Warlord's Son

Skelly is an American foreign correspondent who has grown weary of the job. Divorced again and raising a large family, he is sent to Peshawar after barely any time to prepare, in the wake of the September 11 attacks. The city is tense and crowded, and Skelly quickly realizes the assignment will be anything but easy.

To get by, he hires a fixer, a local go-between who knows the region, speaks English, and can open doors. He chooses Najeeb, the estranged son of a tribal warlord. The most exciting stories for reporters in Peshawar lie across the border in Afghanistan, where al-Qaeda operates and Taliban fighters still hold mountain strongholds. The two men head west on dusty roads, following Mahmood Razaq, a former Mujahedeen fighter who believes American support will help him become the next leader. Skelly, meanwhile, is hunting for the biggest story of his career: the elusive figure the rest of the world is searching for.

Najeeb is torn between conflicting loyalties and must guide them both through a dangerous land where one wrong move or one broken promise could be deadly.