What do you think?
Rate this book
The Killing in the Consulate: Investigating the Life and Death of Jamal Khashoggi
‘Compulsory reading…fast-paced and brilliantly written’ Jeremy Bowen
After Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi was filmed going in to the Saudi consulate in Turkey, he was never seen alive again. What happened next turned into a major international scandal, now finally pieced together by Channel 4's BAFTA award-winning Foreign Affairs Correspondent Jonathan Rugman.
Described by Donald Trump as the 'worst cover-up ever', this is the first comprehensive account of one of the most notorious and outrageous murder plots of our time. In The Killing in the Consulate, Rugman pieces together in minute-by-minute detail the events after Khashoggi entered the Saudi diplomatic building on 2 October 2018, expecting to receive the documentation that would enable him to marry Hatice Gengiz, patiently waiting for him outside. Little did they realise, he was entering a trap, as a 15-man Saudi hit squad had just flown in to the country and was waiting for him. Within minutes he had been viciously murdered and his body was quickly disposed of. The Saudis thought they would be able to get away with it all, and concocted a far-fetched story to cover it up. But what they didn't realise was that Turkey's President Erdogan's security and intelligence agencies had bugged the consulate, and captured the horrific events on tape.
Based on confidential sources, dramatic new evidence and in-depth research across several countries, Rugman reveals the context behind the murder and attempted cover-up. He shows how a power struggle between Erdogan and Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, known as MBS, had such fatal results. The prince had seemed to promise a new and more open era for his country, while also investing vast sums in arms deals with the West. Inevitably other nations, including President Trump and the USA, were drawn into the affair, which created the biggest crisis in US-Saudi relations since 9/11. Skilfully, Rugman draws together all the strands to tell a gripping story of one man's tragedy that had global consequences.
After Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi was filmed going in to the Saudi consulate in Turkey, he was never seen alive again. What happened next turned into a major international scandal, now finally pieced together by Channel 4's BAFTA award-winning Foreign Affairs Correspondent Jonathan Rugman.
Described by Donald Trump as the 'worst cover-up ever', this is the first comprehensive account of one of the most notorious and outrageous murder plots of our time. In The Killing in the Consulate, Rugman pieces together in minute-by-minute detail the events after Khashoggi entered the Saudi diplomatic building on 2 October 2018, expecting to receive the documentation that would enable him to marry Hatice Gengiz, patiently waiting for him outside. Little did they realise, he was entering a trap, as a 15-man Saudi hit squad had just flown in to the country and was waiting for him. Within minutes he had been viciously murdered and his body was quickly disposed of. The Saudis thought they would be able to get away with it all, and concocted a far-fetched story to cover it up. But what they didn't realise was that Turkey's President Erdogan's security and intelligence agencies had bugged the consulate, and captured the horrific events on tape.
Based on confidential sources, dramatic new evidence and in-depth research across several countries, Rugman reveals the context behind the murder and attempted cover-up. He shows how a power struggle between Erdogan and Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, known as MBS, had such fatal results. The prince had seemed to promise a new and more open era for his country, while also investing vast sums in arms deals with the West. Inevitably other nations, including President Trump and the USA, were drawn into the affair, which created the biggest crisis in US-Saudi relations since 9/11. Skilfully, Rugman draws together all the strands to tell a gripping story of one man's tragedy that had global consequences.
368 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2019
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 39 reviews
November 21, 2021
This is a well-constructed and engrossing read. The author does a solid job in outlining Khashoggi's background, life and the complexities within, that lead to his murder within the Saudi embassy in Istanbul.
From the murder we learn about the investigation by Turkey but also the US and others, and of course the Saudi handling of the events. Alongside this Mr Rugman provide good detail and insight into the fractious relationship between Turkey and Saudi Arabi in the present, and indeed back to the Ottoman empire and how this continues to affect and drive engagements. Key regional points such as the Arab Spring and a wider geo-political angle tying the US and Europe to Saudi Arabia's place as an oil rich state and trading partner and its position as a bulwark to Iranian expansion and influence within the middle east, are also described and weaved into this fascinating, and dare I say enjoyable book.
