Reviews
'An exemplary account... The book's most important contribution is to highlight the difficulties faced by the intelligence services... a first-class primer on Muslim extremism in Britain.', "Verkaik has a unique perspective on the evolution of Jihadi John. To his own astonishment, the writer discovered that he knew Emwazi from interviews conducted in 2010, before the radicalized Brit gained global notoriety for sawing off the head of journalist James Foley - and at least half a dozen others. He's the only journalist known to have spoken face-to-face with Emwazi. Yet so unmemorable were the encounters around London, so unprepossessing a subject, Verkaik had forgotten all about Emwazi, even when his balaclava was stripped away and his real name revealed by the BBC." -- Rosie DiManno, The Toronto Star "This book is more than just the story of Mohammed Emwazi. Verkaik delves into the broader issues of marginality and the fluid identity of young people such as Emwazi to provide an enthralling account of the rootlessness of many second-generation European immigrants." --Library Journal, "Verkaik has a unique perspective on the evolution of Jihadi John. To his own astonishment, the writer discovered that he knew Emwazi from interviews conducted in 2010, before the radicalized Brit gained global notoriety for sawing off the head of journalist James Foley - and at least half a dozen others. He's the only journalist known to have spoken face-to-face with Emwazi. Yet so unmemorable were the encounters around London, so unprepossessing a subject, Verkaik had forgotten all about Emwazi, even when his balaclava was stripped away and his real name revealed by the BBC." -- Rosie DiManno, The Toronto Star, "Verkaik has a unique perspective on the evolution of Jihadi John. To his own astonishment, the writer discovered that he knew Emwazi from interviews conducted in 2010, before the radicalized Brit gained global notoriety for sawing off the head of journalist James Foley - and at least half a dozen others. He's the only journalist known to have spoken face-to-face with Emwazi. Yet so unmemorable were the encounters around London, so unprepossessing a subject, Verkaik had forgotten all about Emwazi, even when his balaclava was stripped away and his real name revealed by the BBC." -- Rosie DiManno, The Toronto Star "This book is more than just the story of Mohammed Emwazi. Verkaik delves into the broader issues of marginality and the fluid identity of young people such as Emwazi to provide an enthralling account of the rootlessness of many second-generation European immigrants." 'Verkaik gives a fascinating if frightening picture of the jihadists in our mist'. Mail on Sunday 'No detail is too small in Verkaik's quest to work out how a "misfit schoolboy" turned into a "psychopathic mass murderer".' Independent --Library Journal, 'No detail is too small in Verkaik's quest to work out how a "misfit schoolboy" turned into a "psychopathic mass murderer".', 'The chief strength of this book lies in its exploration of the radical subculture in parts of west London...The web of influences is complex but Verkaik skilfully unpicks it, while losing none of the atmosphere that makes his book so readable and engaging'., 'This book is more than just the story of Mohammed Emwazi. Verkaik delves into the broader issues of marginality and the fluid identity of young people such as Emwazi to provide an enthralling account of the rootlessness of many second-generation European immigrants.', "Verkaik has a unique perspective on the evolution of Jihadi John. To his own astonishment, the writer discovered that he knew Emwazi from interviews conducted in 2010, before the radicalized Brit gained global notoriety for sawing off the head of journalist James Foley - and at least half a dozen others. He's the only journalist known to have spoken face-to-face with Emwazi. Yet so unmemorable were the encounters around London, so unprepossessing a subject, Verkaik had forgotten all about Emwazi, even when his balaclava was stripped away and his real name revealed by the BBC." -- Rosie DiManno, The Toronto Star "This book is more than just the story of Mohammed Emwazi. Verkaik delves into the broader issues of marginality and the fluid identity of young people such as Emwazi to provide an enthralling account of the rootlessness of many second-generation European immigrants." 'Verkaik gives a fascinating if frightening picture of the jihadists in our mist'. Mail on Sunday 'No detail is too small in Verkaik's quest to work out how a "misfit schoolboy" turned into a "psychopathic mass murderer".' Independent --Library Journal, 'Detailed and absorbing... Drawing on a wealth of primary conversations with security officials and targets alike, Verkaik explores the difficult balance that has to be struck between freedom and liberty and those who find themselves in its crosshairs.', 'An outstanding pulling together of the fractured career of one of the most notorious terrorist psychopathic killers of this or any other age. The book is exceptional because its author makes no false claims for what he doesn't know and never confuses explanation with explaining away... [an] excellent and thought-provoking book.', 'The chief strength of this book lies in its exploration of the radical subculture in parts of west London...The web of influences is complex but Verkaik skilfully unpicks I, while losing none of the atmosphere that makes his book so readable and engaging'.