What do you think?
Rate this book
A Line in the Sand: A Novel
In this “spellbinding and totally original thriller” (Philipp Meyer, author of The Son ) a lonely veteran’s gruesome discovery throws him right into the face of danger as a twisted investigation unravels the secrets of his dark past. One early morning on a Norfolk beach in Virginia, a dead body is discovered by a man taking his daily swim—Arman Bajalan, formerly an interpreter in Iraq. After narrowly surviving an assassination attempt that killed his wife and child, Arman has been given lonely sanctuary in the US as a maintenance worker at the Sea Breeze Motel. Now, convinced that the body is connected to his past, he knows he is still not safe.
Seasoned detective Catherine Wheel and her newly minted partner have little to go on beyond a bus ticket in the dead man’s pocket. It leads them to Sally Ewell, a local journalist as grief-stricken as Arman is by the Iraq War, who is investigating a corporation on the cusp of landing a multi-billion-dollar government defense contract.
As victims mount around Arman, taking the team down wrong turns and towards startling evidence, they find themselves in a race, committed to unraveling the truth and keeping Arman alive—even if it costs them absolutely everything.
Seasoned detective Catherine Wheel and her newly minted partner have little to go on beyond a bus ticket in the dead man’s pocket. It leads them to Sally Ewell, a local journalist as grief-stricken as Arman is by the Iraq War, who is investigating a corporation on the cusp of landing a multi-billion-dollar government defense contract.
As victims mount around Arman, taking the team down wrong turns and towards startling evidence, they find themselves in a race, committed to unraveling the truth and keeping Arman alive—even if it costs them absolutely everything.
370 pages, Kindle Edition
First published May 16, 2023
293 people are currently reading
6072 people want to read
About the author
Kevin Powers
20 books344 followersKevin Powers was born and raised in Richmond, VA. In 2004 and 2005 he served with the U.S. Army in Mosul and Tal Afar, Iraq. He studied English at Virginia Commonwealth University after his honorable discharge and received an M.F.A. in Poetry from the Michener Center for Writers at the University of Texas at Austin in 2012.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 299 reviews
March 14, 2025
It’s 2009, and on a Norfolk beach in Virginia, Arman Bajalan is taking his regular early morning swim, but this won’t be like any other day, because Arman comes across the dead body of a man.
Arman has seen many dead bodies, his own wife and son among them. He was an Iraqi interpreter with the US forces. He survived the assassination attempt that killed his loved ones but he’s lonely here, thousands of miles from the place he called home.
This body is only the first, and it becomes clear that, not only was Arman meant to find this body, but that he’s also a target. He has information that someone wants desperately and they’ll stop at nothing to get it. While ever he’s alive, he’s a danger to someone very important.
Detective Catherine Wheel and her partner have little to go on, except a bus ticket in the deceased’s pocket. This leads them to journalist Sally Ewel who has reason to be just as traumatised as Arman by the Iraq War. She’s currently investigating a criminal corporation which is about to land a multi billion dollar government defence contract.
This was a well plotted and gripping thriller, part police procedural and part political conspiracy. It was fast paced and full of tension. The characters ( some of them decidedly evil) were all believable, frighteningly so, and I enjoyed it immensely.
*I was invited to read ‘A Line in the Sand’ by the publisher and have given an honest unbiased review in exchange *
Arman has seen many dead bodies, his own wife and son among them. He was an Iraqi interpreter with the US forces. He survived the assassination attempt that killed his loved ones but he’s lonely here, thousands of miles from the place he called home.
This body is only the first, and it becomes clear that, not only was Arman meant to find this body, but that he’s also a target. He has information that someone wants desperately and they’ll stop at nothing to get it. While ever he’s alive, he’s a danger to someone very important.
Detective Catherine Wheel and her partner have little to go on, except a bus ticket in the deceased’s pocket. This leads them to journalist Sally Ewel who has reason to be just as traumatised as Arman by the Iraq War. She’s currently investigating a criminal corporation which is about to land a multi billion dollar government defence contract.
This was a well plotted and gripping thriller, part police procedural and part political conspiracy. It was fast paced and full of tension. The characters ( some of them decidedly evil) were all believable, frighteningly so, and I enjoyed it immensely.
*I was invited to read ‘A Line in the Sand’ by the publisher and have given an honest unbiased review in exchange *
August 2, 2023
3.5 rounded up
Arman Bajalan, a former Iraqi interpreter with US forces, takes his usual early morning dip on Ocean View Beach, Norfolk, Virginia. On his way out, he discovers a dead body in the sand, which Detective Catherine Wheel* and her partner Lamar Adams are called to investigate. Who is the dead man? He has no wallet or i/d and that mystery well and truly deepens. Is there any link to Arman himself? Meanwhile, Sally Ewell, a journalist with issues of her own, is investigating Decision Tree, a private military contractor with links to Iraq.
This is a well plotted, intelligent, multilayered, but definitely complex thriller and though I don’t completely get all the references I most certainly get the gist. It’s a really good blend of police investigation conducted by Catherine and Lamar with a political thriller conspiracy which takes a deep dive into the second Gulf War. The author has the service credentials to write such a book and I have to say it makes me wonder and ponder if ……actually, I can well believe it, sadly. It’s full of tension and suspenseful moments as characters enter a violent, corrupt and extremely dangerous world with nefarious characters who will stop at nothing. It’s fast paced and there’s rarely a dull moment with a mounting body count. The ending is a surprise but feels justified.
