The Land of Unintended Consequences

“Atmosphere is one of the hallmarks of the classic thriller, an aspect of suspense that is all too often sacrificed from the recipe for modern-day thrillers. Alex Carr--a pseudonym used by Virginia novelist Jenny Siler (Flashback, Shot)--wants to remind her readers that mystery can be found in the most ordinary places, where her characters suddenly find themselves prisoners of circumstance.”

So begins David Thayer’s review--posted today in January Magazine--of The Prince of Bagram Prison, Siler’s second paperback thriller under the Carr nom de plume (following last year’s The Accidental American). It’s a quite complex tale Siler/Carr sets out to tell in this new book, with many of the cause-and-effect linkages blurred throughout her narrative. But Thayer does an excellent job of defining the high points of this novel’s story line--the political imprisonment of a Moroccan woman, an orphan from Casablanca’s sometimes desperate efforts to stay alive, and the connivances of a CIA director who is anxious to cover up a torture scandal in Afghanistan.

As Thayer writes, “The Prince of Bagram Prison goes beyond the formulaic thriller to examine the life cycle of a failed ideal: that good intentions prevail, despite all evidence to the contrary.”

His full critique can be found here.