Lie Down with Lions (1985)

Praise for Lie Down with Lions

“An exciting and complex tale.”

—The Philadelphia Inquirer

“MASTERFUL . . . plot and counterplot, treachery, cunning and killing . . . keep you on edge every moment.”

—The Associated Press

“Combines modern warfare, international espionage, and a love story while also, in typical Follett fashion, playing out the fate of his characters amid thrilling escapes and shattering revelations.”

—Richmond Times-Dispatch

“There is an incredible sex scene and desperate trek across ice-covered mountains . . . an exotic setting, a strong, courageous heroine, a strong, courageous hero, good guys, bad guys, and a supporting cast of thousands . . . A ROARING GOOD READ.”

—The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

“SOLID SUSPENSE FICTION . . . romance, adventure, exotic settings with a healthy dash of intrigue. . . . When it comes to reliable entertainment, few authors deliver as consistently as Follett.”

—Pittsburgh Press

“Follett’s great strength is his female characters—they are smart, strong, independent, and when they love a man, by golly, he knows the game is up.”

—People

“Harrowing escapes . . . larger-than-life characters performing larger-than-life deeds. . . . It shouldn’t work but it does.”

—Booklist

“BEAUTIFUL IN CONCEPTION AND EXECUTION . . . full of adventure and love blended as only a master such as Follett can do . . . a most provocative tale.”

—Ocala Star-Banner (FL)

“KEN FOLLETT SCORES AGAIN . . . an enthralling web of suspense . . . a well-crafted love story . . . unrelieved page-to-page tension . . . a wonderfully clean and simple writing style . . . holds constant interest.”

—The Anniston Star

“EXCITING . . . ROMANCE, ADVENTURE, INTRIGUE. . . . Ken Follett can hold his own with the best.”

—The Indianapolis Star

“LIONS ROARS . . . highly entertaining, quickly paced . . . skillfully crafted . . . and a nicely detailed quartet of characters that makes the novel click.”

—Los Angeles Herald Examiner

“Deftly built tension . . . the thrills of a chase . . . well-developed characters and atmosphere . . . keep the action going and have the credibility of a true tale.”

—The Orlando Sentinel

To Barbara

There are several real organizations that send volunteer doctors to Afghanistan but Medecins pour la Liberte is fictional. All the locations described in this book are real except for the villages of Banda and Darg, which are fictional. All the characters are fictional except Masud.

Although I have tried to make the background authentic, this is a work of the imagination, and should not be treated as a source of infallible information about Afghanistan or anything else. Readers who would like to know more will find a reading list at the end of this book.

PART I

1981

CHAPTER ONE

The men who wanted to kill Ahmet Yilmaz were serious people. They were exiled Turkish students living in Paris, and they had already murdered an attache at the Turkish Embassy and fire-bombed the home of a senior executive of Turkish Airlines. They chose Yilmaz as their next target because he was a wealthy supporter of the military dictatorship and because he lived, conveniently, in Paris.