There are a lot of characters and I really do mean a lot of characters and they take some keeping track of. The main four characters are well portrayed with good dialogue between them. You get a strong sense of the impact of war on individuals especially Arman whose story is a heartbreaking one but also with Sally who carries burdens and some demons. This aspect of the book is very well done.
However, some characters make some strange decisions which raises an eyebrow as they seem a bit of a stretch. Catherine in particular is an experienced cop but is certainly guilty of that!
Overall, it’s a powerful novel which I do enjoy despite an issue or two. I have never read this author before, indeed, I’d never heard of him and so there were no expectations but I’m very glad to have read it.
With thanks to NetGalley and especially to Hodder and Stoughton for the much appreciated arc in return for an honest review.
* Catherine Wheel!! I did have a smile at the name 🎆🎇
Arman Bajalan, a former Iraqi interpreter with US forces, takes his usual early morning dip on Ocean View Beach, Norfolk, Virginia. On his way out, he discovers a dead body in the sand, which Detective Catherine Wheel* and her partner Lamar Adams are called to investigate. Who is the dead man? He has no wallet or i/d and that mystery well and truly deepens. Is there any link to Arman himself? Meanwhile, Sally Ewell, a journalist with issues of her own, is investigating Decision Tree, a private military contractor with links to Iraq.
This is a well plotted, intelligent, multilayered, but definitely complex thriller and though I don’t completely get all the references I most certainly get the gist. It’s a really good blend of police investigation conducted by Catherine and Lamar with a political thriller conspiracy which takes a deep dive into the second Gulf War. The author has the service credentials to write such a book and I have to say it makes me wonder and ponder if ……actually, I can well believe it, sadly. It’s full of tension and suspenseful moments as characters enter a violent, corrupt and extremely dangerous world with nefarious characters who will stop at nothing. It’s fast paced and there’s rarely a dull moment with a mounting body count. The ending is a surprise but feels justified.
There are a lot of characters and I really do mean a lot of characters and they take some keeping track of. The main four characters are well portrayed with good dialogue between them. You get a strong sense of the impact of war on individuals especially Arman whose story is a heartbreaking one but also with Sally who carries burdens and some demons. This aspect of the book is very well done.
However, some characters make some strange decisions which raises an eyebrow as they seem a bit of a stretch. Catherine in particular is an experienced cop but is certainly guilty of that!
Overall, it’s a powerful novel which I do enjoy despite an issue or two. I have never read this author before, indeed, I’d never heard of him and so there were no expectations but I’m very glad to have read it.
With thanks to NetGalley and especially to Hodder and Stoughton for the much appreciated arc in return for an honest review.
* Catherine Wheel!! I did have a smile at the name 🎆🎇
November 18, 2022
I read this one in one sitting, to the detriment of other pressing domestic responsibilities. Greed, the business of war-making, who wins and who loses all factor into this story peopled with characters so real I got teary a few times. Outstanding.
After reading his novel The Yellow Birds years back, I knew Kevin Powers could make the workings of the modern American military and military-industrial complex compelling even to someone like me who is mostly ignorant (and uninterested). He writes sentences that are deceptive -- they are more than just straightforward, they hold depth and feeling.
After reading his novel The Yellow Birds years back, I knew Kevin Powers could make the workings of the modern American military and military-industrial complex compelling even to someone like me who is mostly ignorant (and uninterested). He writes sentences that are deceptive -- they are more than just straightforward, they hold depth and feeling.
June 17, 2023
This is an unexpected page-turner.
We first met this author with his PEN/Hemingway prize novel, The Yellow Birds. A few critics considered it an exemplary war novel from the American perspective. I had a few issues with it, but I still felt it was a good story.
With this novel, he reconsiders the Iraq War through the eyes of a police procedural.
It is edgy, hardboiled and driven by dialogue.
He takes us from the swamps of Tidewater, Virginia to the chaotic streets of Mosul. We witness the atrocities of war. We know who loses in conflicts between nations, but who really wins?
This story is set in Norfolk in 2009 opening with a body being discovered by Arman Bajalan, a handyman at a local hotel. He had observed two men who had used Arabic terms before leaving the area. He knows these terms because he had served as a translator assigned to American troops engaged in combat back in Mosul 4 years earlier.
Arman has many scars from that experience, and not just physical. He lost his wife and son to the horrors of that war. And now being in the middle of this murder investigation doesn’t add to his life.
Lots of characters doing bad things in this novel, for a variety of reasons. The book peels away layers of violence, interrogates the corruption, and finds the investigation dependent on technology to survive.
Much of this plot is layered, and that makes the author's characters rich in development.
But...
The author gets political in here, as well. Pointing accusatory fingers. So much is complicated about this, so this part may be a bit uncomfortable for the reader.
And...
How will this investigation/mystery be solved?
We first met this author with his PEN/Hemingway prize novel, The Yellow Birds. A few critics considered it an exemplary war novel from the American perspective. I had a few issues with it, but I still felt it was a good story.
With this novel, he reconsiders the Iraq War through the eyes of a police procedural.
It is edgy, hardboiled and driven by dialogue.