Overall, a highly readable account of a complicated man and journalist and his murder by an all powerful monarchy and influential power in a troubled and troubling area of the world.
From the murder we learn about the investigation by Turkey but also the US and others, and of course the Saudi handling of the events. Alongside this Mr Rugman provide good detail and insight into the fractious relationship between Turkey and Saudi Arabi in the present, and indeed back to the Ottoman empire and how this continues to affect and drive engagements. Key regional points such as the Arab Spring and a wider geo-political angle tying the US and Europe to Saudi Arabia's place as an oil rich state and trading partner and its position as a bulwark to Iranian expansion and influence within the middle east, are also described and weaved into this fascinating, and dare I say enjoyable book.
Overall, a highly readable account of a complicated man and journalist and his murder by an all powerful monarchy and influential power in a troubled and troubling area of the world.
October 23, 2022
Trigger warnings: violence, murder, graphic descriptions of body disposal.
This was...a wild ride and not necessarily in a good way. I knew absolutely nothing about this case, so I was absolutely gobsmacked by the events that took place inside the Consulate. But it's as much about Saudi Arabia and its ruling family's relationship with the west as it is about the assassination of Khashoggi.
I definitely didn't expect or appreciate how prevalent the Tr*mp family were in the story, and I honestly could have done without anything relating to that pack of scumbags. And I do have to say that every time I thought the story couldn't get more bonkers, it did.
But ultimately, I was a little disappointed about the absolute lack of conclusion to the story. Like, there's no justice. There's no change to Saudi power structures. There's no closure of Khashoggi's family. He's still dead. His body is still nowhere to be found. And I wish that there was SOMETHING more satisfying to end on than what I ultimately got.
This was...a wild ride and not necessarily in a good way. I knew absolutely nothing about this case, so I was absolutely gobsmacked by the events that took place inside the Consulate. But it's as much about Saudi Arabia and its ruling family's relationship with the west as it is about the assassination of Khashoggi.
I definitely didn't expect or appreciate how prevalent the Tr*mp family were in the story, and I honestly could have done without anything relating to that pack of scumbags. And I do have to say that every time I thought the story couldn't get more bonkers, it did.
But ultimately, I was a little disappointed about the absolute lack of conclusion to the story. Like, there's no justice. There's no change to Saudi power structures. There's no closure of Khashoggi's family. He's still dead. His body is still nowhere to be found. And I wish that there was SOMETHING more satisfying to end on than what I ultimately got.
November 9, 2019
Breathtaking
Brilliant.Horrifying.Thank-you, Mr Rugman, for this compelling piece of investigative journalism. As someone who has followed this story closely, I don't feel better for having read this book. I simply feel more horrified.But if ever a 21st century tale needed tellling, this is it.Readers, please do not hesitate. This is superb journalism.
Brilliant.Horrifying.Thank-you, Mr Rugman, for this compelling piece of investigative journalism. As someone who has followed this story closely, I don't feel better for having read this book. I simply feel more horrified.But if ever a 21st century tale needed tellling, this is it.Readers, please do not hesitate. This is superb journalism.
January 23, 2020
Extraordinary. As someone who works in the diplomatic corps this book shook me deeply.
June 28, 2020
An excellent piece of investigative journalism. Gripping as a thriller, detailed and well sourced, and provides plenty of both interesting and important background information.
October 29, 2020
This is a very important book, and I hope that it is being read widely. Before I read it, I was familiar with all or most of the major facts. But Rugman did a very good job filling in the gaps in my knowledge with additional details and, just as importantly, documenting the specifics of this case so that it won't soon be forgotten.
This is a book of plutocracy, about the idea that wealthy, privileged people can get virtually anything they want. In Third World countries like "Shoddy" Arabia, well-placed "princes" can even get away with murder, not surprisingly. What's shocking about this case, though, is that the president of the United States, who has a personal relationship with this murderer, has overruled the US Senate and the US House in allowing MbS (which stands for Mohamed bin Salman or Mister Bone Saw or the Mother of all Bullsh*t, take your pick) to get away with murdering a journalist working for a prominent US-based newspaper.
