1982 – The Second Saladin
This was Hunter’s second – and last – novel for William Morrow & Company, and was set in a much more modern environment. From the back cover of the paperback:
A second chance…
In the windswept sands of the Middle East, Paul Chardy fought side by side with Ulu Beg: one, a charismatic, high-strung CIA covert warrior, the other a ferocious freedom fighter. Then Chardy fell into the hands of the enemy, and Beg was betrayed. Now the two men are about to meet again.
A second gun…
Beg has come over the Mexican border under a hail of bullets–determined to assassinate a leading American political figure and avenge his people’s betrayal. The CIA wants Chardy to stop the hit. Chardy wants to save Beg’s life.
The Second Saladin…
Between the two men is a tragic past, a failed mission, and a woman who knew them in war–and who knows their secrets now. Around both men is a conspiracy of lies and violence that reaches back to the Cold War. But as Beg moves in for his kill and as Chardy breaks loose from his handlers, a terrible truth begins to emerge: somewhere, someone wants both men to die.
You can help support my volunteer website to chronicle Stephen Hunter’s writings by buying The Second Saladin from Amazon.com. You pay the same – but I get a small commission. Click the image at left to buy the paperback, and thanks for your support!
March 13th, 2007 at 1:52 pm
Anything published before Day Before Midnight seems to have mixed reviews from Hunter fans but I liked this one well enough. I loved reading the back story of Frenchy before he became such a notorious figure in the rest of the novels. The main problem I was was with the computer scenes near the end. I was born the year the book came out and I could barely understand what was going on with the interface on these ‘ancient’ computers. Never the less it’s worth picking up for anyone needing a fix before the next novel comes out.
July 22nd, 2009 at 10:27 am
This may soud a little eccentric, but there is a fascinating reminder inthis bookthat hunter once wrote about country music for The Baltimore Sun, The two epigraphs are from the Krdish battle oath, and from the great, under-rated Lacy J. Dalto's "Are There any Real Cowboys left in the Good Ole' USA/?"
Somehow, both those things please me.