He takes us from the swamps of Tidewater, Virginia to the chaotic streets of Mosul. We witness the atrocities of war. We know who loses in conflicts between nations, but who really wins?
This story is set in Norfolk in 2009 opening with a body being discovered by Arman Bajalan, a handyman at a local hotel. He had observed two men who had used Arabic terms before leaving the area. He knows these terms because he had served as a translator assigned to American troops engaged in combat back in Mosul 4 years earlier.
Arman has many scars from that experience, and not just physical. He lost his wife and son to the horrors of that war. And now being in the middle of this murder investigation doesn’t add to his life.
Lots of characters doing bad things in this novel, for a variety of reasons. The book peels away layers of violence, interrogates the corruption, and finds the investigation dependent on technology to survive.
Much of this plot is layered, and that makes the author's characters rich in development.
But...
The author gets political in here, as well. Pointing accusatory fingers. So much is complicated about this, so this part may be a bit uncomfortable for the reader.
And...
How will this investigation/mystery be solved?
September 13, 2023
Former U.S. Army interpreter Arman Bajalan finds a body on the beach one morning, in Norfolk, Virginia, shortly after completing his pre-work swim. These days, Arman is employed completing menial tasks at a motel situated close to the beach. We’re to learn more about how he came to migrate to America and what became of his family too, but for now he finds himself answering questions posed by the investigating officer, Detective Catherine Wheel, and hoping that this delay to the start of his working day won’t cost him his job.
It seems that Arman had seen a couple of men leaving the beach and had even picked up a phrase one of the men had uttered to his companion. This small piece of information would allow Wheel and her partner, Lamar Adams, who’d himself briefly seen military action in Iraq, to begin to unpick a complex series of events leading to the murder of this man. A number of people we’ve met in the early pages of this book will be impacted, and in ways we couldn’t have anticipated.
The story unfolds steadily, but with sudden and unexpected events punctuating the narrative. It’s possible that a private military company who are attempting to secure government funding are somehow implicated, but if so it’s not clear how. In fact, whenever I started to think I had a handle on things something would happen that would startle me, throwing me off track. All of the main characters are well drawn and believable, their discourse often punchy and always convincing. Overall, a complicated tale is delivered in a manner that is both intriguing and engaging.
A minor grumble I have is that there are an awful lot of unexplained acronyms here, though this didn’t significantly detract from my enjoyment of this tale. A standard police procedural this is not - it’s crime fiction, but with something of a twist. An enjoyable read from an author new to me.
My thanks to Hodder & Stoughton for providing a copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
It seems that Arman had seen a couple of men leaving the beach and had even picked up a phrase one of the men had uttered to his companion. This small piece of information would allow Wheel and her partner, Lamar Adams, who’d himself briefly seen military action in Iraq, to begin to unpick a complex series of events leading to the murder of this man. A number of people we’ve met in the early pages of this book will be impacted, and in ways we couldn’t have anticipated.
The story unfolds steadily, but with sudden and unexpected events punctuating the narrative. It’s possible that a private military company who are attempting to secure government funding are somehow implicated, but if so it’s not clear how. In fact, whenever I started to think I had a handle on things something would happen that would startle me, throwing me off track. All of the main characters are well drawn and believable, their discourse often punchy and always convincing. Overall, a complicated tale is delivered in a manner that is both intriguing and engaging.
A minor grumble I have is that there are an awful lot of unexplained acronyms here, though this didn’t significantly detract from my enjoyment of this tale. A standard police procedural this is not - it’s crime fiction, but with something of a twist. An enjoyable read from an author new to me.
My thanks to Hodder & Stoughton for providing a copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
August 6, 2023
One early morning on a Norfolk beach in Virginia, a dead body is discovered by a man taking his daily swim - Arman Bajalan, formerly an interpreter in Iraq. After narrowly surviving an assassination attempt that killed his wife and child, Arman has been given lonely sanctuary in the US as a maintenance worker at the Sea Breeze Motel. Now, convinced the body is connected to his past, he knows he's still not safe. Seasoned Detective Catherine Wheel and her newly minted partner have little to go on beyond a bus ticket in the dead man's pocket. It leads them to Sally Ewell, a local journalist as grief stricken as Arman is by the Iraq war, who is investigating a corporation on the cusp of landing a multi-billion-dollor government defense contract.
With complex and flawed characters, descriptions clearly expressed, and a great plotline, make this book a compelling read. I was quickly pulled into the book, and I did not put it down again until I was finished. I found myself holding my breath on several occasions in this action packed read. I'm not really a fan of these types of storylines, but there was something intriguing about the premise. There are quite a few threads to follow in this blend of police procedural and middle eastern conspiracy. The ending was kind of left open - does this mean there will be a sequel? Oh, I do hope so.
I would like to thank #NetGalley #HodderStoughton and the author #KevinPowers for my ARC of #ALineInTheSand in exchange for an honest review.
With complex and flawed characters, descriptions clearly expressed, and a great plotline, make this book a compelling read. I was quickly pulled into the book, and I did not put it down again until I was finished. I found myself holding my breath on several occasions in this action packed read. I'm not really a fan of these types of storylines, but there was something intriguing about the premise. There are quite a few threads to follow in this blend of police procedural and middle eastern conspiracy. The ending was kind of left open - does this mean there will be a sequel? Oh, I do hope so.