To re-state the above in more general terms, this is a book about prominent people who place their own privilege above basic human dignity and the comfort and security of multitudes of their fellow human beings. People whose least serious sin is the plentiful resources and education they waste on lives that contribute nothing useful to their fellow man, i.e. to their respective countries or to human society as a whole. Everything is about increasing their wealth and fortifying their positions.
Like a typically boorish Third-World leader, Trump's simplistic notions of what constitutes luxury are laughable and, frankly, pathetic. Bigger, taller and gold plated are about as far as his dull imagination extends. Consider his 6-foot self portrait, paid for with money from his "charity". It's amusing yet also profoundly sad that he is missing out on so much of the beauty of this world by focusing solely on wealth and power, and that he has such a skewed understanding of their purpose!
MbS, too, is caught in this trap. He's willing to throw his own cousins and uncles in jail in order to extort more money out of them because, apparently, the unearned money he has already stolen just won’t do. It's not enough to own a 450-ft-long luxury yacht and an original DaVinci painting, nor do luxurious villas in half a dozen foreign countries satisfy his greed. He's got to have more!
And never mind that he holds absolute power in Saudi Arabia and all but that in a couple of neighboring states. He is so threatened by journalists like Jamal Khashoggi, who criticize him in public, that he obsessively plans detailed operations to either forcibly repatriate them so that he can torture them and lock them up like animals for months or years at a time or, as in the case of Khashoggi and, quite possibly, others, to murder them in cold blood.
Is it unfair to put Trump on the same base level of morality as MbS? Maybe. Yet consider how unwilling he has been to criticize this upstart prince or to, in any way, disrupt our relationship with Saudi Arabia, and that his sole motive in this is to protect business interests despite the despicable crimes of its tyrannical child czar.
If you take all of Trump's statements on the Khashoggi assassination and weigh them all in the balance, it's pretty clear that he knows that this journalist's murder was ordered from the highest echelons of the Saudi government. Yet, less than a year after the heinous deed, he was willing to stand next to the criminal “prince” at a G-20 event in Japan and extend his hand to him and tell the piece of trash what an honor it was to see him again.
When confronted with the notion that he has enabled this cretin to get away with murder, Trump responds that the world is a scary and ugly place. He doesn’t seem to understand that condoning such behavior will only contribute to more of the same by emboldening scum like this tantrum-throwing little “prince” and Putin and Kim and a dozen others on the world stage to proceed with business as usual.
The subject matter of this book may upset you or depress you or even make you downright furious. Nevertheless, I recommend that you read it. It's good once in a while to be reminded of the evil forces out there in the world which need to be kept in check insofar as it is possible for us regular folk to do so. I would argue that those of us living in the free world have a duty to speak up for and act on behalf of those living in Saudi Arabia and other repressive lands who cannot fend for themselves. And we can start by voting out Trump in the 2020 presidential election.
---------------
Addendum: This is the first book where I have encountered the ‘Acknowledgments’ section at the end. It makes so much sense to put it there because then readers have a context in which to understand it by the time they get to it. I almost never read the acknowledgements when they appear at the front of a book, or else I come back to them later after having finished reading the book. I wholeheartedly approve of this innovation in publishing.
This is a book of plutocracy, about the idea that wealthy, privileged people can get virtually anything they want. In Third World countries like "Shoddy" Arabia, well-placed "princes" can even get away with murder, not surprisingly. What's shocking about this case, though, is that the president of the United States, who has a personal relationship with this murderer, has overruled the US Senate and the US House in allowing MbS (which stands for Mohamed bin Salman or Mister Bone Saw or the Mother of all Bullsh*t, take your pick) to get away with murdering a journalist working for a prominent US-based newspaper.
To re-state the above in more general terms, this is a book about prominent people who place their own privilege above basic human dignity and the comfort and security of multitudes of their fellow human beings. People whose least serious sin is the plentiful resources and education they waste on lives that contribute nothing useful to their fellow man, i.e. to their respective countries or to human society as a whole. Everything is about increasing their wealth and fortifying their positions.
