I Am Pilgrim

While this novel follows a standard thriller trope of hunter and hunted, it’s like no other on this list, not being an especially realistic depiction of the spy world. So why did it make my list? The most compelling hook I’d read in years, combined with killer pacing and fascinating sleuthing detail. Here’s the setup: The body of a woman is found in a seedy New York hotel room floating face-down in a bathtub filled with sulfuric acid, impossible to identify. The protagonist, a former intelligence agent and forensic pathologist must hunt down an unknown Saudi terrorist. Is the writing… show more.

As a military fiction author, I frequently look for other authors whose style speaks to me in terms of pacing, story progression, character & story arcs, drama vs action, and of course overall quality of the story. As a man who was raised on my dad’s Tom Clancy novels, who has lived to fight directly in the world of Special Operations combat, and who loves nothing more than a good hero story, I Am Pilgrim is to this day the best novel that I have ever read. Bar none.

This story is more of a spy novel than a direct… show more.

This book took me completely by surprise. I’d never heard of it, nor was I familiar with the author. It was one of those books that’s like finding a pot of gold. The pacing is excellent; the character development unique and well done. I found this book to be quite different, and engrossing, for reasons I cannot describe. Be warned, it’s not for the faint of heart.