The Price of Paradise
How the Suicide Bomber Shaped the Modern World
We live in the age of the suicide bomber. From attacks in the streets of Paris and London to murders in marketplaces in Kabul and Baghdad, the suicide bomber is the real weapon of mass destruction, killing and injuring over a quarter of a million people since its first use – many of them in the last decade.
From the austere streets of St Petersburg to Shinto temples of Japan, the killing fields of Sri Lanka to Hamas enclaves in Palestine, Overton seeks out the origins of the modern day suicide bomber. Along the way, he speaks to survivors, medics, veterans and intelligence agents, and comes face to face with ISIS jihadists and suicide bombers whose missions have failed.
Listed for the Neave Book Prize 2019/20
Reviews
A must-read book on the most frightening phenomenon of the modern age … Fascinating
Christina Lamb, The Sunday Times
Provocative and timely … highly readable
Peter Beaumont, The Observer
Outstanding … the author takes confident control over this huge, dense and dark subject … Engrossing
Anthony Loyd, New Statesman
An informative book on a timely topic that demands critical scrutiny.
Fawaz Gerges, Evening Standard