Like a typically boorish Third-World leader, Trump's simplistic notions of what constitutes luxury are laughable and, frankly, pathetic. Bigger, taller and gold plated are about as far as his dull imagination extends. Consider his 6-foot self portrait, paid for with money from his "charity". It's amusing yet also profoundly sad that he is missing out on so much of the beauty of this world by focusing solely on wealth and power, and that he has such a skewed understanding of their purpose!
MbS, too, is caught in this trap. He's willing to throw his own cousins and uncles in jail in order to extort more money out of them because, apparently, the unearned money he has already stolen just won’t do. It's not enough to own a 450-ft-long luxury yacht and an original DaVinci painting, nor do luxurious villas in half a dozen foreign countries satisfy his greed. He's got to have more!
And never mind that he holds absolute power in Saudi Arabia and all but that in a couple of neighboring states. He is so threatened by journalists like Jamal Khashoggi, who criticize him in public, that he obsessively plans detailed operations to either forcibly repatriate them so that he can torture them and lock them up like animals for months or years at a time or, as in the case of Khashoggi and, quite possibly, others, to murder them in cold blood.
Is it unfair to put Trump on the same base level of morality as MbS? Maybe. Yet consider how unwilling he has been to criticize this upstart prince or to, in any way, disrupt our relationship with Saudi Arabia, and that his sole motive in this is to protect business interests despite the despicable crimes of its tyrannical child czar.
If you take all of Trump's statements on the Khashoggi assassination and weigh them all in the balance, it's pretty clear that he knows that this journalist's murder was ordered from the highest echelons of the Saudi government. Yet, less than a year after the heinous deed, he was willing to stand next to the criminal “prince” at a G-20 event in Japan and extend his hand to him and tell the piece of trash what an honor it was to see him again.
When confronted with the notion that he has enabled this cretin to get away with murder, Trump responds that the world is a scary and ugly place. He doesn’t seem to understand that condoning such behavior will only contribute to more of the same by emboldening scum like this tantrum-throwing little “prince” and Putin and Kim and a dozen others on the world stage to proceed with business as usual.
The subject matter of this book may upset you or depress you or even make you downright furious. Nevertheless, I recommend that you read it. It's good once in a while to be reminded of the evil forces out there in the world which need to be kept in check insofar as it is possible for us regular folk to do so. I would argue that those of us living in the free world have a duty to speak up for and act on behalf of those living in Saudi Arabia and other repressive lands who cannot fend for themselves. And we can start by voting out Trump in the 2020 presidential election.
---------------
Addendum: This is the first book where I have encountered the ‘Acknowledgments’ section at the end. It makes so much sense to put it there because then readers have a context in which to understand it by the time they get to it. I almost never read the acknowledgements when they appear at the front of a book, or else I come back to them later after having finished reading the book. I wholeheartedly approve of this innovation in publishing.
January 9, 2020
Fascinating read on a brutal crime that shocked the world, with the timeline of events leading up to Jamal Khashoggi’s murder and the aftermath. Jonathan Rugman paints a detailed picture of Jamal’s life and the person he was from interviews with his friends and family. I found the focus on politics of the Middle East very interesting too; the relationships between nations, the hierarchy and wrangling for power within the Saudi royal family, and the intricacies and priorities of each country following Khashoggi’s murder. Highly recommended, incredibly well researched & objectively written.
June 13, 2020
Not much I can really say about this. It's a disturbing investigation of state sponsored murder of a journalist who's only crime was to request greater freedoms for his country.
It's not a particularly comfortable read, but it does make you think about the importance of commerce to the current American president, as he seems only too happy to ignore the uncomfortable facts that his own intelligence agency presented to him....
It's not a particularly comfortable read, but it does make you think about the importance of commerce to the current American president, as he seems only too happy to ignore the uncomfortable facts that his own intelligence agency presented to him....
March 15, 2020
It’s a well written book and it has helped me understand the political dynamics in the Middle East and how it is affected by the changing diplomatic relations of KSA with USA and Turkey.
July 18, 2020
Does it ever happen that the pages of a book start turning on their own?