I would like to thank #NetGalley #HodderStoughton and the author #KevinPowers for my ARC of #ALineInTheSand in exchange for an honest review.
April 24, 2024
‘A Line in the Sand’ by Kevin Powers left me bedazzled and shocked! It is a fast-moving and convoluted detective mystery with a lot of moving pieces. I loved it!
I copied the book blurb because it is accurate:
”In this “spellbinding and totally original thriller” (Philipp Meyer, author of The Son ) a lonely veteran’s gruesome discovery throws him right into the face of danger as a twisted investigation unravels the secrets of his dark past.
One early morning on a Norfolk beach in Virginia, a dead body is discovered by a man taking his daily swim—Arman Bajalan, formerly an interpreter in Iraq. After narrowly surviving an assassination attempt that killed his wife and child, Arman has been given lonely sanctuary in the US as a maintenance worker at the Sea Breeze Motel. Now, convinced that the body is connected to his past, he knows he is still not safe.
Seasoned detective Catherine Wheel and her newly minted partner have little to go on beyond a bus ticket in the dead man’s pocket. It leads them to Sally Ewell, a local journalist as grief-stricken as Arman is by the Iraq War, who is investigating a corporation on the cusp of landing a multi-billion-dollar government defense contract.
As victims mount around Arman, taking the team down wrong turns and towards startling evidence, they find themselves in a race, committed to unraveling the truth and keeping Arman alive—even if it costs them absolutely everything.
I think the inspiration for this novel is a real-life incident that occurred in Iraq during the occupation of American forces, although the author has changed most of the details of the incident.
I LOVED this novel! I thought it a terrific story, engrossing and thrilling. I could not put it down, often reading until the wee hours of the night! I highly recommend it.
I copied the book blurb because it is accurate:
”In this “spellbinding and totally original thriller” (Philipp Meyer, author of The Son ) a lonely veteran’s gruesome discovery throws him right into the face of danger as a twisted investigation unravels the secrets of his dark past.
One early morning on a Norfolk beach in Virginia, a dead body is discovered by a man taking his daily swim—Arman Bajalan, formerly an interpreter in Iraq. After narrowly surviving an assassination attempt that killed his wife and child, Arman has been given lonely sanctuary in the US as a maintenance worker at the Sea Breeze Motel. Now, convinced that the body is connected to his past, he knows he is still not safe.
Seasoned detective Catherine Wheel and her newly minted partner have little to go on beyond a bus ticket in the dead man’s pocket. It leads them to Sally Ewell, a local journalist as grief-stricken as Arman is by the Iraq War, who is investigating a corporation on the cusp of landing a multi-billion-dollar government defense contract.
As victims mount around Arman, taking the team down wrong turns and towards startling evidence, they find themselves in a race, committed to unraveling the truth and keeping Arman alive—even if it costs them absolutely everything.
I think the inspiration for this novel is a real-life incident that occurred in Iraq during the occupation of American forces, although the author has changed most of the details of the incident.
I LOVED this novel! I thought it a terrific story, engrossing and thrilling. I could not put it down, often reading until the wee hours of the night! I highly recommend it.
June 7, 2023
Better than average international thriller with a strong cast, involving plotline, and hopefully further life in more sequels.
December 9, 2023
Good mystery thriller but long
December 2, 2023
I think it's three or four times so far that I've chosen my book of the year. I'm starting to think it would be a good idea to wait until December 31st because here we go again. THIS IS THE BOOK OF THE YEAR!
Kevin Powers has written a quite extraordinary novel about an Iraqi interpreter who has been granted a visa to relocate and start a new life in the US . . . but not before his family have been slaughtered in a massacre. He has proof that a private company of mercenaries with powerful financial and political backing was responsible but his discovery one morning of a body on the beach sets in motion an investigation that is as gripping, intelligent and convincing as anything you're likely to read.
The characters, from the central players down to the bit parts, are wonderfully realised and the plot development is brilliantly handled, providing the perfect counter to those who feel pace can only be equated with breakneck speed. This is a seriously talented novelist at work. I understand his first novel, 'The Yellow Birds' won an absolute shedload of awards and tributes so I'll be diving into that before too long.
Outstanding.
Kevin Powers has written a quite extraordinary novel about an Iraqi interpreter who has been granted a visa to relocate and start a new life in the US . . . but not before his family have been slaughtered in a massacre. He has proof that a private company of mercenaries with powerful financial and political backing was responsible but his discovery one morning of a body on the beach sets in motion an investigation that is as gripping, intelligent and convincing as anything you're likely to read.
The characters, from the central players down to the bit parts, are wonderfully realised and the plot development is brilliantly handled, providing the perfect counter to those who feel pace can only be equated with breakneck speed. This is a seriously talented novelist at work. I understand his first novel, 'The Yellow Birds' won an absolute shedload of awards and tributes so I'll be diving into that before too long.
Outstanding.
May 19, 2023
I considered ditching this at the 75% mark, when Powers introduced yet another character who was pretty clearly all good, to go against others who were pretty clearly all bad. It's a tell-tale mark of genre writing - like a bad smell - that all characters fall distinctly on either side, as though the author couldn't afford to allow his readers to be confused. For all his supposed "literary" prowess, Powers is actually pretty bad with dialogue. The character-types sound, not like real people, but like how the author believes people of that type sound (cf. Scott Turow). It's cringe-inducing.
