It had a strong start but failed to hold me in the middle - then a terrific final reveal at the end. Some gorgeous, vivid writing that is enjoyable to read.

I will no doubt be in the minority on this book.

I wanted to enjoy it: set in Afghanistan in the 1970s, with the opium becoming one of the defining symbols of the country, Russia attempting to take the country, the US creating and arming the Taliban as an answer, and within all this turmoil, David Sajedi, half American and half Afghani, working for an American agency attempting to destroy the opium trade by taking out poppy fields, hits and kills a young girl while driving.

What is not to like? This: the book could not determine what it wanted to be. This will no doubt draw comments about how many books don't fit into a single category, and it's x of me to try to apply labels. Yes, some books defy categorization. In order to do this, though, they must be consistent, and they must be well written throughout. Characters are introduced and that appear to be playing a part in this book in some important way are never heard from or about) again. Thee are some pacing issues as well. The shifts in writing range from soaring language that is almost poetic to basic noun-verb-period. There are also some weird references to other books as we slog to the end that make no sense at all.

The premise is good. the story should be good, placed against that background. I just didn't really like the execution. Sorry, not for me.

Two out of five stars.

Thanks to Soho Press/Soho Crime and NetGalley for the reading copy.

DNF at 15%. I loved the concept for this book, but it just didn't grip me, which is a shame as I was super excited about the setting. Maybe I just wasn't in the right mood.

Thank you to Soho Press and NetGalley for an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed this book.
The story takes place in Afghanistan in the 1970's when the poppy fields are being harvested for opium. Daniel Sajadi is from Afghanistan but has spent many years in the USA and is now returning to his home country to head an American aid agency to eradicate the poppy fields that feed opiate addictions. Daniel and his wife are on their way to a special anniversary getaway when a young tribal girl runs out into the road and is struck and killed by the Sajadi's car. This begins Daniel's relationship with a powerful opium khan, Taj Malecki, who blackmails Daniel into making decisions to benefit Taj.
The story deals with secrets and the decisions made to keep those secrets. Relationships are tested and reflections on the past influence future events all in a time when a country is in the beginnings of a political upheaval.
This book really is about the relationships between characters and how their choices affect their lives with the story of the poppy fields as the catalyst for those decisions.

Beautifully written book!!

Afghanistan, 1970s. Born to an American mother and a late Afghan war hero, Daniel Sajadi has spent his life navigating a complex identity. After years in Los Angeles, he is returning home to Kabul at the helm of a US foreign aid agency dedicated to eradicating the poppy fields that feed the world's opiate addiction.

This blurb completely got me. This thriller has all the elements which I look for in a story.

An Afghan-born American diplomat Daniel Sajedi is posted to Kabul to head a U.S. foreign aid agency whose agenda is to eradicate poppy fields. He accidentally kills a young nomad girl called Telaya, who runs in front of his car. In trying to make amends, he meets a powerful opium ruler, Taj Maleki, who uses Daniel’s guilt to blackmail him.
1970s Afghanistan has been captured really well by the author and seeing this vista from the eyes of the different characters is evocative and really great. I loved the characterisations as each person fighting their own personal demon, their thoughts, their motivations had me hooked. The vivid prose just adds to the beauty of this story.

The plot is unpredictable and keeps you immersed till the last page with an excellent end.

I will definitely recommend this book.

Thanks to the publishers and Netgalley for sending a digital Arc in exchange for an honest review.

My review for Shelf Awareness is here: https://www.shelf-awareness.com/readers-issue.html?issue=981#m17173

The review was also cross-posted to Smithsonian BookDragon: http://smithsonianapa.org/bookdragon/the-opium-prince-by-jasmine-aimaq-in-shelf-awareness/

I have always been a big fan of the Soho Crime novels, especially the Cara Black series. So I was excited to receive an advanced review copy of this book. The problem is I had just watched the movie The White Tiger, and the plot is very similar to this book -- an affluent couple kills a child with their car. The only difference in the plot is the couple in the movie try to make their servant take the fall. I realize it is timing that causes this conflict, but it still seemed like the book was derivative as the movie was based on a book.