Well, it happens in this one! :p
Fast, Gripping, Pertinent and portrays nudity of the so called “Tall & Mighty” of the current world.
“The Emperor Has No Clothes” they say!
The book is not just about an investigation of a murder but throws light on the geo-political balance of a very fragile region of the world.
It also showcases the truth of a very cosmetic world.
The regressive policies and hooliganism of top-men stands exposed.
Sad part is it is something the world knows but still isnt’t able to find a direction ahead, the structure of democracy is getting damaged at many places like even In India and a crony nationalism movement is growing world over.
Liberalism and individual freedom is facing a big threat today by many global leaders and such incidents just validate the premise.
Political parties are getting richer and unless checks are put in place to curb that this nexus cant be corrected.
Also It gives us a chance to ponder about the cults crafted carefully around leaders or people in position of power.
In these cults the image of the top-man is kept very dearly and any form of dissent is attacked from every possible angle.
Most of these cults make sure to protect that image of the top man to bring in legitimacy for all the dirty business to be done beneath him.
This is commonly seen among autocratic leaders and God Men in India.
Any dissent is not tolerated against a guru/baba by its followers. This cult is a sureshot sign of wrongs happening. It’s a signal.
MbS, Modi and similar leaders are total social media creations with their cults been crafted very carefully.
The world of this book was totally foreign to me and it gave me a fresh perspective about my own society and life as I didn’t have any bias while reading the book.
This is the charm of reading books of far away lands and different cultures.
You learn a lot.
It was meant to be a thriller but it was an emotional ride imbued with many lessons between the lines.
Catch this ASAP for a weekend.
Well, it happens in this one! :p
Fast, Gripping, Pertinent and portrays nudity of the so called “Tall & Mighty” of the current world.
“The Emperor Has No Clothes” they say!
The book is not just about an investigation of a murder but throws light on the geo-political balance of a very fragile region of the world.
It also showcases the truth of a very cosmetic world.
The regressive policies and hooliganism of top-men stands exposed.
Sad part is it is something the world knows but still isnt’t able to find a direction ahead, the structure of democracy is getting damaged at many places like even In India and a crony nationalism movement is growing world over.
Liberalism and individual freedom is facing a big threat today by many global leaders and such incidents just validate the premise.
Political parties are getting richer and unless checks are put in place to curb that this nexus cant be corrected.
Also It gives us a chance to ponder about the cults crafted carefully around leaders or people in position of power.
In these cults the image of the top-man is kept very dearly and any form of dissent is attacked from every possible angle.
Most of these cults make sure to protect that image of the top man to bring in legitimacy for all the dirty business to be done beneath him.
This is commonly seen among autocratic leaders and God Men in India.
Any dissent is not tolerated against a guru/baba by its followers. This cult is a sureshot sign of wrongs happening. It’s a signal.
MbS, Modi and similar leaders are total social media creations with their cults been crafted very carefully.
The world of this book was totally foreign to me and it gave me a fresh perspective about my own society and life as I didn’t have any bias while reading the book.
This is the charm of reading books of far away lands and different cultures.
You learn a lot.
It was meant to be a thriller but it was an emotional ride imbued with many lessons between the lines.
Catch this ASAP for a weekend.
Want to read
November 26, 202121 NOV 2021 - Geevee rated this to a 4 - see his review here - https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
24 NOV 2021 -
Learn More.
Take Action.
Make A Difference.
Ending words from documentary.
Documentary was very good. Extremely watchable, intelligent, and heart-felt.
24 NOV 2021 -
Learn More.
Take Action.
Make A Difference.
Ending words from documentary.
Documentary was very good. Extremely watchable, intelligent, and heart-felt.
June 6, 2020
Extensively researched and delivered in a thrilling style with incredible detail. Highly recommended to anyone!
April 5, 2021
Excellent book looking at the Murder of Jamal Khashoggi , and the politics involved, not only in the Arab world but, Also the reaction of the Saudis greatest ally the United States.
Shocking at times, but reads like a thriller.
Anyone who has prime i can highly recommend this documentary
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Dissident-Om...
Shocking at times, but reads like a thriller.
Anyone who has prime i can highly recommend this documentary
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Dissident-Om...