September 29, 2023
Arman worked as an interpreter for the Americans back in his native Iraq. When things spiralled out of control in ‘05, he found himself fast-tracked to a new life in the US.
But, when he finds a body on the beach after his morning swim, Arman’s past comes hurtling into the present. Detectives and investigative journalists take an interest in his story, and soon he finds himself on the run from some dark and cruel people.
A Line in the Sand is a beautifully written, intelligent thriller that swings between huge international crimes and their very personal effect on a few poor souls. Kevin Powers – who served as a machine gunner in Iraq before turning to writing – has expanded his range once again with this highly entertaining novel of greed, power and the many moral corruptions of the western war machine.
But, when he finds a body on the beach after his morning swim, Arman’s past comes hurtling into the present. Detectives and investigative journalists take an interest in his story, and soon he finds himself on the run from some dark and cruel people.
A Line in the Sand is a beautifully written, intelligent thriller that swings between huge international crimes and their very personal effect on a few poor souls. Kevin Powers – who served as a machine gunner in Iraq before turning to writing – has expanded his range once again with this highly entertaining novel of greed, power and the many moral corruptions of the western war machine.
July 31, 2023
An action packed mystery. A private military contractor is bidding for a 2 billion dollar contract offered by the U.S. Government. In order to get it, some damaging information has to disappear. A well written book with very good characters and dialogue. The action keeps your attention throughout the story.
August 16, 2023
An excellent thriller I couldn't stop read. Gripping, twisty and surprising.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine
August 26, 2023
The world of the story is interesting -it links veterans, an Iraqi translator, private military contractors and political operators - but I had a few issues with A Line in the Sand. The characters are two-dimensional, there is a sameness and sentimentality about the military (every character with a connection has to deliver a homily at some point).
The oddest thing is the way that the two detectives throw in their lot with a number of other characters, for no discernible reason, happily tossing around confidential information and putting them at risk. On the plus side it's well written and quite page-turny and I was curious enough to finish it.
*
Copy from NetGalley.
The oddest thing is the way that the two detectives throw in their lot with a number of other characters, for no discernible reason, happily tossing around confidential information and putting them at risk. On the plus side it's well written and quite page-turny and I was curious enough to finish it.
*
Copy from NetGalley.
June 13, 2023
Rounding up from 3.5 stars—frankly because I like the novel’s politics (the billionaire bad guy seems to be trending in my recent reading…and that’s not much of a spoiler) and it’s a better than average thriller that takes some risks and includes some characters who are definitely not run-of-the-mill. As with most thrillers, frequent suspension of disbelief is required, and not every plot hole is successfully filled…but it pulled me in right away and kept me eagerly reading—no problem with pacing here. It’s worth a read.
August 25, 2024
The American invasion of Iraq was contentious, disastrous for Iraq and arguably a failure despite its early success in deposing Saddam Hussein. Like all wars it has also generated a great deal of writing, both fiction and non-fiction. Kevin Powers served in the army in Iraq, and he produced a highly acclaimed war novel, The Yellow Birds, in 2012.
A Line in the Sand is also about the Iraq war, but it takes place a few years after the invasion, in and around Norfolk, Virginia with interludes in Washington D.C. The story centers around the fate of Arman Bajalan, an Iraqi Kurd who served the U.S. military as a translator and was relocated to the States after the war. Having lost his family and his country, he is living a lonely existence working as a janitor at seaside motel. After his customary morning swim, he discovers a corpse on the beach and narrowly avoids being seen by two men who apparently were responsible for the murder. His reporting of the crime sets off an investigation that quickly reveals an Iraqi connection; it becomes apparent that Arman himself is a target of the murderous hit team that is still in the area. The back stories of investigating detective Catherine Wheel, her army veteran partner Lamar Adams and local news reporter Sally Ewell, who lost a brother in the war, emerge as the investigation uncovers ramifications stretching to Washington D.C. and beyond.
It's a story about rural America as much as about Iraq, as both Wheel and Ewell are locals deeply rooted in tidewater Virginia. It is also a police procedural and an occasionally quite violent action thriller. Ultimately it's about the regrettable war in Iraq and its effects on an American community and the country as a whole.
A Line in the Sand is also about the Iraq war, but it takes place a few years after the invasion, in and around Norfolk, Virginia with interludes in Washington D.C. The story centers around the fate of Arman Bajalan, an Iraqi Kurd who served the U.S. military as a translator and was relocated to the States after the war. Having lost his family and his country, he is living a lonely existence working as a janitor at seaside motel. After his customary morning swim, he discovers a corpse on the beach and narrowly avoids being seen by two men who apparently were responsible for the murder. His reporting of the crime sets off an investigation that quickly reveals an Iraqi connection; it becomes apparent that Arman himself is a target of the murderous hit team that is still in the area. The back stories of investigating detective Catherine Wheel, her army veteran partner Lamar Adams and local news reporter Sally Ewell, who lost a brother in the war, emerge as the investigation uncovers ramifications stretching to Washington D.C. and beyond.
It's a story about rural America as much as about Iraq, as both Wheel and Ewell are locals deeply rooted in tidewater Virginia. It is also a police procedural and an occasionally quite violent action thriller. Ultimately it's about the regrettable war in Iraq and its effects on an American community and the country as a whole.