Aimaq’s debut is a brilliantly conceived thriller surges from the first chapter as the reader becomes immerged into 1970s Afghanistan.

The deft characterizations showcase the complicated political and cultural dynamics at work within the country and the foreign forces attempting to shift control to their own motives.

While this storyline captures the tumultuous political climate of the country, the characters have their own personal demons/inner motives that are haunted by their pasts, their present conflicted by shifting political climate making their futures.

See the world through the eyes of this diverse group of characters shows how evil/good is often in the eyes of the beholder.

I enjoyed all the historical details and the backstory of Taj Maleki (an Opium Khan).

A strong sense of place made this remarkable riveting tale a page turner.

Of the 200 or so books I read in 2020, The Opium Prince was one of the best. Lovely writing and thorough editing showed respect for the subject: the Soviet-backed Afghan revolution of 1979, through the eyes of Americans living there, and of Afghans on both sides of their internal struggle.

But here's what made the tale so compelling: the geo-political crises (the opium trade, Islamism, colonialism) are revealed in the personal stories of quite a wide range of people, and each is unique and fully drawn.

It's not an edge-of-your-seat thriller (after all, we know how it turned out), but it richly tells us the why and how of that outcome and America's role in it. Nevertheless, there's plenty of suspense and some genuine surprises as the stories are woven together. By the end, the questions lingers: Just who WAS the opium prince?

Thanks to NetGalley and Soho Press for an advance readers copy.

An intriguing story set during a most tumultuous time, the story explores Afghan's history prior to the Soviet-backed revolution and foreshadows the eventual changes in power that have led to where the country finds itself today.

The protagonist Daniel Sajadi works for a foreign-aid agency dedicated to transitioning opium poppy fields to food and other crops. Born to a wealthy Afghani father and an American mother, he is determined to use his privilege to help his homeland.

With such a premise, it seems that good and bad / right and wrong should be easy to distinguish. But as with all well-developed characters, Aimaq blurs the lines and I found myself sympathizing more with Daniel's nemesis, an opium khan.

Jasmine Aimaq describes the landscape, culture and complexities of power in such stark, beautiful detail that I gained great appreciation for a place I know little about.

In 1970s Afghanistan, Daniel is working for the Americans to replace the opium-producing poppy fields with food crops. After killing an Afghan girl with his car, he is only fined by the local government. However, The Opium Prince, Taj, begins blackmailing him. Soon, it becomes unclear who is the true hero and who is the villain as the situation spirals out of both men’s control.

A rather strange mix of slow-paced thriller, historical fiction, and character study. Personally, I thought The Opium Prince had a good story idea in there that was hobbled by poor pacing and inconsistent prose. Perhaps readers looking for a character study in an unusual historical settings may enjoy it more. 3 stars.

Thanks to Soho Press and NetGalley for a copy in exchange for my honest review.

This book is great! Would definitely recommend. Thanks so much to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

First and foremost, a large thank you to NetGalley, Jasmine Aimaq, and Soho Press for providing me with a copy of this publication, which allows me to provide you with an unbiased review.

As a reader, there are always books that one comes across that appear out of this world when perusing the dust jacket blurb. However, once you get into the thick of the story, things take you to another place entirely, not always for the good. This is likely why someone coined the phrase about judging a book by its cover. The premise sounded highly alluring and I could see myself loving this piece of historical fiction, not least because there was so much action that was described within its pages. However, I could not find myself able to push through the early part during three sittings. This is indicative of a pass for me.

For me, Jasmine Aimaq’s piece was well written, to the point that I was not entirely lost in the opening pages. However, it failed to grab me when I needed the story to hold onto my collar and shake me. It could be that my head was not in it. It might also be because the publisher ‘gifted’ this book to me seven days after it was published and the review window was only a day before NetGalley locked it away, forcing me to rush to begin. It might also have been because I was simply expecting one thing and got another. That’s why I have to mark it as DNF and move along!

Whatever it is, I am surely in the minority here and don’t hold it against the author, the publisher, or anyone else who loved the book. This just happened to cross my path at the wrong time, under poor review-time restrictions, and I could not deliver for myself or others. It happens to the best and worst of us!

