Saracen has become a doctor, and is seen helping in the Syrian war, putting his gifts to good use. Somehow, these two lives begin their slow arc to intersection, a “perfect murder” leading to a titanic struggle for the survival of the world. He too becomes a lone wolf, self-reliant. He finds himself again on the road, this time fleeing his family. An extremely clever boy, he still becomes radicalised, and is “shamed” when his progressive mother takes a job, selling Gucci glasses.

They then need to flee for their own safety, and as circumstances become increasingly reduced, he takes refuge in his faith. His father, whom he adores, is executed publicly by the US-supported regime, and the family forced to renounce him. The scene shifts to Jeddah in Saudi Arabia, where a young man faces life-changing situations. We get some backstory on this enigmatic hero – who seems to be as much a mystery to himself at times as to us! He was always in the shadows, a loner even as a kid, pretending to be someone he wasn’t. We learn that Pilgrim, aka Jude Garrett, is the author of the de facto Bible of forensic crime scene analysis. Enter the retired Pilgrim, who surveys the scene, and then points out some clues to detective Ben Bradley that the locals have missed. The apartment is very run-down, and at first the local cops are pinning it as a run-of-the-mill case. The story opens with a brutal murder scene in Manhattan. He becomes radicalised, and uses his intellectual brilliance to wage war against the US, first in Afghanistan, then globally. His increasingly strict interpretation of Islam is outraged when his mother takes a job, and becomes ever more westernised (read: decadent).

Saracen: His father executed by the Saudis for insulting the royal family, his family forced to flee to Bahrain, he turns to Islam for comfort. Pilgrim: Veteran of “the Department”, a shady US intelligence agency, he was adopted as a child by a billionaire, and rose quickly through the ranks. A complex, entertaining spy thriller, with two main characters: Pilgrim, aka Jude Garrett, aka loads of other names when convenient, and the Saracen.

I am pilgrim book series