’s harrowing experience with modern Islamic terrorism.”
September 24, 2019
A difficult, extremist read
This is a tough read for a number of reasons - graphic, senseless violence, extremism on multiple levels, and sheer white-hot rage from a number of characters.
It shows the perceived isolation and desperation that can lead someone to join a different group halfway across the world, in need of belonging and safety. It tries to show positive parts of the Muslim religion, but the proportions of good vs. bad are grossly imbalanced compared to the real world.
Even as seen just through the lens of the lead characters, it's that imbalance that leaves me hesitant to fully get behind this book. While depicting such extremism as part of a horrific plot, the reader could be left feeling that everyone in the regions depicted acts that way.
It's not just the Muslim "bad guys" that are shown as ruthless and bloodthirsty - the Canadian anti-terrorism group presents that way at times as well.
There's a underlying plot point running through about a father's love for his daughter and redemption for mistakes made, a golden note of hope through the darkness.
The writing is good, though at times was difficult to follow in the action sequences.
This is a tough read for a number of reasons - graphic, senseless violence, extremism on multiple levels, and sheer white-hot rage from a number of characters.
It shows the perceived isolation and desperation that can lead someone to join a different group halfway across the world, in need of belonging and safety. It tries to show positive parts of the Muslim religion, but the proportions of good vs. bad are grossly imbalanced compared to the real world.
Even as seen just through the lens of the lead characters, it's that imbalance that leaves me hesitant to fully get behind this book. While depicting such extremism as part of a horrific plot, the reader could be left feeling that everyone in the regions depicted acts that way.
It's not just the Muslim "bad guys" that are shown as ruthless and bloodthirsty - the Canadian anti-terrorism group presents that way at times as well.
There's a underlying plot point running through about a father's love for his daughter and redemption for mistakes made, a golden note of hope through the darkness.
The writing is good, though at times was difficult to follow in the action sequences.
September 23, 2019
A thriller that is disturbing and emotional tale that tries to delve into the issue of why youngsters especially teenage girls are joining the false image of Islam that is projected by recruiters of ISIS and terrorists. A story of a girl lured by such recruiters after she faces a traumatic experience in college and her fathers who is a ex army and a special ops soldier races to Syria and then Africa and then back to Canada to save her without any help from his collegues but from some loyal friends
How he races against time to save his daughter forms the story. The story also raises the problem of sexual exploitation at colleges and trauma of the experience drives the victims to desperate measures to seek explanation and peace.
I received this book from @Booksirens for review
Question that remains unanswered is
what happened to the college frat boys because of whom the girls were being traumatised
Were they punished or stopped or were they still continuing their crimes?
How he races against time to save his daughter forms the story. The story also raises the problem of sexual exploitation at colleges and trauma of the experience drives the victims to desperate measures to seek explanation and peace.
I received this book from @Booksirens for review
Question that remains unanswered is
what happened to the college frat boys because of whom the girls were being traumatised
Were they punished or stopped or were they still continuing their crimes?
October 18, 2019
Not the kind of book I normally read (I usually read historical or sci-fi fiction), but surprised by how much I enjoyed it. Good pace and interesting.
January 9, 2022
Couldn’t put it down
One of my favorite reads. Heartbreaking, heartwarming, and kept me on the edge of my seat. Very good story and ending
One of my favorite reads. Heartbreaking, heartwarming, and kept me on the edge of my seat. Very good story and ending
September 14, 2019
I had looked at this book a couple of times and I was honestly not sure whether I really wanted to read it or not. You hear so much in the news about young people being radicalised and going out to places at war. In the end my curiosity got the better of me and I went into reading the book with an open mind and the intention I always have of giving my honest opinion. The genres listed for this book are historical fiction, mystery and thriller. I am not wholly sure I agree with the “historical” label as I feel the subject matter of the book is more current than historical really. I would agree with the labels of mystery, and thriller and would add suspense and maybe political/religion to the list.
