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)

Excellent

An Excellent read. I wish there was a sequel. Dennis Boutiskaris is a great narrator.

excellent writing

this was very well written - so easy to "read" and follow. His insight was well researched and presented - a very contraversial topic so very well versed. the individual character development was interesting and believable but sometimes the interaction between the two main characters seemed worlds apart and was not quite there.
loved the legal banter - excellent on that. also the author was able to sometimes insert a sense of humor - loved that.
The pilgrimage of David to the Middle East was a little far fetched, but necessary to shed the necessary light on the political genre.

Excellent narrative

I have thoroughly enjoyed listening to this very gripping story, well researched and informative book.

I am now spoiled forever!

I admit that I am not a "demanding" reader - not a "pick it appart" critic. But I am an avid reader who enjoys the hunt for and the discovery of fiction treasure. Exile is such a novel. My first work by RN Patterson and I was blown away. His relentless and thorough research and interview process was evident. I not only was entertained and captivated, but also experienced the bonus of some great insight into US - Middle East relations and history. The narration was brilliant and absent the forced drama sometimes found in these recordings.

This book had something for everybody . . . be you male or female, academic or Joe the plumber, combat tested or homemaker tested, religious or agnostic. I hated it to end!!!

Now I am actually fearful of choosing my next book because RNP and Dennis Boutsikaris have set the bar so high! I am sure that I will get over my shopping anxiety . . . . I hope. Read or listen to "Exile" but do NOT ignore it!

Enteretained and Educated!

I have never been able to follow the issues in the middle east until I read this book. I love books that can both entertain and educate me and this book does that! I can finally watch and read the news and have a grasp of what the issues are and who the players are. This book uses the story line and characters to tell the history of the middle east and the issues. If you are like me and can't read boring texts on the subject, read this book! If you already understand what is going on in the middle east, this is a great book with an interesting story line all on its own.

A Must Read!

This is an excellent book that is both interesting and informative. Patterson has done an incredible job exploring the dynamics of the Middle East and its impact on the world.

GREAT BOOK!

What a great book! The 'fictionalized' accounts of life in the United States, Palestine and Isreal for Jews and Palestinians illustrates so nicely why no easy solution exists in the Middle East. Appropriately, the ending is not all neat and pretty,all "happily ever after." If it were, no one would believe it. Kept my interest to the end.

exile

I'm less than halfway through this book and already I'm looking for history books to educate me about the Arab-Israeli conflict. I love this book.

Excellent, challenging, reality and context.

I very much enjoyed listening to EXILE. It seemed to truly tell both sides (?) all sides, if possible, of the ancient reasons cultures are at war as well as represent the HOPE of all people for a Homeland. not just a home.

Loved it!

I thought Mr. Patterson did a remarkable job of presenting the complexities of the Arab/Israeli conflict in an even-handed, understandable way. He masterfully wove these complexities into a compelling love story that was full of mystery and humanity. I also thought the narration was excellent.