February 18, 2020
On the 2nd of October 2018, journalist Jamal Khashoggi entered the Saudi Consulate to collect documentation to enable him to marry but he never walked out of the Saudi diplomatic building.
This is a fascinating book. If like me you followed this story on news channels at the time, all is revealed in this well written novel by journalist Jonathan Rugman. I highly recommend this well researched and highly informative book.
This is a fascinating book. If like me you followed this story on news channels at the time, all is revealed in this well written novel by journalist Jonathan Rugman. I highly recommend this well researched and highly informative book.
June 5, 2020
This is an exceptionally good piece of journalism. A shocking moment of violence and an even more shocking cover up. It was compelling reading and I whizzed through it. It raises huge political questions about the Trump administration - yes even more questions - and it certainly appears that financial gain was put before moral actions. Fascinating story and a shame that it is true!
February 14, 2020
gets a little slow at the end, but is highly informative, both about the event itself and the historical, political and social backdrop in the Middle East. Recommended reading for anyone interested in Khashoggi's death, and in Middle Eastern politics.
June 2, 2020
Fantastic book. If you remember the news stories you may think you know this story, trust me you don’t. An absolute feat of journalism and the transcripts from the embassy alone are jaw dropping
December 29, 2020
Sorry - not my thing. Found it repetitive and quite one sided. Covered all the main elements around this tragic event though.
August 9, 2020
For some reason, the book gods have blessed me with the best nonfiction books this year and they are adding years to my life.
This book investigates the death of Jamal Khashoggi, the Saudi Arabian journalist who walked into the Saudi consulate in broad daylight in Turkey. Soon after that, news of his brutal murder came to light and how his body was dismembered. He went to the consulate to collect paperwork so he could get married to his fiance, and was never seen again.
This horrible act was something that shocked the world, and we are all too familiar with the gory details of the murder, but reading the transcripts of the actual happening had a physical impact on me. It made me a little bit sick, but that's not even the main focus of this book.
The author covers the history of Jamal Khashoggi, who he was before he became a journalist - where his allegiances were and how the enmity with the Saudi Arabian government started. It takes a look at the complicated history of the Saudi Royal family and how Muhammad bin Salman rose to power. I found myself highlighting every page because it made me aware of so much new and interesting information.
Not only does it cover the murder, but it looks at Saudi Arabia's regional policies - the conflicts with Qatar, Iran and Yemen and its alliance with the UAE. A key focus of this book is also Saudi Arabia's relationship with the US, especially with the Trump administration in the aftermath of Khashoggi's death.
There is also a focus on the historic aspect of Turkey and Saudi Arabia's relationships and how the initial conflict arose. The political scenario in Turkey was also looked at in great detail, pointing the fact that Turkey is the biggest jailer of journalists but was one of the biggest advocates for justice in the instance of Khashoggi's murder.
This book is very comprehensive, but I loved it for the simple fact that it taught me a lot and I can see myself referring to it in the future. Middle Eastern politics is complicated to say the least, but this one enhanced my understanding a little bit.
This book investigates the death of Jamal Khashoggi, the Saudi Arabian journalist who walked into the Saudi consulate in broad daylight in Turkey. Soon after that, news of his brutal murder came to light and how his body was dismembered. He went to the consulate to collect paperwork so he could get married to his fiance, and was never seen again.
This horrible act was something that shocked the world, and we are all too familiar with the gory details of the murder, but reading the transcripts of the actual happening had a physical impact on me. It made me a little bit sick, but that's not even the main focus of this book.
The author covers the history of Jamal Khashoggi, who he was before he became a journalist - where his allegiances were and how the enmity with the Saudi Arabian government started. It takes a look at the complicated history of the Saudi Royal family and how Muhammad bin Salman rose to power. I found myself highlighting every page because it made me aware of so much new and interesting information.
Not only does it cover the murder, but it looks at Saudi Arabia's regional policies - the conflicts with Qatar, Iran and Yemen and its alliance with the UAE. A key focus of this book is also Saudi Arabia's relationship with the US, especially with the Trump administration in the aftermath of Khashoggi's death.
