Dimiter
Author: William Peter Blatty

William Peter Blatty has thrilled generations of readers with his iconic mega-bestseller The Exorcist. Now Blatty gives us Dimiter, a riveting story of murder, revenge, and suspense. Laced with themes of faith and love, sin and forgiveness, vengeance and compassion, it is a novel in the grand tradition of Morris West’s The Devil’s Advocate and the Catholic novels of Graham Greene.

Dimiter opens in the world’s most oppressive and isolated totalitarian state: Albania in the 1970s. A prisoner suspected of being an enemy agent is held by state security. An unsettling presence, though subjected to unimaginable torture he maintains an eerie silence. He escapes -- and on the way to freedom, completes a mysterious mission. The prisoner is Dimiter, the American “agent from Hell.”

The scene shifts to Jerusalem, focusing on Hadassah Hospital and a cast of engaging, colorful characters: the brooding Christian Arab police detective, Peter Meral; Dr. Moses Mayo, a troubled but humorous neurologist; Samia, an attractive, sharp-tongued nurse; and assorted American and Israeli functionaries and hospital staff. All become enmeshed in a series of baffling, inexplicable deaths, until events explode in a surprising climax.

Told with unrelenting pace, Dimiter’s compelling, page-turning narrative is haunted by the search for faith and the truths of the human condition. Dimiter is William Peter Blatty's first full novel since the 1983 publication of Legion.

I read The Exorcist back in the early 1970s before the movie was made and always considered it to be one of the most horrific novels ever. I wasn't sure what exactly I was getting into when I decided to read Blatty's Dimiter. I picked this up at a thrift store a few years ago thinking it would possibly be a followup to The Exorcist. Well, not exactly. The novel starts out in Albania in 1973 where a prisoner thought to be an enemy agent is being questioned and tortured by the Albanian police. The prisoner does not answer any questions even though he is subjected to gruesome torture and he finally escapes from his captors. The story then shifts to Jerusalem where a police detective and a hospital neurologist become involved in some mysterious deaths. So who is responsible? It appears that a U.S. agent named Dimiter is involved but who is he and where is he hiding?

This was an unusual novel that had some twists that I wasn't expecting. I was expecting more of a horror novel from Blatty but in the end I did find it satisfying. It has a sort of mystical and spiritual quality that is not totally explained at the end but I did find the story to be compelling and the time period and location for the novel in the 1970s middle east made for a good background to the story.

Sending to Bkind2books as a wishlist tag. Enjoy!

Tracking no. 9449028206335025504238

This came while I was in California visiting my daughter and her family...2 grandchildren now.

Thanks so much for the wishlist tag! I remember reading The Exorcist years ago - the book (and the movie) were both pretty heart-stopping. Looking forward to reading this. Thanks, Frank!