4.13 avg rating — 1,248 ratings

"Publishers Weekly Review

The plot twists in Khalifa’s thriller are dizzying, intricate, and entertaining. Alexander Blackwell, a former FBI agent haunted by his past, is pressed back into service when the enigmatic leader of a terrorist group takes control of a Manhattan skyscraper. But the hostage situation in New York is just the beginning, as Blackwell and the Feds must contend with the kidnapping of a powerful senator’s daughter and demands for the release of two men convicted of bombing an Egyptian resort. The negotiations with the post-Mubarak generalship and the description of the Egyptian prison are among the best set pieces of the book, displaying a wry grasp of Egyptian mores and deft pacing. The clever plot twist that turns this novel from a hostage drama to a byzantine account of staggering theft and calculated revenge is appealing."