One of the books main characters is Erik who works as part of the High- Risk Traveller Task Force that attempt to prevent those that are radicalised from joining extremist groups. Erik takes his work seriously and certainly puts a lot of hours into his job to the point of being a workaholic. Sadly, it means when something awful happens to his daughter, he doesn’t know about it and she doesn’t reach out to him. In fact, she reaches out to an already radicalised friend she has at college. Erik and Arielle regularly remotely play Warcraft together. So, it comes as a total shock to Erik when he receives a phone call from his daughter Arielle before their pending Warcraft game session cancelling it and saying she doesn’t have much time, that she is in Frankfurt, that she loves him, doesn’t disown him, even though she is supposed to do that and live their previous life behind. Arielle tells her dad she loves him and will pray for him and goodbye. Arielle reveals she is travelling with her friends to Turkey, to meet someone who will then take them into Syria.
Erik tries his best to talk his daughter out of her plans, saying there is a civil war in Syria, its dangerous, he asks her not to do this. But her reply has him thinking back to the headstrong, hard headed child she was at just age three. It’s when she says “Now that there’s Caliphate, hijrah is an obligation”. When asks what all that has to do with her, Arielle reveals she converted six months ago. Erik tries his best to keep his daughter talking to gain clues as to who she is with, where she is and how she is getting to Turkey and then onto Syria. These clues are the base stones he has to rely on when he tries to find his daughter. He tries going through the official channels but when those wheels grind increasingly slower and he is shut out, told he is too involved emotionally, he takes the only course of action left to him, to go after his daughter himself. In Eriks mind and world there is not “if” he will find his daughter and get her back only a “when” he will.
Arielle is the other main character of the book and comes across as a fairly strong, independent character who lost her mother when she committed suicide when she was much younger. Arielle is joining in college life and whilst out socialising something awful happens to her. Arielle feels ashamed and reverts into herself, becoming quiet and timid until she meets Naomi, the friend that introduces her to a bible class. After attending the class and hanging out with Naomi and her boyfriend Hamza she soon becomes caught up in the religion and going to Syria. Arielle and Naomi are under the impression that they will be working in a hospital, caring for the ill or injured. Naomi believes Hamza will be there to greet them when they arrive in Syria. It soon becomes apparent that the girls have not really been given the true facts about where they will be staying, who they will be with or what they will be doing either!
Umm Fatima who met the girls on their arrival, escorts Arielle and the other girls to a woman named Deeba. In the small room there is a row of seats and Deeba sits at a desk with paperwork in front of her and a man standing guard near her called Tariq. The room is hot and wearing her new attire Arielle feels claustrophobic and ill. Deeba is in charge of giving the girls new, more suitable names and their job/purpose. Arielle is renamed Hafsa and is told she is to marry Mus’ab Saleh, when Arielle says she is there to work in a hospital she is told there are enough working at the hospitals that she has to marry and her first duty is to “make cubs for the Caliphate”. Arielle feels numb and just returns to her seat, thinking of what she had been told she would be doing and why it has all suddenly changed, but she is too scared to speak up. When her friend Naomi is given the name Abdia and told who she is to marry she says no, she has a boyfriend and wants to know where Hamza is. When Naomi refuses to return to her seat, Tariq steps forward and strikes her continuously until she is in a heap on the floor. Arielle tries to comfort her friend, but soon leaves the room and doesn’t know what happens to her afterwards.
The book is told in a kind of diary format, in that at the beginning of the chapter the place/setting and time of day are listed. Then we find out which character we are following in that specific chapter. I would say there are three, maybe four angles to the story. There is Erik’s which
tells his part of story from his point of view and we follow first the official channels to try and trace his daughter with the intention of her being picked up by Police and being returned to him. Then when those channels do not seem to be interested enough in his daughter, Erik is forced to take matters into his own hands approaching the problem in a more unofficial way.
There is Arielle/Hafsa’s side which tell of what is happening to her in her day to day life and what she sees. Hafsa/Arielle is soon married off to Mus’ab Saleh. Luckily for Hafsa Mus’ab is kind and quite gentle with her, not insisting on consummating their marriage immediately.
