The Dalliance of Leopards

December 5, 2016
In Alter’s busy sequel to 2016’s The Rataban Betrayal, Col. Imtiaz Afridi, an Indian intelligence officer, is patient and thorough in his pursuit of a Pakistani warlord known only as Guldaar through the United States, India, and Pakistan. Guldaar (which means leopard in Urdu) has created a criminal network throughout the Middle East and South Asia supported by rogue elements of the CIA and Pakistan’s ISI. The labyrinthine plot involves shadowy U.S. intelligence forces, a large defense and aeronautics firm, and a Pakistani charitable organization, the Sikander-e-Azam Trust. Though some consider the trust to be a sterling example of fine philanthropic work, others suspect the organization is a cover for more sinister activities. The Taliban’s kidnapping of an American journalist in Pakistan raises the stakes. Alter’s vibrant depictions of Pakistan and India serve well to draw the reader into the intrigue. However, a surfeit of irrelevant detail about the countries’ culture and history at times slows the thriller plot.