The plot of The Empty Region transports us from the camps of sacred warriors in Pakistan to the security corridors of the CIA and FBI. It is a fascinating puzzle filled with historic characters, among them Osama Bin Laden and George W. Bush, as well as public servants who understand the ins and outs of tragedy. Szichman leads us through the terminals where Al-Qaida hijackers move towards carrying out their tragic ritual, he makes us travel on the planes, converted into guided missiles, and live the 102 minutes in which the flaming towers of the World Trade Center became a hell on earth. 'Szichman writes with an entomologist's precision, with rhetorical show, with terrifying emotion, with moving suspense. The narrative interest is the the frenetic pace of the events and the behaviour of the mosaic of characters.' Fernando Rodríguez Lafuente