About fifty pages into this book, the words "ripping yarn" came to mind. Not that there's anything old-fashioned about this tight, colorful tale about two old friends who embark on a last, crazy adventure to Afghanistan to retrieve a large shipment of hashish. The relationship between the two lead male characters (one a lifelong adventurer, one a former adventurer who's settled down but misses the thrill) beautifully captures the dynamics of longtime male friendship, and the woman that one of them loves (and who accompanies them on the mission) is equally vividly portrayed: strong, rooted, practical but up for anything. The book works in a lot of local color and detail, and sometimes the historical and political references packed into the dialogue slow the action down a little. But the book features several hair-raising scenes of suspense and action, and the ending (in which the fate of the whole operation is in the balance until near the very end of the book) is one that you won't soon forget.