We also have the chapters on Abu Noor al Kanadi who is a known extremist and his second in command Mamdouh al Qassam who are in fact being monitored by the High-Risk Traveller Task Force.
It seems that Abu Noor al Kanadi doesn’t have the stomach for the public be-headings and other such atrocities, though his second in command Mamdouh al Qassam more than makes up for it!
As Erik did work at the Task Force there are the interaction between him and his colleagues. In fact, there’s the beginning of a possible romance between Erik and Stephanie. Another colleague called Jordan gives Erik some intelligence prototypes to use as well.
Characters I instantly liked were, Erik, Stephanie, Jordan and Ziad. I grew to like Arielle/Hafsa who soon realises that she is being used as a pawn in a much bigger game and war than she ever thought she was entering into. I felt a little sorry for Arielle/Hafsa and Naomi/Abdia how naïve they were. They thought they were going to work in a hospital, tending the ill. Though if I am honest, I don’t think either girl would have easily slipped into caring for the type of injuries they would have had to deal with. Having said that, when Arielle/Hafsa is forced to face a highly contagious disease she does try to help those with the illness. I also liked the character of Mus’ab as when an opportunity arose where he could desert his post and disappear back to his own country, he doesn’t take it. Mus’ab returns to Raqqa for his newlywed wife Hafsa/Arielle and they attempt to escape over to Lebanon but are caught. I won’t reveal what comes after their capture as you need to read the whole book yourselves.
I did enjoy reading this book, even though I was unsure to begin with about reading it. It was interesting, yet disturbing at the same time. The punishments that Mamdouh delivers are horrendous and he seems to be totally unaffected by them. However, Abu Noor al Kanadi is quite happy to let others do the dirty work of punishing, torturing and killing on his behalf. There are some really poignant moments towards the end when both Erik and Arielle are suspected of having Ebola. There’s also quite a bit of fighting action too from the different sides of the war, the mercenaries Mark and Chris who also seem to enjoy the killing a little too much.
My immediate reaction upon finishing this book were that it had been engrossing, a very realistic, and believable story. Also, that it had some great characters.
So, to sum up, I am glad I went ahead and read the book, it did show different sides of an horrendous war and how people can get caught up in it fairly easily.
One of the books main characters is Erik who works as part of the High- Risk Traveller Task Force that attempt to prevent those that are radicalised from joining extremist groups. Erik takes his work seriously and certainly puts a lot of hours into his job to the point of being a workaholic. Sadly, it means when something awful happens to his daughter, he doesn’t know about it and she doesn’t reach out to him. In fact, she reaches out to an already radicalised friend she has at college. Erik and Arielle regularly remotely play Warcraft together. So, it comes as a total shock to Erik when he receives a phone call from his daughter Arielle before their pending Warcraft game session cancelling it and saying she doesn’t have much time, that she is in Frankfurt, that she loves him, doesn’t disown him, even though she is supposed to do that and live their previous life behind. Arielle tells her dad she loves him and will pray for him and goodbye. Arielle reveals she is travelling with her friends to Turkey, to meet someone who will then take them into Syria.
Erik tries his best to talk his daughter out of her plans, saying there is a civil war in Syria, its dangerous, he asks her not to do this. But her reply has him thinking back to the headstrong, hard headed child she was at just age three. It’s when she says “Now that there’s Caliphate, hijrah is an obligation”. When asks what all that has to do with her, Arielle reveals she converted six months ago. Erik tries his best to keep his daughter talking to gain clues as to who she is with, where she is and how she is getting to Turkey and then onto Syria. These clues are the base stones he has to rely on when he tries to find his daughter. He tries going through the official channels but when those wheels grind increasingly slower and he is shut out, told he is too involved emotionally, he takes the only course of action left to him, to go after his daughter himself. In Eriks mind and world there is not “if” he will find his daughter and get her back only a “when” he will.
