An American arms dealer in Egypt, and a mysterious death

Cover image of "The Lost Americans," a thriller about an American arms dealer

Estimated reading time: 4 minutes

Cate Castle can’t understand how her brother died. He couldn’t possibly have committed suicide, as both the Egyptian government and Eric’s employer insist. So, against everyone’s advice, she flies to Cairo to investigate. And as she pokes into Polestar, the arms dealer he worked for as a technician, and the circumstances of Eric’s death, she finds herself in the crosshairs of powerful forces far beyond her control. But nothing, and no one, will stop her from learning the truth and clearing Eric’s name in the eyes of their family. This is her story, and his. It’s the centerpiece of Christopher Bollen’s high-stakes thriller, The Lost Americans.

A fight with an Egyptian officer

Polestar is one of the world’s biggest arms manufacturers. Its customers include many of the planet’s most unsavory regimes, and Egypt’s is among them. But the country is an American ally, and Polestar has long been entrenched there. Recently, they’d delivered a new consignment of missiles to the Egyptian military, and Eric Castle was there to teach them how to operate the weapons. But as Cate soon discovers, her brother had uncovered a corrupt deal involving the missiles—and he’d gotten into a fight with an Egyptian officer. It’s clear to Cate that the officer had a motive to kill Eric. But the police and Polestar block her attempts to turn up the evidence she needs. Until she finally gets a break—and discovers something entirely unexpected.

The Lost Americans by Christopher Bollen (2023) 352 pages ★★★★★

Aerial view of Cairo, Egypt, site of this thriller about a US arms dealer — When Americans think of Cairo, we tend to conjure up images of the pyramids and the Sphinx. But Cairo is a huge, sprawling city, home to nearly 23 million people. It’s the setting for much of this novel. Image: Wikipedia

America: the world’s arms merchant

In the most recent five-year period, the United States accounted for forty-two percent of global arms exports. That’s more than the next six largest exporters combined (France, Russia, China, Germany, Italy, and the United Kingdom). It’s also four times as much as France, which is number two. The figures come from the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute.

During the same period, India, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Ukraine, and Pakistan were America’s biggest arms customers. But if you could locate a full list of the importers of US-manufactured arms—I couldn’t—you’d see scores of other countries, a great many of them with tyrannical rulers who arm their military and police to suppress dissent rather than fend off foreign enemies.

That’s certainly been the case with Egypt since 1979, when Anwar Sadat and Menachem Begin signed a peace treaty. And in 2022, Egypt received nearly $1.4 billion in US foreign aid, nearly all of it military. Next to Israel, Egypt was our biggest recipient of military aid in that year. (Yes, much bigger than Ukraine.)

About the author

Photo of Christopher Bollen, author of this novel about an American arms dealer — *Christopher Bollen. Image: Conde Nast Traveler.*

Christopher Bollen has written six novels as well as many short stories, articles, essays, and interviews. He was born in Cincinnati in 1965 and grew up there. He graduated Phi Beta Kappa from Columbia University in 1998. His first novel appeared in 2011. Much of his writing pursues gay themes. He lives in New York City but apparently stays part of the time in a cabin in the Berkshires, where much of this novel is set.

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