Review of "The Tyrant's Daughter"

Review of The Tyrant's Daughter 

by J. C. Carleson

From a former CIA officer comes the riveting account of a royal Middle Eastern family exiled to the American suburbs. 

When her father is killed in a coup, 15-year-old Laila flees from the war-torn middle east to a life of exile and anonymity in the U.S. Gradually she adjusts to a new school, new friends, and a new culture, but while Laila sees opportunity in her new life, her mother is focused on the past. She’s conspiring with CIA operatives and rebel factions to regain the throne their family lost. Laila can’t bear to stand still as an international crisis takes shape around her, but how can one girl stop a conflict that spans generations? 

J.C. Carleson delivers a fascinating account of a girl—and a country—on the brink, and a rare glimpse at the personal side of international politics. 

*Bonus Backmatter includes a note about the author's CIA past, and a commentary by RAND researcher and president of ARCH International, Dr. Cheryl Benard. Recommendations for further reading are also included. 

MY REVIEW:  "My brother the king does not like that he has to share a bedroom with me.

I don't like it either.  So I pretend he's not there.  I ignore his king-sized tantrums and the dirty royal socks that he leaves on my bedspread.  I pretend not to hear him when he tells me what to do."   

The Tyrant's Daughter allows the reader the rare look at the innocent people behind the tyrant's of the world.....the wives, the children, the ones whom they love and who love them back....the ones who are left to suffer the guilt of the pain the tyrant caused.   I had never really thought of the many innocent people behind terrorists like Saddam Hussein.  They too have wives and children who are hurt and shocked by their actions and just want their husbands and fathers to hold them, to rock them, to sing one more lullaby to them.   They may even innocently participate in some of the destruction and devastation as they are manipulated and used as pawns in the game of life, of war, of hatred.
I highly recommend this intense look into a fictional life of a fictional teenage daughter of a world tyrant.   It reminds me of watching a horror movie, where it is too horrible to watch and too fascinating to look away.     5 ***** 

I was given a kindle version of this book by netgalley in exchange for my honest review.

About the Author: 

J.C. Carleson never intended to be an author. Although she was always a proficient writer of term papers, reports, and other necessary but mundane documents, she didn't consider herself cut out for the creative life.

Nearly a decade as an officer in the CIA's clandestine service changed that.

With her head now brimming with stories of intrigue, scandal, and exotic locales, Carleson was finally ready to give writing a shot. Her fiction and non-fiction works alike tap into her unique experiences, drawing readers into the highly charged, real world of espionage.