Arielle is the other main character of the book and comes across as a fairly strong, independent character who lost her mother when she committed suicide when she was much younger. Arielle is joining in college life and whilst out socialising something awful happens to her. Arielle feels ashamed and reverts into herself, becoming quiet and timid until she meets Naomi, the friend that introduces her to a bible class. After attending the class and hanging out with Naomi and her boyfriend Hamza she soon becomes caught up in the religion and going to Syria. Arielle and Naomi are under the impression that they will be working in a hospital, caring for the ill or injured. Naomi believes Hamza will be there to greet them when they arrive in Syria. It soon becomes apparent that the girls have not really been given the true facts about where they will be staying, who they will be with or what they will be doing either!
Umm Fatima who met the girls on their arrival, escorts Arielle and the other girls to a woman named Deeba. In the small room there is a row of seats and Deeba sits at a desk with paperwork in front of her and a man standing guard near her called Tariq. The room is hot and wearing her new attire Arielle feels claustrophobic and ill. Deeba is in charge of giving the girls new, more suitable names and their job/purpose. Arielle is renamed Hafsa and is told she is to marry Mus’ab Saleh, when Arielle says she is there to work in a hospital she is told there are enough working at the hospitals that she has to marry and her first duty is to “make cubs for the Caliphate”. Arielle feels numb and just returns to her seat, thinking of what she had been told she would be doing and why it has all suddenly changed, but she is too scared to speak up. When her friend Naomi is given the name Abdia and told who she is to marry she says no, she has a boyfriend and wants to know where Hamza is. When Naomi refuses to return to her seat, Tariq steps forward and strikes her continuously until she is in a heap on the floor. Arielle tries to comfort her friend, but soon leaves the room and doesn’t know what happens to her afterwards.
The book is told in a kind of diary format, in that at the beginning of the chapter the place/setting and time of day are listed. Then we find out which character we are following in that specific chapter. I would say there are three, maybe four angles to the story. There is Erik’s which
tells his part of story from his point of view and we follow first the official channels to try and trace his daughter with the intention of her being picked up by Police and being returned to him. Then when those channels do not seem to be interested enough in his daughter, Erik is forced to take matters into his own hands approaching the problem in a more unofficial way.
There is Arielle/Hafsa’s side which tell of what is happening to her in her day to day life and what she sees. Hafsa/Arielle is soon married off to Mus’ab Saleh. Luckily for Hafsa Mus’ab is kind and quite gentle with her, not insisting on consummating their marriage immediately.
We also have the chapters on Abu Noor al Kanadi who is a known extremist and his second in command Mamdouh al Qassam who are in fact being monitored by the High-Risk Traveller Task Force.
It seems that Abu Noor al Kanadi doesn’t have the stomach for the public be-headings and other such atrocities, though his second in command Mamdouh al Qassam more than makes up for it!
As Erik did work at the Task Force there are the interaction between him and his colleagues. In fact, there’s the beginning of a possible romance between Erik and Stephanie. Another colleague called Jordan gives Erik some intelligence prototypes to use as well.
Characters I instantly liked were, Erik, Stephanie, Jordan and Ziad. I grew to like Arielle/Hafsa who soon realises that she is being used as a pawn in a much bigger game and war than she ever thought she was entering into. I felt a little sorry for Arielle/Hafsa and Naomi/Abdia how naïve they were. They thought they were going to work in a hospital, tending the ill. Though if I am honest, I don’t think either girl would have easily slipped into caring for the type of injuries they would have had to deal with. Having said that, when Arielle/Hafsa is forced to face a highly contagious disease she does try to help those with the illness. I also liked the character of Mus’ab as when an opportunity arose where he could desert his post and disappear back to his own country, he doesn’t take it. Mus’ab returns to Raqqa for his newlywed wife Hafsa/Arielle and they attempt to escape over to Lebanon but are caught. I won’t reveal what comes after their capture as you need to read the whole book yourselves.
I did enjoy reading this book, even though I was unsure to begin with about reading it. It was interesting, yet disturbing at the same time. The punishments that Mamdouh delivers are horrendous and he seems to be totally unaffected by them. However, Abu Noor al Kanadi is quite happy to let others do the dirty work of punishing, torturing and killing on his behalf. There are some really poignant moments towards the end when both Erik and Arielle are suspected of having Ebola. There’s also quite a bit of fighting action too from the different sides of the war, the mercenaries Mark and Chris who also seem to enjoy the killing a little too much.
