They Call Me The Cobra

This psychological spy thriller depicts the transformation of a liberal university professor of a newly independent African nation as a result of his being forced by the military ruler of his country into taking the post of chief of the Secret Police. The need to combat a growing Islamic fundamentalist terrorism forces the professor to gradually abandon his liberal principles and employ the torture and brutality he abhors. His recognition of what is happening to him contributes to his self-loathing, his perilous position magnified by the fact that he can trust no one, neither the country's ruler, his colleagues nor his subordinates. The professor's underlying strength of character enable him to emerge at the end of the book from his bloody deeds with some prospect of living a happy life.