There is also a focus on the historic aspect of Turkey and Saudi Arabia's relationships and how the initial conflict arose. The political scenario in Turkey was also looked at in great detail, pointing the fact that Turkey is the biggest jailer of journalists but was one of the biggest advocates for justice in the instance of Khashoggi's murder.
This book is very comprehensive, but I loved it for the simple fact that it taught me a lot and I can see myself referring to it in the future. Middle Eastern politics is complicated to say the least, but this one enhanced my understanding a little bit.
September 19, 2020
If I were in a bookstore and came across a middle eastern true crime, would I pick it up? No. This bias is not of geography or culture, but because my knowledge of Middle East is pretty limited.
The motivation to read this came from my brother, who had ordered it a few weeks ago. As he read the book, each dinner table conversation revolved around it. After one of these conversations, I asked him to give the book to me once he had read it.
When I started out with almost zero knowledge about the story and who Jamal Khashoggi even was, I thought I’d be Googling stuff every two minutes. That was not the case. The book is a complete story and encyclopaedia, clearing every little detail as it comes along the way. With each page so immersive and complete, I didn’t have to or want to put the book down for even a minute.
The insight and complexity of international relations and the sorry fact that truth doesn’t usually prevail in this world of money and power have been stunningly highlighted.
Rugman ended the book with such powerful words that I was shaken to my core, the magnitude of the story’s impact over me was 10x in just the last paragraph.
To define this book, I’ll use the same one word as my brother, unputdownable.
The motivation to read this came from my brother, who had ordered it a few weeks ago. As he read the book, each dinner table conversation revolved around it. After one of these conversations, I asked him to give the book to me once he had read it.
When I started out with almost zero knowledge about the story and who Jamal Khashoggi even was, I thought I’d be Googling stuff every two minutes. That was not the case. The book is a complete story and encyclopaedia, clearing every little detail as it comes along the way. With each page so immersive and complete, I didn’t have to or want to put the book down for even a minute.
The insight and complexity of international relations and the sorry fact that truth doesn’t usually prevail in this world of money and power have been stunningly highlighted.
Rugman ended the book with such powerful words that I was shaken to my core, the magnitude of the story’s impact over me was 10x in just the last paragraph.
To define this book, I’ll use the same one word as my brother, unputdownable.
May 20, 2021
The book is very open and detailed and draws out the entire timeline of what happened to Jamal Khashoggi. They also go into the time before he was murdered and tries a few theories as to why he was killed. But besides that it also does a good job at giving an overview of the politics of it all. US-Saudi, US-Turkey, Turkey- Saudi and then links Jamal and his opinion on these and certain events as well and goes into great deal of the events caused by his murder till up to a year. I would say in general everyone should read it whether you are into politics or not to get a grasp of where the world is at right now.
June 22, 2023
All the details on how dissident
Jamal Khashoggi got butchered and dismembered in 2017 in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul (by the Saudi Regime).
This is a real life geopolitical true crime story.
How the secret service executed this killing mission on foreign territory, causing major international friction couldn’t even be made up in an espionage thriller. Recommended.
There are some juicy details on Khashoggi’s private life
I didn’t know about.
At the time of his disappearance/murder, he was married religiously to an Egyptian woman in the USA.
At the same time he was engaged to a Turkish woman in Istanbul.
Both women only learned of eachother’s existence after he passed away.
I found it interesting to learn more about his personal life. How his exile made him feel lonely and disconnected from the country he loved so much and the people he cared about.
It was a sad and harrowing story. Yet the reason of his dissent and the Kingdom’s reaction on this was beyond fascinating to dig deeper into.
Jamal Khashoggi got butchered and dismembered in 2017 in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul (by the Saudi Regime).
This is a real life geopolitical true crime story.
How the secret service executed this killing mission on foreign territory, causing major international friction couldn’t even be made up in an espionage thriller. Recommended.
There are some juicy details on Khashoggi’s private life
I didn’t know about.
At the time of his disappearance/murder, he was married religiously to an Egyptian woman in the USA.
At the same time he was engaged to a Turkish woman in Istanbul.