My immediate reaction upon finishing this book were that it had been engrossing, a very realistic, and believable story. Also, that it had some great characters.
So, to sum up, I am glad I went ahead and read the book, it did show different sides of an horrendous war and how people can get caught up in it fairly easily.
December 26, 2019
4/11/2015, Raqqa, Syria. Abu Noor al Kanadi (former 5th Special Forces Group) & Mamdouh al Qassam 2nd-in-command) were discussing their next shipment of girls to arrive.
The executioner was done for now.
Ottawa Ontario, Canada. High-Risk Traveler Task Force operations center. Marty was explaining to
Erik Petersson (50+, father, RCMP, former airborne trooper), Stephanie, & Stu about the valuable/pertinent information on the screen.
9/15, Where were Arielle Rose Peterson (12, daughter) & Naomi (aka Naomi Lohrenz, Arielle’s BFF, student) headed too?
What shocking news did Deeba have for Arielle?
5/6/15, Montreal, Quebec. U of Montreal; Alpha Kappa Omega. Erik & Stephanie were doing their own investigations on the whereabouts of Arielle.
What was Abu Noor al Kanadi (5th Special Forces Group, Afghanistan, Army Staff College), Faisal (Mamdouh’s brother, 2nd-in-command), Mamdouh “Butcher” al Qassam (executioner), & his bunch doing to Mus’ab Saleh?
Now what to do with Hafsa (Mus’ab wife).
What happened to Chris Roberts (mercenary, retired US Army Special Forces: Green Berets)?
6/29/2015, Will Arielle be found alive/safe?
I did not receive any type of compensation for reading & reviewing this book. While I receive free books from publishers & authors, I did not receive any type of compensation for reading & reviewing this book. While I receive free books from publishers & authors, I am under no obligation to write a positive review, only an honest one.
A very awesome book cover, great font & writing style. Wow, a very well written international thriller book. It was very easy for me to read/follow from start/finish & never a dull moment. There were no grammar/typo errors, nor any repetitive or out of line sequence sentences. Lots of exciting scenarios, with several twists/turns & a huget set of unique characters to keep track of. This could also make another great international thriller movie, or better yet a mini TV series. A very easy rating of 5 stars.
Thank you for the free author (s); Black Rose Writing; Author; PDF book.
Tony Parsons MSW (Washburn)
The executioner was done for now.
Ottawa Ontario, Canada. High-Risk Traveler Task Force operations center. Marty was explaining to
Erik Petersson (50+, father, RCMP, former airborne trooper), Stephanie, & Stu about the valuable/pertinent information on the screen.
9/15, Where were Arielle Rose Peterson (12, daughter) & Naomi (aka Naomi Lohrenz, Arielle’s BFF, student) headed too?
What shocking news did Deeba have for Arielle?
5/6/15, Montreal, Quebec. U of Montreal; Alpha Kappa Omega. Erik & Stephanie were doing their own investigations on the whereabouts of Arielle.
What was Abu Noor al Kanadi (5th Special Forces Group, Afghanistan, Army Staff College), Faisal (Mamdouh’s brother, 2nd-in-command), Mamdouh “Butcher” al Qassam (executioner), & his bunch doing to Mus’ab Saleh?
Now what to do with Hafsa (Mus’ab wife).
What happened to Chris Roberts (mercenary, retired US Army Special Forces: Green Berets)?
6/29/2015, Will Arielle be found alive/safe?
I did not receive any type of compensation for reading & reviewing this book. While I receive free books from publishers & authors, I did not receive any type of compensation for reading & reviewing this book. While I receive free books from publishers & authors, I am under no obligation to write a positive review, only an honest one.
A very awesome book cover, great font & writing style. Wow, a very well written international thriller book. It was very easy for me to read/follow from start/finish & never a dull moment. There were no grammar/typo errors, nor any repetitive or out of line sequence sentences. Lots of exciting scenarios, with several twists/turns & a huget set of unique characters to keep track of. This could also make another great international thriller movie, or better yet a mini TV series. A very easy rating of 5 stars.