August 1, 2023
I picked this up because I greatly admired The Yellow Birds. I was a little surprised to see that this was a police procedural. Overall, it was a great disappointment.
The book got off to a promising start. There was a bit of a mystery and some interesting characters. The Iraq War was a large presence as some of the main characters had been greatly affected by it. And it turned out that the role of private contractors in the war effort drove the plot.
Kevin Powers has great empathy for victims of the war, and an equal amount of contempt for those who profit from it. This led to characters either being really good people or evil monsters. There were few characters who didn't fit into one of those two categories. A lot of the mystery is taken away early in the novel when it becomes apparent who is responsible for the initial murder and the subsequent attempts on the life of the character Arman. Still, that didn't spoil the book for me, as the story was well paced, had suspense and you didn't know how it was all going to come out. Powers is a talented writer and he tries to develop characters who are fully formed people. Some have complained that the dialogue in the story was poorly written, but I didn't have a problem with it.
The problem for me was a series of events in the second half of the novel that just seemed ludicrous. For example, was it really necessary to have two old man with guns vs trained killers shootouts? The first one, involving the motel owner Mr. Peters, was silly enough. But I started rolling my eyes when we got into the gunfight between Mr. Ewell and the trained assassin. The old men acquitted themselves very well. They were much more competent than the police.
The Ewell gun battle (stretched out to ridiculous length to build suspense over the question of whether the geezer survived) only occurred because of a series of head-scratching decisions by the police detective and principal character Catherine Wheel (if I misspell names it's because I listened to the audiobook). First, after obtaining the thumb drive with the video that depicted the massacre, she decides to stay overnight in a hotel rather than driving directly back to Norfolk from Washington, DC (a trip of about three hours). Why would she do that? Then, instead of safeguarding the evidence, she leaves it out in the open while sleeping, fully accessible to a man (the congressional aide, Trey) whom she just met and does not trust and who has made it clear that he wants this evidence buried so that it never becomes public. Naturally, he runs off with the evidence and manages to stupidly get himself killed. So stopping at the hotel, a decision that no one would make in real life, was just a device to set up the loss of evidence, which then ultimately sets up the story's climax.
Then, with knowledge that everyone's life is in danger, Wheel chooses to not return to a safe place, you know, like police headquarters, but instead takes the advice of an alcoholic and depressed reporter to hole up with her mom and dad on a remote island, where, of course, no help is available if the bad guys show up. Maybe it was all the ham and bacon available there, just what you want to offer to a man, presumably a Muslim, from Iraq. After that brief bit of comic relief, a bad guy shows up, with the state police too far behind to catch him because the officer chasing him delayed the pursuit so that she could clean up the vomit of the prostitute who had been beaten up by the bad guy. But I guess it was all necessary so that Mr. Ewell (I think his name was Buck - I mean, what else could it be?) could play hero.
Wheel is eventually criticized for her stupidity in a silly scene in which a state attorney tells her that she has to retire or be fired, this after an apparently exemplary career. Yes, losing the evidence was idiotic, but come on, police officers have powerful unions. They don't get summarily dismissed. It would have taken years to get rid of Wheel.
Then we had the killing of Lamar. Lamar is not only a trained police officer, he is a military veteran. He's carrying a gun and riding in a car with a man that he knows that he can't trust because he already knew what Lamar came to talk to him about before Lamar tells him. At one point, Lamar reaches for his gun. But then, for no reason, Lamar completely lets down his guard and manages to be stabbed to death by a man driving a car through a tunnel. Despite that fact that Lamar has a gun and the other guy has only a knife (and is driving a car!), Lamar is killed. And the car apparently didn't even cross over a lane marker. A totally ludicrous turn of events.
It was inevitable , of course, that the end would have to come about through extra-judicial means because Lamar, in addition to being killed, gave up additional evidence of the massacre by the contractors. Catherine does the deed, which she knows was wrong, but doesn't regret. I wasn't sure what the reader is supposed to take from that. That sometimes good guys have to do bad things because the legal system is so slanted in favor of bad rich people? That may be true in some cases, but is that what happened here? The police had all kinds of evidence, but managed to blunder it away due to their own incompetence. Still, the ending was reasonably entertaining after all of the ridiculous contrivances that got us to that point.
The book got a lot of favorable reviews in prominent newspapers, so my opinion that the plot is far-fetched and a bit silly and contrived is not widely shared. It's a shame, because Powers is a good writer, and between all the flying bullets and knives, he has some important points to make about those who profit from sending men to war, with the wide-ranging effects on those who become war's victims. I just wish that he had chosen a better way to make those points.
The book got off to a promising start. There was a bit of a mystery and some interesting characters. The Iraq War was a large presence as some of the main characters had been greatly affected by it. And it turned out that the role of private contractors in the war effort drove the plot.
Kevin Powers has great empathy for victims of the war, and an equal amount of contempt for those who profit from it. This led to characters either being really good people or evil monsters. There were few characters who didn't fit into one of those two categories. A lot of the mystery is taken away early in the novel when it becomes apparent who is responsible for the initial murder and the subsequent attempts on the life of the character Arman. Still, that didn't spoil the book for me, as the story was well paced, had suspense and you didn't know how it was all going to come out. Powers is a talented writer and he tries to develop characters who are fully formed people. Some have complained that the dialogue in the story was poorly written, but I didn't have a problem with it.
