Having just read this book, I can but fully endorse the previous review (Whiggins).

Suffice to say that the book is well written and gripping stuff, aften sad, sometimes scary and occasionally, brings a smile to your face. Richards tale is written in a way that makes it an easy read for a Sunday afternoon. However, he describes a reality that will only dawn on Monday and stay with you for a long time. It will provoke many questions, especially for those Brits who travel the world and naively believe that if things go pear shaped, you always have the back-up and support of your passport.
Richard's experience shows how some things may be the preserve of cocktail circuit members, but...

Richard spent a few years living this story, he lost alot in the process and has ensured that his experience will not be further buried by time or politics and his book can only enrich a bookshelf in the home!

This book is a powerful true story of an expatriate (the author) who gets entangled in the legal and penal systems of a third world country. At the time, he is naïve enough to believe that the facts of the case mattered more than the agendas of a corrupt regime and the international diplomats who did not want to make waves over the fate of a single, non-connected individual.

He and his father quickly lose their illusions about facts, justice, human rights, and diplomatic intervention in Bahrain; from there, this sad drama progresses from frustration to desperation, and finally to a life-or-death race for the author’s freedom.

Mr. Mechan writes in a conversational, first-person style, allowing his emotions to come through and making for a very easy read. He discusses the events from his point of view (mainly from the courtroom or the bowels of Jau prison). He not only describes the inhuman conditions under which he is held, he also describes the constant physical danger to which he is exposed – all very reminiscent of “Midnight Express.” He further relates how the various aspects of his life disintegrate around him. This is every expatriate’s nightmare – to be locked away in a horrible foreign prison, with very little chance of getting an appeal, let alone getting out – and meanwhile life on the outside is just going on….

Then, at key junctures, turns the tale over to his father Terry, who discusses the same events from his viewpoint as Richard’s main advocate. The elder Mechan obviously has a broader view, much greater freedom to act, and must carry the incredible burden of the fight for Richard’s freedom. He goes into detail about the corruption and lack of concern for the law and human rights of the Bahraini regime. He describes the incompetence of the local attorneys, and of the British diplomats’ preference to maintain good relations with the Bahrainis rather than confront them and demand justice for a citizen of the UK. He produces evidence of unethical and illegal US intervention in the case.

This book’s subject matter is sad, and scary, and thought-provoking. It’s a definite “must-read” for expatriates and world travellers, and will be an eye-opener for most people in the Free World who think the justice alone is enough to prevail.

- William Higgins