Exile

David Wolfes life is approaching an exhilarating peak: hes a successful San Francisco lawyer, hes about to get married, and hes being primed for a run for Congress. But when the phone rings and he hears the voice of Hana Arifthe Palestinian woman with whom he had a secret affair in law schoolhe begins a completely unexpected journey. The next day, the prime minister of Israel is assassinated by a suicide bomber while visiting San Francisco; soon, Hana herself is accused of being the mastermind behind the murder. Now David faces an agonizing choice: Will he, a Jew, represent Hanawho may well be guiltyor will he turn away the one woman he can never forget?The most challenging case of Davids career requires that he delve deep into the lives of Hana Arif and her militant Palestinian husband, both of whom have always lived in exile. Ultimately, Davids quest takes him to Israel and the West Bank, where, in a series of harrowing encounters, he learns that appearances are not at all what they seem.Culminating in a tense and startling trial with international ramifications, Exile is that rare novel that both entertains and enlightens. At once an intricate tale of betrayal and deception, a moving love story, and a fascinating journey into the lethal politics of the Middle East, this is Richard North Patterson at his most brilliant and engrossing.