The problem for me was a series of events in the second half of the novel that just seemed ludicrous. For example, was it really necessary to have two old man with guns vs trained killers shootouts? The first one, involving the motel owner Mr. Peters, was silly enough. But I started rolling my eyes when we got into the gunfight between Mr. Ewell and the trained assassin. The old men acquitted themselves very well. They were much more competent than the police.
The Ewell gun battle (stretched out to ridiculous length to build suspense over the question of whether the geezer survived) only occurred because of a series of head-scratching decisions by the police detective and principal character Catherine Wheel (if I misspell names it's because I listened to the audiobook). First, after obtaining the thumb drive with the video that depicted the massacre, she decides to stay overnight in a hotel rather than driving directly back to Norfolk from Washington, DC (a trip of about three hours). Why would she do that? Then, instead of safeguarding the evidence, she leaves it out in the open while sleeping, fully accessible to a man (the congressional aide, Trey) whom she just met and does not trust and who has made it clear that he wants this evidence buried so that it never becomes public. Naturally, he runs off with the evidence and manages to stupidly get himself killed. So stopping at the hotel, a decision that no one would make in real life, was just a device to set up the loss of evidence, which then ultimately sets up the story's climax.
Then, with knowledge that everyone's life is in danger, Wheel chooses to not return to a safe place, you know, like police headquarters, but instead takes the advice of an alcoholic and depressed reporter to hole up with her mom and dad on a remote island, where, of course, no help is available if the bad guys show up. Maybe it was all the ham and bacon available there, just what you want to offer to a man, presumably a Muslim, from Iraq. After that brief bit of comic relief, a bad guy shows up, with the state police too far behind to catch him because the officer chasing him delayed the pursuit so that she could clean up the vomit of the prostitute who had been beaten up by the bad guy. But I guess it was all necessary so that Mr. Ewell (I think his name was Buck - I mean, what else could it be?) could play hero.
Wheel is eventually criticized for her stupidity in a silly scene in which a state attorney tells her that she has to retire or be fired, this after an apparently exemplary career. Yes, losing the evidence was idiotic, but come on, police officers have powerful unions. They don't get summarily dismissed. It would have taken years to get rid of Wheel.
Then we had the killing of Lamar. Lamar is not only a trained police officer, he is a military veteran. He's carrying a gun and riding in a car with a man that he knows that he can't trust because he already knew what Lamar came to talk to him about before Lamar tells him. At one point, Lamar reaches for his gun. But then, for no reason, Lamar completely lets down his guard and manages to be stabbed to death by a man driving a car through a tunnel. Despite that fact that Lamar has a gun and the other guy has only a knife (and is driving a car!), Lamar is killed. And the car apparently didn't even cross over a lane marker. A totally ludicrous turn of events.
It was inevitable , of course, that the end would have to come about through extra-judicial means because Lamar, in addition to being killed, gave up additional evidence of the massacre by the contractors. Catherine does the deed, which she knows was wrong, but doesn't regret. I wasn't sure what the reader is supposed to take from that. That sometimes good guys have to do bad things because the legal system is so slanted in favor of bad rich people? That may be true in some cases, but is that what happened here? The police had all kinds of evidence, but managed to blunder it away due to their own incompetence. Still, the ending was reasonably entertaining after all of the ridiculous contrivances that got us to that point.
The book got a lot of favorable reviews in prominent newspapers, so my opinion that the plot is far-fetched and a bit silly and contrived is not widely shared. It's a shame, because Powers is a good writer, and between all the flying bullets and knives, he has some important points to make about those who profit from sending men to war, with the wide-ranging effects on those who become war's victims. I just wish that he had chosen a better way to make those points.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 28, 2023
I saw this on a list of the best thrillers of 2023 and boy was it. Set in the DMV, a pair of police detectives and a journalist do everything in their power to right a wrong done in the second Iraq War and protect a former interpreter. This is a morally nuanced, thinking man's Jack Reacher. Except the hero isn't just one guy. It is a group of regular folks doing the best they can against moneyed, entrenched interests and an agnostic government that allows evil without putting up too much of a fight. A parable for our country in its current state of cynicism, except that the good guys act in concert with clarity and purpose. I enjoyed it immensely.
September 10, 2023
This was an interesting read, I liked the plot as it was different. War thrillers are not my usual type of read but I don’t mind them every once in a while. The pacing for this was steady which I appreciated. It was a little too political for my liking but otherwise it was an action packed, suspenseful read.
Thank you to Novel Suspects and Little Brown for the free copy to review.
Thank you to Novel Suspects and Little Brown for the free copy to review.
December 4, 2023
A good action thriller. 3.5 rounded up.
BUT- some incredibly unbelievable plot lines, and absolutely careless behavior on the part of Catherine that I kept yelling- WUT???
I also thought the social commentary was a bit heavy handed.
BUT- some incredibly unbelievable plot lines, and absolutely careless behavior on the part of Catherine that I kept yelling- WUT???
I also thought the social commentary was a bit heavy handed.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 27, 2023
This was a tough book to read but it was so well written that I couldn't put it down. The book opens with Arman, a Kurdish interpreter from Iraq, discovering the body of a dead man on the beach. Arman saw something he shouldn't have in Iraq, made a video and sent it to the officer who helped him get out of Iraq. The video involved private contractors who sprayed bullets on a group of college kids for no reason at all. Now they have located him and are going after him.
