In Hesh Kestin's new thriller, The Lie (Scribe, £8.99), Dahlia Barr, a feisty Israeli lawyer, specialises in defending Palestinians accused of terrorism. She is shrewd, brash, tough and doesn't suffer fools. One day, she is approached with a request to become the government's arbiter on when to use the harshest of interrogation methods - torture, in other words.
As she has no intention of permitting torture, could she perhaps change the system from within? Soon after she starts her new job, Dahlia is presented with a conundrum. Her 20-year-old son Ari, a lieutenant in the Israeli Defence Forces, is kidnapped by Hizbollah - and tortured. Edward Al-Masri, a professor and activist with dual Canadian/Israeli nationality may hold the key to Ari's rescue. However, locked in a police cell, Al-Masri has so far refused to talk. He also shares a long and complicated history with Dahlia.
To reveal any more of the plot would spoil the enjoyment of this consummate thriller, with its many twists and turns and a devastating ending.
Kestin is a natural storyteller. His prose is punchy, direct and occasionally elegant. He is adept at building tension and creating believable, flawed characters. Prior to becoming a writer, he spent 18 years in the IDF. He also has extensive experience as a foreign correspondent, reporting on the Middle East and elsewhere, on matters of war, international security and terrorism.
Clearly, this background and knowledge enables him to bring colour, intelligence and vitality to his writing. Kestin's attention to detail, too - as in, for example, his totally convincing descriptions of the Israeli security cabinet - is admirable.
To reveal more would spoil the enjoyment of this consummate thriller
Stephen King is a big fan of Hesh Kestin. He picked Kestin's previous novel, The Iron Will of Shoeshine Cats, with its colourful cast of characters, as his personal choice for World Book Day in 2013 and argues that The Lie is "what great fiction is all about". More specifically, if you enjoy political thrillers, this novel is definitely for you.
That Kestin has chosen to live "close to New York City in a very quiet village" seems to indicate a wish to live a peaceful life, where terror and torture remain on the page. Who can blame him?
