He visited Africa several times, spending three months in areas that most journalists never visit. Bahadur returned from his first trip in March 2009, just before the Maersk Alabama hijacking in April. This timing led to heightened interest in his book and he subsequently sold it to a publisher. Bahadur planned on finishing his first book before 2010, but it took much longer than he expected. His book, "The Pirates of Somalia: Inside Their Hidden World" was released in the U.S. on July 19, 2011.