Review: Some powerful stuff, but ...
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 10 20, 2013
I was hooked from the beginning. Alternating between Iraq and the US, Rogers tells the complex and  compelling story of an Ari - the Iraqi who worked for the US in Iraq and is then put into protective custody in the US for the information he can provide. The war and combat scenes in Iraq ring true (not that I have the experience to judge) and the ugly racism both on Ari's side as he encounters Americans in their daily lives and on the side of the Americans towards him also ring true.Ari is set up in a house where a family has been killed and he uses his spare time to try to solve the murders. Unfortunately, this is where the strength of the novel weakens. They mystery of the deaths and Ari's sleuthing is well done, but, and for this reader it's a big but, the conclusion is too facile. To make matters worse, Ari relates his assessment of how the murders occurred twice at the end. Once was enough, thank you. I wish the murder mystery hadn't taken over.That said, I do recommend this novel and I'm glad I came across it.