Kudos, Madam Aimaq, for penning what might have been an epic novel for many.

This book almost feels like it doesn't know what it wants to be.
There are moments when it feels like a crime novel or a thriller, and then at times like a study of character. But all in all not bad, but not good either.
The book takes place in 1970s Afghanistan and we follow the lives of two Afghanis – David who owns a gem store and works for the Americans, and Taj who runs an opium business. David accidentally runs over a little girl and kills her. When explaining this to her parents and the police he meets Taj. Taj decides to make use of the situation and things happen. At the same time, the different forces within the country are on the brink of unrest: government supported by the Americans, naïve rebels supported by the Russians and the clerics in hiding all trying to swim to the top of the mess that is 1970s Afghanistan.
What bothered me more than this book’s inability to decide on genre was the inability to decide on tone. There are sentences when this book is as beautiful as a poem, but in the very next sentence it's as adjective-adverse as a Hemingway novel. It sort of causes whiplash.
The characters are ok. There are too many in my opinion. There are also strange focuses that appear only for one segment of a chapter and then you spend the rest of the book waiting to see them again, only to have them appear again at the end of the book as a sentence to show how badly the communist supporters treated the ordinary people on the street. I didn't care for that.
There was no need to spend pages on a passer-by just to show brutality. It's as if we the reader would not feel sympathy with a sweeper getting shot for not getting out of the way of a rebel without first learning about his OCD sweeping methods. Cheap tricks that only serve to shine a light on the fact that the reader was underestimated.
To end this I'd just like to leave you with a sentence from the book that confused me to no end. There is no mention of books until this point. There is some strange mention of Lolita by Nabokov, but I really don’t want to get into this. So, to get to my point. While flying David comments on the nature around him: “Like the hills of Middle-earth in winter.” Why? Just why?

Memorable quotes:

“The rich world has rules and regulations. The poor world has rituals and traditions.”

**
“…if you keep beating people over the head with democracy, they end up with a concussion. And you wonder why they can’t hear you anymore.”

**
“We can’t predict the future – we can only turn our backs on the past.”

Daniel, born to an American woman and Afghan man, travels to Afghanistan to broker an end to the poppy trade fueling the opiate addiction crisis.. When he accidentally strikes and kills an Afghani girl of low social caste, Daniel is required to pay a fine, nothing more. Thus begins a nail-biter of a thriller where Daniel must deal with his inner demons along with one far more tangible. Riveting, twisty, and satisfying.

This may have been published as a crime novel, but it is so much more. Jasmine Aimaq’s debut novel is mystery and historical fiction about international relations. When Afghan-born American diplomat is posted to Kabul in 1970 to head the poppy eradication program, he finds himself enmeshed in a nightmare after killing a young girl when she ran in front of his car. When trying to make reparations for her death, he meets an opium kingpin, Taj Makeki who uses Daniel’s guilt to blackmail him. Tensions between the communists and the Islamic fundamentalists grow and their lives are thrown into danger. Its also a glimpse into the complicated Afghan political and cultural situation. And one thing the reader learns is that there really are no good guys in white hats. People often wear both hats. I was surprised at the humor in the book. Its not a humorous subject portrayed in this page turner.

This book wasn't for me. The narrative was interesting but I found the quality of the writing lacking.
The novel starts off with an automobile accident wherein a man hired by the U.S. government to discourage poppy growing in Afghanistan runs over a young girl in a tragic automobile accident. I couldn't identify with the characters and found the book somewhat plodding.

Very interesting mix of history and fiction. I thought the story was interesting and enjoyed the setting and background. I also really love that cover, it really got my eye in the first place. Full of surprises and drama, compelling, and easy to read. Thank you to Netgalley and to SoHo Press for the advanced copy!

In 1970s Afghanistan, a U.S. aid official accidentally hits and kills a young nomadic girl who runs in front of his car. From there, the story spirals and the reader is completely drawn in. This was a beautifully written and intensely suspenseful debut novel that is not to be missed.

An outstanding debut a thriller combining criminal enterprise and politics set in Ethiopia, I was drWn in from the beginning the characters the setting come alive.Highly re on end.#netgalley#sohobooks