A PAGE-TURNER. I just took delivery of Frederick Forsyth's The Afghan, and the speed with which this Book Review No. 30 is in front of you is a testament to its readability. Again, this is a review, not a plot summary. The research Mr Forsyth did to create The Odessa File and The Devil's Alternative certainly assisted in this tale grounded in contemporary insurgencies and covert operations. But (to use a term I just learned) discovery of the Unforeseen Cock-Ups are left to the reader. I will disclose this much: suppose Al-Qaeda is choosing Western targets in such a way as to keep domestic insurgents, particularly of the anti-capitalist-globalization kind, at least neutral?