An explosive new French book that says journalist Daniel Pearl was killed because he'd uncovered links between al-Qaida and the Pakistani government including the possible trading of nuclear secrets, and that has been causing a sensation in Europe, will be published in English this fall by Melville House.The book, to be released in English as "Who Killed Daniel Pearl?", is by leading French philosopher and journalist Bernard-Henri Lévy, who has written several books about the region and who served as French President Jacques Chirac's special envoy to Afghanistan. Lévy retraces Pearl's final days and says the Wall Street Journal correspondent was on the trail of links between "the most violent and most anti-American faction" in the Pakistani intelligence service and terrorists who were trading nuclear arms secrets with Iran and the North Koreans. Lévy also retraces the path of the man who lured Pearl into a trap in Karachi -- Omar Sheikh, a British-born and London School of Economics-educated Islamic extremist whom Lévy says was working as an agent for the Pakistanis. Written with the cooperation of Pearl's widow and parents, the book also includes Lévy's extensive discussions with Pearl's family about their theories regarding why he was killed."Who Killed Daniel Pearl" has caused a sensation in Europe, where it has shot up bestseller lists in France, and generated extensive coverage in the international media. Appearing on America's Charlie Rose PBS TV program, Lévy emphasized that his findings left him in strong support of the American attack of Afghanistan, and he called the attack on Iraq "morally" sound, but said that the real enemy is Pakistan. In a BBC report he said Omar Sheikh was "close to bin Laden." For the French newspaper Le Figaro, Lévy concluded, "Radical Islam is as much to be feared today as the communist and fascist totalitarianisms of yesterday were." Lévy's American publisher, Melville House, says the book will be available in the U.S. and Britain in just a few months. "We are honored to be bringing this book to the English-speaking world," said Melville House publisher Dennis Loy Johnson. "Beyond the fact that it's an extremely moving tribute to Daniel Pearl, the global implications of what Bernard-Henri Lévy has discovered are evident. Publishers always say their books are 'important.' But this one truly is."
BHL is officially the author I love to hate. On the one hand his research is top-notch and first-hand. I soaked up the information. On the other, his speculations - amongst others - on Daniel Pearl's last moments were unnecessary and he continues to annoy the living daylights out of me with his name-dropping and pontificating. Read this book (also available in English under the title Who Killed Daniel Pearl?) if you are looking to learn more about Islamic extremism, especially about how al-Qaeda, the ISI, the Taliban, CIA, Iraq, Bosnia, 9/11 and the murder of Daniel Pearl are all tied together. Seriously worth the read. Recommended by Professor Sugarman at the University of Vermont whose opinion I always highly value.
Do You like book Who Killed Daniel Pearl? (2004)?
This book started really well. I was intrigued by the story, which wasn't one I remembered well. Then it started getting confusing with Levy using a lot of guessing and assumptions to tell a story that has no real proof behind it. I found more questions unanswered at the end of the book than were asked in the first place and the title question, who did kill Daniel Pearl on 31st January 2002?, is never answered. A lot of suspects and a few reasons behind the murder are addressed by Levy but no definite conclusion can be made. I especially hated his reconstruction of Daniel Pearl's last days and moments. Speculations (often phrased as facts) on Daniel's last thoughts including a detailed life-flashing-before-his-eyes montage may have added a bit of humanity to a cruel and sad moment, but would've been so hard for his family to read. I read to the end of this book hoping, finally, that Levy would produce some surprising bit of information uncovered during his research that would help him come to a conclusion. It doesn't happen. Though Levy refers often to his other books and obviously has very high regard for the work he does, I would not rush out to read anything else he has written. But I would love to one day read a book that finally answers the question of who killed Daniel Pearl.
—RickyB