Thank you for the free author (s); Black Rose Writing; Author; PDF book.
Tony Parsons MSW (Washburn)
November 8, 2020
BRUTALLY ENTERTAINING
Alastair Luft’s fast-paced tale about a Canadian woman’s misguided Islamic conversion and her father’s quest to rescue her from a psychotic Caliphate terrorist is a tightly constructed and rewarding take on what could have been a cliche yarn in the hands of a less-skilled writer.
This is both an entertaining, plot-driven drama and a deep dive into the sketchy universe of radicalized Islamic crazies who, in this case, want to use the heroine Arielle to unleash something particularly sinister into the western world. Her father, Erik, a member of an elite, anti-terrorist RCMP task force, has other ideas. His parental regrets about neglecting his young daughter over the years and perhaps spurring her naive decision to travel to Syria to pursue a more meaningful life, powers much of the action in this book, which is convincingly narrated from the points of view of both main characters.
The author could have easily turned this into a fictional stereotype: ala Liam Neeson-Rescues-Helpless Daughter in the film "Taken." Instead, he carries the action along with convincing insight about everything from Sharia law and Syrian desert geography to military techniques.
Crisp dialogue and solid pacing also makes this book script-ready to be produced as a Hollywood action thriller.
Yes, there’s plenty of blood and expected gore, but none is gratuitous and all of it fits within the context of what is common knowledge about Middle East Jihadis and their brutal agenda. I’d recommend this book to anyone who enjoys contemporary, high octane realism and storytelling in the hands of a skilled author who knows how to write honest prose.
May 6, 2021
I received an advance review copy for free through BookSirens, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
Jihadi Bride tells the story of Arielle Peterson. She decided to convert to Islam to search for respect and community after being raped. After her conversion, bonded by hiraj, she has to go to Syria to serve Islam. But she soon realizes that she has been misled and can’t escape the realities of Islam.
Her father, Erik Peterson, a member of a counter-terrorism unit, will not leave a stone unturned to find her and bring her home. Even if it at the cost of losing her job.
But will he be in time to stop Abu Noor al Kanadi’s plan to release a deadly virus in Montreal?
The author uses different viewpoints to fill in the various storylines.
The theme is the relationship between father and daughter and how quickly things can go wrong. But also the fight against violence and terrorism. And how violence leads to more violence.
The author accurately describes the reality of Islam. The cruelty and how women are abused and treated like objects.
The author managed to weave a complex narrative with much action and suspense, leading to an inevitable climax.
I recommend this book for readers who likes thrillers, suspense, historical, and action novels.
Trigger Warnings: Violence | Death | Profanity
Jihadi Bride tells the story of Arielle Peterson. She decided to convert to Islam to search for respect and community after being raped. After her conversion, bonded by hiraj, she has to go to Syria to serve Islam. But she soon realizes that she has been misled and can’t escape the realities of Islam.
Her father, Erik Peterson, a member of a counter-terrorism unit, will not leave a stone unturned to find her and bring her home. Even if it at the cost of losing her job.
But will he be in time to stop Abu Noor al Kanadi’s plan to release a deadly virus in Montreal?
The author uses different viewpoints to fill in the various storylines.
The theme is the relationship between father and daughter and how quickly things can go wrong. But also the fight against violence and terrorism. And how violence leads to more violence.
The author accurately describes the reality of Islam. The cruelty and how women are abused and treated like objects.
The author managed to weave a complex narrative with much action and suspense, leading to an inevitable climax.
I recommend this book for readers who likes thrillers, suspense, historical, and action novels.
Trigger Warnings: Violence | Death | Profanity
January 1, 2021
"....someone's freedom to do something always butted up against someone else's freedom from something."
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
This book was about Erik Peterson an army /war veteran who upon hearing that his daughter Arielle after having had a traumatic experience at her college, decided to join Islam and go to Syria to (what she thought) to fulfill a higher purpose and find peace. What she experienced was nothing she expected. Meanwhile her father Erick would stop at nothing to find his daughter even if it meant putting himself at risk.
