Exile

By: Richard North Patterson

Narrated by: Dennis Boutsikaris

Length: 20 hrs and 49 mins

Publisher's summary

From one of America's most compelling novelists comes the mesmerizing story of a lawyer who must defend the woman he loves against a charge of conspiring to assassinate the prime minister of Israel

David Wolfe's life is approaching an exhilarating peak: he's a successful San Francisco lawyer, he's about to get married, and he's being primed for a run for Congress. But when the phone rings and he hears the voice of Hana Arif—the Palestinian woman with whom he had a secret affair in law school—he begins a completely unexpected journey. The next day, the prime minister of Israel is assassinated by a suicide bomber while visiting San Francisco; soon, Hana herself is accused of being the mastermind behind the murder. Now David faces an agonizing choice: Will he, a Jew, represent Hana—who may well be guilty—or will he turn away the one woman he can never forget?

The most challenging case of David's career requires that he delve deep into the lives of Hana Arif and her militant Palestinian husband, both of whom have always lived in exile. Ultimately, David's quest takes him to Israel and the West Bank, where, in a series of harrowing encounters, he learns that appearances are not at all what they seem.

Culminating in a tense and startling trial with international ramifications, Exile is that rare novel that both entertains and enlightens. At once an intricate tale of betrayal and deception, a moving love story, and a fascinating journey into the lethal politics of the Middle East, this is Richard North Patterson at his most brilliant and engrossing.

©2007 Richard North Patterson. All rights reserved (P)2007 Audio Renaissance, a division of Holtzbrinck Publishers LLC

Critic reviews

"Action abounds, culminating in courtroom drama." (Booklist)

"Exile is a novel worth reading by anyone who is trying to understand, at least in part, one of the Middle East's political nightmares....Through his artful writing, Patterson presents compelling arguments for both sides while avoiding a preachy tone - a pitfall a lesser writer easily could succumb to." (USA Today)

Great Contemporary Historical Courtroom Drama!

Patterson has written a superb novel that provides accurate, deep background on the geo-political issues surrounding the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. He has created multi-dimensional characters who come together in the story as villains, victims, heroes and helpers alike. The book is an excellent history lesson, but most of all offers interesting courtroom drama that is very engaging. It reveals in startling ways the "why's" of the age-old conflict and how today's political interests are at the heart of non productive peace talks.

Be sure to listen to the interview with the author at the close of the book. Patterson talks about how he researched the book and what he hoped to accomplish with it.

good book

At first I thought it was going to be a sweet sad love story kind of mystery but... it's not. I have not finished the whole book yet. So far it has turned out to be extremely interesting. I hate to turn off my car to get to the next chapter.

Exile probes a tragic conflict

Do not confuse the work of Richard North Patterson with the fluff of James Patterson. Exile is a tighly woven novel of intrigue, impossible love and, most of all, conflict between two peoples who refuse to listen to one another stories. The Arab/Israeli conflict is deeply rooted in history, but as Patterson passionatley but even handedly writes, the principals and victims on each side all have their own stories rooted in family, tragedy, culture and history. This is one of those rare books that educates and entertains as a page-turning thirller that leaves a lasting impact on the reader.

A real tour de force

This is an amazing book - definitely the best I have read in a long time. The plot is very complex and sweeping and is intertwined with the personal stories of the characters, but it is totally credible. For most of the book, the plot is extremely compelling - a real page turner. A section in the middle gets a bit more academic as the main character researches his case, and this part is less compelling but very interesting. It's a very clever and well crafted story that also does a very creditable job of addressing the issues of war and peace in the middle east in an unusually evenhanded way. Most everyone, with the possible exception of middle east scholars can learn a lot from this very thoroughly researched book. The interview with the author at the end is an extra bonus. This is a must read!

Loved it

This is an excellent book. Loved it! This author always gets you thinking.

Exile

Well written and flows smoothly. Well researched with an intrigueing plot.

Good, but too much

Since I do a lot of driving, I try to use my credits for books that are at least 10 hours in length. The good ones fly by. I was intrigued by the premise and reviews of this 20+ hour novel. I haven't listened to an abridged version of any book so far that I've found satisfying. With that said, I think the author could have told this story in 12-15 hours and told it better. Don't misunderstand, I enjoyed the book and the narration and I think those who enjoy a good legal thriller will too. The characterization of the Arab-Israeli conflict was a good primer for those not blessed with an abundant knowledge of that history. But I listen to books to be entertained, not educated (especially in novels when it's not always easy to distinguish fact from fiction). The third part of this download when David visited the MidEast seemed to go on forever. The fourth part blew on by. This was a good book that could have been a great book.

excellent book

Others have said this book is long and winded. I agree this is a long listen but well worth every minute. This brought new meaning to a reader that had a very one sided view of the palestinian/israel struggle. I have listened to 4 or 5 audio books already this year. This one is at the top of my list.

Somewhat Predictable

It did not take long for me to figure out the not so surprising plot twist at the end. As a result, I began to lose patience with the story and felt it started to drag on a bit. The history lesson is interesting, but even that is clouded by emotion that I was not sure what was fact and what was opinion. So, I now feel I know only a little more about the middle east conflict than I did a few weeks ago. The narrator was effective and used accents well.

Balanced perspective

Very well worth reading, this book will make you think about your perspective on the Mid-East conflict, regardless of where you stand.