The Shalamar Code - Softcover

This thrilling tale of romance and intrigue offers a close-up view of Pakistani culture in a post-9/11 world. Political unrest is on the rise in Pakistan, where remnants of Al Qaeda are stirring up trouble in tribal territories. It's clearly not the best time for fifteen-year-old Mumtaz - the daughter of a famous lawyer who's also the leader of an outlawed opposition party - to get mixed up in Karachi's criminal underworld. But when her brother is held hostage by a drug-running thug named Moocher, she has no choice. Defying her parents and generations of cultural tradition, Mumtaz gets involved with a young man who risks everything to assist her on a dangerous mission to expose Moocher as a spy. Not until she gets caught does the bright Pakistani teenager realise she may be in over her head.

Mary Louise Clifford has written books and articles for young people and adults on a variety of subjects. She has travelled all over the world, including twenty years living in Pakistan, Malaysia, Lebanon, the Arabian Peninsula and Sierra Leone. The Shalamar Code is her sixth novel.