The Opium Prince

Written by Jasmine Aimaq

Narrated by Pete Bradbury

Afghanistan, 1970s. Born to an American mother and a late Afghan war hero, Daniel Sajadi has spent his life navigating a complex identity. After years in Los Angeles, he is returning home to Kabul at the helm of a US foreign aid agency dedicated to eradicating the poppy fields that feed the world’s opiate addiction.

But on the drive out of Kabul for an anniversary trip with his wife, Daniel accidentally hits and kills a young Kochi girl named Telaya. He is let off with a nominal fine, in part because nomad tribes are ignored in the eyes of the law, but also because a mysterious witness named Taj Maleki intercedes on his behalf. Wracked with guilt and visions of Telaya, Daniel begins to unravel, running from his crumbling marriage and escalating threats from Taj, who turns out to be a powerful opium khan willing to go to extremes to save his poppies.

This groundbreaking literary thriller reveals the invisible lines between criminal enterprises and political regimes—and one man’s search for meaning at the heart of a violent revolution.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Recorded Books, Inc.
• Release date: Dec 1, 2020
• ISBN: 9781705010112

Reviews for The Opium Prince

[Leslie · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Jasmine Aimaq entranced me with this glimpse into a world I long to know more about.

An Afghani man with an American wife and the job of trying to eradicate the source of heroin by trying to repurpose poppy fields for the US government discovers a great deal about himself, his father, his country and the world during the period of the Communist coup in Afghanistan.

Real characters who are sometimes admirable, some who are despicable and some who are both carry this story across a sweeping landscape.

There's even a ghost, or at least a haunting.

Pete Bradbury, narrator, brilliantly animates the action while not intruding on the tale.

[brangwinn · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This may have been published as a crime novel, but it is so much more. Jasmine Aimaq’s debut novel is mystery and historical fiction about international relations. When Afghan-born American diplomat is posted to Kabul in 1970 to head the poppy eradication program, he finds himself enmeshed in a nightmare after killing a young girl when she ran in front of his car. When trying to make reparations for her death, he meets an opium kingpin, Taj Makeki who uses Daniel’s guilt to blackmail him. Tensions between the communists and the Islamic fundamentalists grow and their lives are thrown into danger. Its also a glimpse into the complicated Afghan political and cultural situation. And one thing the reader learns is that there really are no good guys in white hats. People often wear both hats. I was surprised at the humor in the book, its not a humorous subject portrayed in this page turner.