Agency Rules – Never an Easy Day at the Office
by Khalid Muhammad
Genre of this Book: Thriller (Spy/Military)
Word count: 97,300 (approx.)
Celebrated as a ragtag force that defeated and broke the Soviet Union, no one predicted the Mujahideen would bring with them a plague that would spread like wildfire through Pakistan in the years to follow. When the battle-worn fighters returned with no enemy or war to fight, they turned their sights on the country that had been their creator and benefactor.
From the same battlegrounds that birthed the Mujahideen, a young Kamal Khan emerges as a different breed of warrior. Discarding his wealthy family comforts, Kamal becomes a precision sniper, an invincible commando and a clandestine operative bringing intimidation, dominance and death with him to the battlefield. Ending the plague is his prime directive.
Shrouded in political expediency, hampered by internal power struggles, international espionage and doublespeak that makes Washington’s spin doctors proud, Kamal’s mission is a nightmare of rampant militant fundamentalism that threatens to choke and take Pakistan hostage. For him, the fight is not just for freedom, but the survival of a nation.
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Khalid, how did you come up with the title for your book? Does it have any special meaning?
I was sitting reading a few chapters of the book and it popped into my head – Agency Rules. It fit the journey that every new recruit goes through to become an operative concisely and created a great branding position.
Who was your favorite character and why?
Kamal without a doubt. He is everything that I see in Pakistanis around me. Frustration, anger, drive and determination. He worked hard to get to where he is. I think he is my favorite because there is a lot of me in him.
Does your book have any underlying theme, message, or moral?
I think it does. This is my Pakistan, not what the media would like to present the country as, but what a person who lives and breathes in the country sees it as. We have had many mistakes that have put us where we are, but that doesn’t mean we are bad people.
What would/could a reader or reviewer say about this book that shows they “get” you as an author?
I think there are two things – first, that it gave them a different perspective on Pakistan. Second, that it is not an unbelievable spy thriller. This is as close to real life as I could get it in Pakistan today. I would like to think the reader would be able to “feel” the pain that we feel.
Give us an excerpted quote from your favorite review of this book:
“This is life in a harsh and cruel world with political groups are manipulative and brutal. But the strong, believable characters that drive the suspenseful and gripping plot hooked me. The story flows well and unfolds into a heated action thriller.” – Carol Kauffman
Where can people learn more about your writing?
My website – http://agencyrules.com
