'A murder mystery set in post-Saddam Baghdad is as good as it is daring.' Independent
Now a major TV series on HULU. The WSJ said: ‘Baghdad Central,” the impossible-to-stop-watching six-part series on Hulu, is a Middle Eastern western in the “High Noon” tradition, though that hardly does it justice. Yes, there’s a solitary hero with the cards stacked against him. High-stakes gambling. Even a saloon. But the setting is Baghdad during the Iraq War.
'It is rare to find a first book of such high quality, and which gives such a penetrating and realistic insight into the impact of a forceful external shock to an ancient and singular culture.’ Crime Review
'Colla writes with power and authority. Politically astute, beautifully constructed and a rattling good read.' New Internationalist
‘A very brave book.' San Francisco Book Review
‘Powerful and authentic, Baghdad Central is a perilous journey through the dark maelstrom of wartime Iraq that will make you want to reach for a flak jacket and glance over your shoulder for surveillance, even as you’re marvelling at its abiding humanity.’ Dan Fesperman, author of Lie in the Dark
"An intriguing first novel…Colla writes of a beleaguered secular Arab culture with deep empathy." Publishers Weekly
'Aside from the beauty of the writing, the strength of Colla’s work lies in its ambiguity. Colla paints a nuanced landscape of a country at war, where each character is driven by a complex tangle of personal and nationalistic aims.' Daily Star
‘Just when you think that nothing in the overcrowded crime field can surprise you any more, along comes a writer like Elliott Colla who takes the genre by the throat and shakes it vigorously. Baghdad Central is a rich and allusive piece of writing, informed by the writer’s experience in both the Middle East and Washington. Its authenticity is matched by a masterly command of the mechanics of suspense.’ Barry Forshaw, Crime Time
‘One rarely finds Iraqis in American fiction except as Orientalist stereotypes or objects of political desires and fantasies. Baghdad Central is unique in this respect. Its Iraqis are subjects with agency and humanity. Colla knows the cultural and political topography very well. The chaos and cacophony of the American occupation are captured vividly. The narrative is smart and smooth. This is an intense and well-written novel. A pleasure to read.’ Sinan Antoon, author of The Baghdad Blues and The Corpse Washer
‘A gripping tale of mystery and intrigue in the claustrophobic, morally treacherous world of post-invasion Baghdad, an environment where relationships can detonate as readily as car bombs. This is a compelling noir crime novel told from inside Iraqi society that lays bare the easy slide from personal to political treachery, where every crime is also a national wound. A great read! ‘ Jenny White, author of The Winter Thief, A Kamil Pasha novel
"For all those with an interest in what life was like in Baghdad under the CPA, this should be required reading...credible and authoritative, [making] Baghdad Central a book I recommend." Opinionator
'A murder mystery set in post-Saddam Baghdad is as good as it is daring.' Independent
Now a major TV series on HULU. The WSJ said: ‘Baghdad Central,” the impossible-to-stop-watching six-part series on Hulu, is a Middle Eastern western in the “High Noon” tradition, though that hardly does it justice. Yes, there’s a solitary hero with the cards stacked against him. High-stakes gambling. Even a saloon. But the setting is Baghdad during the Iraq War.
'It is rare to find a first book of such high quality, and which gives such a penetrating and realistic insight into the impact of a forceful external shock to an ancient and singular culture.’ Crime Review
'Colla writes with power and authority. Politically astute, beautifully constructed and a rattling good read.' New Internationalist
‘A very brave book.' San Francisco Book Review
‘Powerful and authentic, Baghdad Central is a perilous journey through the dark maelstrom of wartime Iraq that will make you want to reach for a flak jacket and glance over your shoulder for surveillance, even as you’re marvelling at its abiding humanity.’ Dan Fesperman, author of Lie in the Dark
"An intriguing first novel…Colla writes of a beleaguered secular Arab culture with deep empathy." Publishers Weekly
'Aside from the beauty of the writing, the strength of Colla’s work lies in its ambiguity. Colla paints a nuanced landscape of a country at war, where each character is driven by a complex tangle of personal and nationalistic aims.' Daily Star
‘Just when you think that nothing in the overcrowded crime field can surprise you any more, along comes a writer like Elliott Colla who takes the genre by the throat and shakes it vigorously. Baghdad Central is a rich and allusive piece of writing, informed by the writer’s experience in both the Middle East and Washington. Its authenticity is matched by a masterly command of the mechanics of suspense.’ Barry Forshaw, Crime Time
‘One rarely finds Iraqis in American fiction except as Orientalist stereotypes or objects of political desires and fantasies. Baghdad Central is unique in this respect. Its Iraqis are subjects with agency and humanity. Colla knows the cultural and political topography very well. The chaos and cacophony of the American occupation are captured vividly. The narrative is smart and smooth. This is an intense and well-written novel. A pleasure to read.’ Sinan Antoon, author of The Baghdad Blues and The Corpse Washer
‘A gripping tale of mystery and intrigue in the claustrophobic, morally treacherous world of post-invasion Baghdad, an environment where relationships can detonate as readily as car bombs. This is a compelling noir crime novel told from inside Iraqi society that lays bare the easy slide from personal to political treachery, where every crime is also a national wound. A great read! ‘ Jenny White, author of The Winter Thief, A Kamil Pasha novel
"For all those with an interest in what life was like in Baghdad under the CPA, this should be required reading...credible and authoritative, [making] Baghdad Central a book I recommend." Opinionator