I found this story really exciting and action packed and honestly this would make a very good TV series. This is my first time reading this author and I must say I was very impressed with the writing in this novel and the characters. I am always impressed when I can, from the description of characters picture what they look like and imagine that I am there.
What stood out was Arielle's experience upon arrival in the Middle East. It really reminded me that sometimes experiencing a traumatic experience can lead us to find comfort in things that may not necessarily be good for us.
I was excited about Mus'ab though, and felt that his character could have impacted more in the story. (I do not want to go further and spoil it).
I can definitely recommend this book to anyone who likes Action.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
This book was about Erik Peterson an army /war veteran who upon hearing that his daughter Arielle after having had a traumatic experience at her college, decided to join Islam and go to Syria to (what she thought) to fulfill a higher purpose and find peace. What she experienced was nothing she expected. Meanwhile her father Erick would stop at nothing to find his daughter even if it meant putting himself at risk.
I found this story really exciting and action packed and honestly this would make a very good TV series. This is my first time reading this author and I must say I was very impressed with the writing in this novel and the characters. I am always impressed when I can, from the description of characters picture what they look like and imagine that I am there.
What stood out was Arielle's experience upon arrival in the Middle East. It really reminded me that sometimes experiencing a traumatic experience can lead us to find comfort in things that may not necessarily be good for us.
I was excited about Mus'ab though, and felt that his character could have impacted more in the story. (I do not want to go further and spoil it).
I can definitely recommend this book to anyone who likes Action.
January 14, 2020
Jihadi Bride by Alistair Luft (The Battle Within, 2017) is a gut-wrenching, technically intuitive, story that shows the author’s rising potential. When task force agent Erik Petersson’s college-aged daughter, Arielle, converts to Islam and decides she’s going to answer the call to travel to Syria to assist victims of the raging civil war, he begins a tireless campaign to save her. What follows is a well-researched account of Islamic culture and the horrors of terrorism.
Erik’s quest to rescue her also forces him through a downward spiral. The author shows a gift with dialogue—conversations throughout the book are believable, and you can feel his characters’ emotions. In a few instances, the author could have expanded on an adequate description of the settings and locational transitions that leave the story feeling like a single-stage theatrical play when the scenery changes before the lights come back up. Jihadi Bride’s action scenes are compelling, descriptive, and excellently paced.
April 7, 2023
War stories aren't easy reads
Erik Petersen, a man who has sacrificed his wife, and much of his life, to a shadow war against Islamic terrorism, is confronted with the stunning news that his beloved daughter and only child has converted to Islam and flown off to Syria to join the Caliphate. The distant tactical threat becomes a present agony. The job which was his life now becomes the obstacle to recovering the only human connection he has left. He bears more responsibility than he realizes for the situation. He has more unmet emotional needs than he is willing to acknowledge, and, fortunately, he has more friends than he knows. Would-be heroes in every war must confront and vanquish the enemy within before they can hope to conquer the enemy before them, and so it is with Erik. Vivid characterization and a driving , threatening sense of urgency are the standout features of an emotional and thought-provoking novel of the new form of stateless warfare. This is a voluntary and independent ARC review.
Erik Petersen, a man who has sacrificed his wife, and much of his life, to a shadow war against Islamic terrorism, is confronted with the stunning news that his beloved daughter and only child has converted to Islam and flown off to Syria to join the Caliphate. The distant tactical threat becomes a present agony. The job which was his life now becomes the obstacle to recovering the only human connection he has left. He bears more responsibility than he realizes for the situation. He has more unmet emotional needs than he is willing to acknowledge, and, fortunately, he has more friends than he knows. Would-be heroes in every war must confront and vanquish the enemy within before they can hope to conquer the enemy before them, and so it is with Erik. Vivid characterization and a driving , threatening sense of urgency are the standout features of an emotional and thought-provoking novel of the new form of stateless warfare. This is a voluntary and independent ARC review.
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