Secrets of State by Matthew Palmer: a book review

Secrets of State, a novel written by former US diplomat Matthew Palmer, is a sophisticated work of fiction. In his book Palmer weaves together a believable plot involving an US and Indian ‘deep state’ conspiracy to militarily destroy Pakistan. The story involves some classy character development, beginning with the main protagonist Sam Trainor.

The plot has ultra-nationalist patriots in the US and Indian collaborate to launch a (false flag?) nuclear attack on an Indian city in order to provoke an Indian military attack aimed at destroying Pakistan (once and for all). For the Americans, the motive is to ‘protect’ the world by preventing Pakistani nukes from following into the wrong hands, i.e. Islamic extremist terrorists.

Through chance, coincidence or synchronicity a retired US South Asia specialist, Sam Trainor, gets a whiff of the plot and starts investigating through his network of Washington contacts. Pretty soon Trainor finds himself in hot waters and realizes he is onto something big.  

Meanwhile, his clandestine love interest – an Indian diplomat at her country’s US mission – and his daughter – a do-gooder, socially conscious, young half-Indian woman doing development work in the slums of Mumbai – both find themselves sucked into the terrorist plot.

Despite what appears to be a far-fetched series of events, Palmer does a good job piecing the story together. He even adds some historical ‘make believe’ stories from time to time to give the novel greater believability. It works.

Events in Secrets of State move quickly. The reader is kept in suspense and will hardly notice the length (437 pages) of the novel. 

To be sure, the author cashed in on post 9/11 conventional wisdom which conveniently placed every international terrorist incident at Pakistan’s doorstep.[i] Nonetheless, Secrets of State is more nuanced than many post 9/11 ‘terrorist’ thrillers. Palmer’s fiction is a good addition to the genre. Anyone who enjoys a good geo-political thriller will find Secrets of State a good read.

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[i] In the aftermath of 9/11, if an American in Washington DC caught the flu, it must have been a conspiracy involving biological weapons hatched in Pakistan’s governed tribal areas! Likewise, if a firecracker exploded unannounced on the streets of London it was an Islamic extremist attack planned and plotted by Pakistanis!

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Imran is a Singapore based Tour Guide with a special interest in arts and history. Imran has lived and worked in several countries during his past career as an international banker. He enjoys traveling, especially by train, as a way to feed his curiosity about the world and nurture his interest in photography. He is available on twitter (@grandmoofti); Instagram (@imranahmedsg) and can be contacted at imran.ahmed.sg@gmail.com

The Iron Marshall by Louis L'Amour: a book review

L'Amour is the gold standard for novels set in the American West. His prolific output and his masterful storytelling endear him to any reader interested in the 'Wild West.'

It is therefor no surprise I have list track of the number of L'Amour books I have read over the years. I started reading his novels as a teenager and even after several decades his books don't disappoint.

To be sure, a classic Western story follows a formulaic model almost as predictable as a Bollywood movie. There is the hero – an almost bad guy who is at his core a good guy. The love interest who makes but fleeting appearances. The villain and his (or her) accompanying posse of bad guys (and gals).

However, it is L'Amour's ability to surprise within this formula which makes his novels entertaining, easy reads. Perhaps L'Amour pulls the reader so deep into the savage yet noble world of the Wild West that we forget the plot is simply a fairy tale of Good versus Evil.

The Iron Marshall is no different. A 'bad' good guy from 'civilized' New York city finds himself entangled in a small Western cowboy town. Before he knows it, our hero is the town Marshall and trying to unravel an intriguing criminal conspiracy. During his detective work, our hero deals with some 'real' bad guys. On his way to saving the town he also finds time for a 'love at first sight' encounter!

It all sounds rather unbelievable though when told by an experienced wordsmith the story is not only believable but also entertaining. For the un-initiated L'Amour reader The Iron Marshall may not be the best place to start. However, for those of us running out of L'Amour works to read this novel is as good as place as any to lose oneself in rough and tumble of the Wild West.

Imran is an adventurer, blogger, consultant, guide, photographer, speaker, traveler and a banker in his previous life. He is available on twitter (@grandmoofti); instagram (@imranahmedsg) and can be contacted at imran.ahmed.sg@gmail.com.