The Prisoner

On an unusually cold December evening in Karachi, American journalist Jon Friedland is kidnapped from one of the city's poshest neighbourhoods. His captors plan to post a video of his execution on Christmas Day. The kidnapping has come at a bad time, embarrassing the Pakistani government in front of their US allies. The clock is ticking. Will the police and Intelligence Agencies recover Friedland alive? The story careens through the streets of Karachi, taking the reader into an all too real world of jihadis, corrupt police officers and bloodthirsty political henchmen - all placed together in a city where no one is quite what they seem. 'Every page of Omar Shahid Hamid's debut novel about Karachi's criminal underground rings with self-assurance and authenticity.' - Bina Shah, author of Slum Child and A Season for Martyrs 'This book sizzles along. It's got both pace and authority. A tremendous debut novel. You'll want to finish it in one sitting.' - Owen Bennett-Jones, author of Pakistan: Eye of the Storm