The title of Avi Shlaim's wide-ranging and well-documented biography of Jordan's late King Hussein (1935-1999) makes no secret of its author's view. Nevertheless, Shlaim's book gives us a better understanding of a major politician. Having seen his grandfather murdered for his efforts at rapprochement with Israel, Hussein was crowned at the age of 17 and led his country through decades of tense Arab-Israeli relations. Shlaim's portrait of Hussein as a thwarted peacemaker - and a stabilising force in the Middle East - is substantiated with a range of fascinating material, including intelligence briefings, academic accounts and eyewitness reports, as well as interviews with the king himself.
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