Both women only learned of eachother’s existence after he passed away.
I found it interesting to learn more about his personal life. How his exile made him feel lonely and disconnected from the country he loved so much and the people he cared about.
It was a sad and harrowing story. Yet the reason of his dissent and the Kingdom’s reaction on this was beyond fascinating to dig deeper into.
December 21, 2020
A bit clunky at the start but stick with it, it is a well researched and considered book that is truly fascinating. Mr Rugman identifies the failures of the international order with President Trump appearing particularly morally bankrupt- the direct quotes highlight why someone with the language proficiency of a 10 year old shouldn’t be leader of the ‘free’ world. The brief reference to the UN Secretary General is also damning - how may of us even know his name - but I guess the G20 like it that way
October 6, 2021
3.4 stars
This book was meticulously researched and filled with interesting insight and analysis. It attempted to provide a holistic look at the murder of Khashoggi as well as the events leading up to and surrounding his death. I enjoyed the detail although it sometimes overburdened and felt tangential to the narrative. Reading this got tedious towards the end as the book stretched almost interminably. It was also repetitive with several ideas, occurrences, and sentences repeated (sometimes word-for-word) across the book. A good read, nevertheless.
This book was meticulously researched and filled with interesting insight and analysis. It attempted to provide a holistic look at the murder of Khashoggi as well as the events leading up to and surrounding his death. I enjoyed the detail although it sometimes overburdened and felt tangential to the narrative. Reading this got tedious towards the end as the book stretched almost interminably. It was also repetitive with several ideas, occurrences, and sentences repeated (sometimes word-for-word) across the book. A good read, nevertheless.
January 24, 2024
Murdered and dismembered in the Saudi Consulate in Ankara, Turkey.
The Turkish police waited 2 weeks before entering the consulate and when they did they were overwhelmed by the smell of bleach and other disinfectants.
Murder on command by the Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
No countries condemn him because the weapons deals are worth hundreds of billions.
He was stupid to enter the buiding and knew he was on a list of Saudis to be "dealt with" for criticizing the Saudi government.
This book puts all the piece together and the guilty remain unchallenged.
The Turkish police waited 2 weeks before entering the consulate and when they did they were overwhelmed by the smell of bleach and other disinfectants.
Murder on command by the Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
No countries condemn him because the weapons deals are worth hundreds of billions.
He was stupid to enter the buiding and knew he was on a list of Saudis to be "dealt with" for criticizing the Saudi government.
This book puts all the piece together and the guilty remain unchallenged.
July 19, 2020
It’s 2020 and the questions surrounding the murder of Jamal Khashoggi haven’t gone away. The book hammers home the fact that despite international condemnation, no real consequences for the murder of the eminent journalist have actually occurred. The international community has remained shamefully complicit. Both MsB and Saudi Arabia committed murder, and continue their involvement in the Yemeni war - now infamous for being the worlds most terrible humanitarian disaster.
December 10, 2020
Interesting but lengthy!
Rest In Peace Jamal!
I wish the investigation and justice regarding your death had gone a different way.
On the writing style, easy to read despite lengthy names and titles, wish the book was a little shorter. Still enjoyed it!
Rest In Peace Jamal!
I wish the investigation and justice regarding your death had gone a different way.
On the writing style, easy to read despite lengthy names and titles, wish the book was a little shorter. Still enjoyed it!
February 3, 2021
Very fascinating and detailed read on the planning, execution and the cover up of the murder of the Saudi's Washington Post's journalist Jamal Khashoggi which occurred in the Saudi's consulate in Turkey in 2018. Khashoggi was killed within minutes of his arrival in the consulate and dismembered.
January 7, 2022
Interesting but sad account of the ruthless assassination of a dissident journalist who completely underestimated the determination of the Saudi regime to silence him. Sad because global financial interests trumped justice.
December 31, 2023
Total Power is easy to corrupted a person. When a ruler doesn't not want to hear any criticizing ? Just shut up. In a small country like mine...there's not even an investigation. This is not the first case and I
know for sure not going be the last.
know for sure not going be the last.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 39 reviews