Behind the Lens

The opening chapter of Behind the Lens drops the reader right in the middle of a perilous attack on a village in Afghanistan where our protagonist, Annie Green, a embedded war photojournalist, witnesses the massacre of an entire village including the two soldiers who escorted her and a lovely young child whose face Annie captured with her camera only seconds before she was felled by a sniper's bullet. The iconic photograph wins Annie a Pulitzer but the incident continues to haunt her eight years later, not only in her conscious thoughts, but in the recurring PTSD nightmares she suffers once she returns for a short visit to the country to reunite with her best friend Darya and her family, and to teach a intro photography course at the girls' school Darya has founded in a small town outside Kabul.
The tension never lets up as danger is everywhere and Annie slowly realizes that almost no one she meets are who they seem. The writing is first-rate and the action will keep you glued to the story as you immerse yourself in the story of the brave Afghan citizens trying to offer women and girls a better life to the military officers, including the gruff but charismatic Cerelli, who is drawn to Annie and puts himself in danger to protect her life. A sub-plot that explores the often-fraught relationships between teenager girls and their mothers fuels a deeper story you won't see coming. Highly recommended not only for a superb, fast-paced plot, but characters that ring true to life and a glimpse of the humanity and tragedy playing itself out in a country wracked by civil war halfway around the world.
Thanks to NetGalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review