Sorry. This just wasn't for me. It's well-written and many readers have praised it. But I found it overlong and somewhat confusing, especially since it switches back and forth between timelines. Still, there's an interesting premise and the characters are well-drawn. The story just wasn't for me.

Why would an American citizen want to harm his country? Emma Ripley is tasked with answering this question. She is to interrogate Georges Subdallah, a man who has become the most valued bombmaker of terrorists. Her first meeting with Subdallah shocks her as she views what he has become, not the man he was in his prime. Emma knows that she needs to earn his trust to understand his motivation. Innocuous conversations build understanding. Emma knows that she must tread carefully to get the answers the government needs. Who did Subdallah work with? Can further bloodshed be avoided with the discovery of his co-conspirators? Emma has to balance the slow building of trust with the urgency of stopping a terror attack.

Emma is a mother. How does the work of an interrogator balance with the role of motherhood? Emma struggles with maternal feelings, responsibilities, and establishing a relationship with her child. She doesn't have girlfriends to talk with, and her need for guidance is apparent. Is it safe for her to be involved with counter-terrorism while being a mother?

Daniel J Davies character of Emma is a complex and intriguing woman. Balancing her role as a mother with being an interrogator seems difficult. Emma lacks maternal skills yet appears to yearn to know her child better. The work/private life conflict is very realistic and most working women can relate to Emma's quandary. Emma was directed to extract information from Subdallah yet took her time establishing a relationship with Subdallah. She failed to feel the urgency of the situation and the tacit acceptance of her methods is confusing. Bombmaker is the perfect story for fans of thrillers and David Baldacci, Robert Ludlum, or T J Newman.

The year is 1989

This story is a mystery, a thriller and a suspense genre story. “Bombmaker” is an absorbing and complex drama that did fantastic work in keeping my mind engaged from the opening page.

“Bombmaker” is a story of an American interrogator who seeks information on a prisoner after uncovering evidence of a major terrorist plot to kill thousands of U.S. civilians. Emma Ripley, a divorcée and single parent, gets the assignment to interrogate Georges Fadi Subdallah who had crashed his Vespa loaded with explosives at Boston’s Hancock building and survived self-immolation. Now he is in custody mangled and tight- lipped. This is a heavy book that tells us a lot. In a few words: a riveting drama about radicalization and terrorist surveillance on American soil.

Mr. Davies has crafted an intriguing and suspenseful drama filled with action. The plot tells us how U.S. born Fadi, proceeds to his planned spot and detonates himself. How he was recruited and how Marcel indoctrinated him. The narrative which weaves between Emma’s mission and Fadi’s backstory is masterful. Along the way, the author skillfully depicts Fadi’s chilling changes. I love the main characters; they have surprisingly a lot of similarity: parents who would do anything and couldn’t do enough. Emma and Fadi are complex and likeable in their own ways. The story also brings us to Boston with all its cultural diversity and rich landmarks.

In a few words:

Gripping narrative, wonderful characters and a storyline told by a master storyteller.