This would make a good Netflix series. I hope someone makes it. I don't want to add any spoilers other than to say justice is served - after a fashion.
This would make a good Netflix series. I hope someone makes it. I don't want to add any spoilers other than to say justice is served - after a fashion.
November 17, 2023
Probably the best thriller that came out this year that you’ve never heard of. Taut. Intense! It started in Iraq and it’s not over. Greed and evil leave a trail of bodies across the DC area and the Tidewater. It reminds me of the movie Shooter. Strong female protagonist as the Norfolk PD detective.
August 12, 2023
So good I kept putting it down after every few chapters. Reviews by others nail it!
May 28, 2023
This is brutal powerhouse of a novel. Set in the early aughts, it is primarily about damaged people coping with the profiteers of war and the costs the rest of the world pays. Arman, a former Iraqi interpreter now living in Norfolk, Va., works as a janitor for a run down beachside motel. Early one morning, he finds a body hidden in the tall grass beyond the ocean where he swims every day before the sun comes up. He knows it could have been, and is convinced it was supposed to be him. Arman has something a lot of people want. Arman has proof a private company, while he was a ‘terp during the war in Iraq, committed a massacre that killed many people, including his wife and child. It’s not long before detectives begin to search for answers and people start getting murdered indiscriminately. A reporter becomes involved. Her friend, a Congressional aide is drawn in. Everyone carries their own damage, emotional baggage which rips into their souls. Every character is so finely drawn, so beautifully etched in; you can feel their pain.
This is a conversation between two of them-
“You know what a tumbler is?”
“What, the rock thing”
“That’s right, the rock thing”, Cat said. I think it’s maybe like that. You get this pain handed to you. It’s all sharp edges. You feel like it’s going to cut you open from the inside out. And you carry it in you. It’s always turning over, hurting. You feel like that’s all there is, just that hurt and the emptiness it rolls around in. Then, one day, you feel the weight of it, and you know it’ll always be there, that weight, but the edges are all smoothed out somehow. Just a pebble left. That pebble is always going to be with you, but it doesn’t hurt the way you thought it always would. The only thing left is to decide what to do with it”.
That is damn fine writing. That is what this entire book is like. It’s bloody, it’s at times horrific, but you can’t stop reading. It’s too good. It’s too complex and detailed. I congratulate Kevin Powers. He’s written the procedural of the year.
This is a conversation between two of them-
“You know what a tumbler is?”
“What, the rock thing”
“That’s right, the rock thing”, Cat said. I think it’s maybe like that. You get this pain handed to you. It’s all sharp edges. You feel like it’s going to cut you open from the inside out. And you carry it in you. It’s always turning over, hurting. You feel like that’s all there is, just that hurt and the emptiness it rolls around in. Then, one day, you feel the weight of it, and you know it’ll always be there, that weight, but the edges are all smoothed out somehow. Just a pebble left. That pebble is always going to be with you, but it doesn’t hurt the way you thought it always would. The only thing left is to decide what to do with it”.
That is damn fine writing. That is what this entire book is like. It’s bloody, it’s at times horrific, but you can’t stop reading. It’s too good. It’s too complex and detailed. I congratulate Kevin Powers. He’s written the procedural of the year.
January 15, 2024
To be honest, I gave up on this book - too much confusion - DNF
August 23, 2023
While I won’t say this topped Yellow Birds (his first novel), nor did it come in second (or third (as an aside, I haven’t read his second novel)), it was nonetheless very good. If YB falls into the category of cerebral war lit, Line in the Sand is more of an action thriller filled with war veterans. I preferred the simple depth of YB.
Only critique would be that Line in the Sand reads kind of Tom Clancy-ish, but a lot of people like Clancy. Nonetheless, the plot is intense. The sentences are hot. The point of view shift works (though I wish only terp and homicide detective narrated). The characters are good. The author’s overt opinion and silent soliloquy regarding contractors (mercenaries) drives the antagonist angle of the story. Only real question is: what is Powers working on next!
Only critique would be that Line in the Sand reads kind of Tom Clancy-ish, but a lot of people like Clancy. Nonetheless, the plot is intense. The sentences are hot. The point of view shift works (though I wish only terp and homicide detective narrated). The characters are good. The author’s overt opinion and silent soliloquy regarding contractors (mercenaries) drives the antagonist angle of the story. Only real question is: what is Powers working on next!
February 27, 2023
I needed an escape book at this moment, a book that swept me up in its plot and in another realm that was far from my own experience to erase some background noise, and this did a lovely job. I had some questions about Powers's choices--like why one would hide out in one's family home when knowing serious firepower was coming after you?--but for the most part, this moved in ways that were compelling and engaging. I'm curious about Powers more straight fiction book now!
September 4, 2023
This book took a while to get the juices flowing, but once the action started, it moved very quick. I say that because even though there was action in the beginning, we didn't know much about the characters, so it didn't have the same affect as the second half of the book when we knew who to root for. The ending was surprising and well worth the ride. I'd recommend this book to anyone who likes thrillers.
July 16, 2023
Fast paced with cinematic qualities. War fallout, secret missions, contractors and murder make for a police procedural that is likely and timely. Addressing those left behind who are behind the scenes and the danger faced.lots of action and strong characters to root for.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 299 reviews