The Afghan's hero is once again Mike Martin, British Special Forces veteran who has already starred in one of Forsyth's novels: The Fist of God (Which is also summarized in this blog).
When information of a pending Al-Qaeda attack reaches western intelligence, Martin is called back from retirement.
He is about to try to assume the identity of an Al-Qaeda operative who is detained by the Americans and try to infiltrate Al-Qaeda. The Afghan, Izmat Khan, is a Muslim zealot and a worshipper of Bin Laden. Martin knows him from when he served in Afghanistan and aided the local fighters against the Russains. He is fluent in Pasthun and Arabic and has an oriental appearance. He is also adept at the arabic and Muslim customs as he grew up in Iraq.
The Americans stage a release of Khan and Martin slips in as the terrorist. He manages to make contact with Al-Qaeda and is brought into a secret terror operation, though he is kept in the dark regarding the exact nature of it.
As Al-Qaeda plan and start to execute the worst terror attack in their history, Martin is faced with the realization that he will have to stop them alone.
Review: As with all of Forsyth's work, this is meticulously researched and presented. Again, Forsyth has mellowed somewhat over the years so this novel lacks the poignancy of his earlier work, but it is still a worthwhile read. Make sure to read The Fist of God first, though, so will know all the major characters.
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