Long preoccupied by the Cambodian genocide in the late 1970s at the hands of the Khmer Rouge, Irish-born and Thailand-based photojournalist Dunlop homed in on Comrade Duch, head of the Khmer Rouge secret police and Pol Pot's chief executioner, who had vanished. How had a well-educated schoolteacher (born Kaing Guek Eav) become commandant of a torture center and complicit in the deaths of an estimated 20,000 political prisoners? asks Dunlop in this measured but horrifying book, a chronicle of his dogged efforts to understand the carnage and bring about justice. With Duch at the book's core, the author (who worked in Cambodia throughout the '90s) weaves a contemporary account of a war-ravaged nation into the history of its ancient past and rumination on terror in the name of ideology. Dunlop also deepens his story with thoughtful—and very personal—commentary on photography and violence. In 1999, Dunlop found and confronted Duch, who voluntarily confessed to his role in the Khmer Rouge. Though Duch was then charged and imprisoned, he has not yet been brought to trial. Cambodia's labyrinthine politics can occasionally be difficult to digest, but Dunlop's personal quest for international justice holds the narrative together. (Feb.)

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*Starred Review* Irish photographer Dunlop steps out from behind the camera to render this visceral account of the Khmer Rouge, the Cambodian Communist regime responsible for more than two million deaths between 1975 and 1979. Armed with a black-and-white photograph of Comrade Duch--Pol Pot's chief executioner--Dunlop traveled to the war-ravaged country to probe the dark depths of a once-studious young boy and dedicated teacher who became one of the twentieth--century's most notorious mass murderers. (More then 20,000 men, women, and children were reportedly executed during Duch's tenure as chief of Tuol Sleng prison in Phnom Penh.) In April 1999, Dunlop's encounter with Duch--who had changed his name, slipped quietly back into village life, and become a lay pastor--led to a confession that shot ice through the photographer's veins. (Dunlop's role in exposing Duch earned him Johns Hopkins' award for Excellence in International Journalism.) Dunlop's interviews with former Khmer Rouge members are both wrenching and revelatory. Among the most memorable subjects is Prak Khan, who was like an "empty shell," with rigid posture and eyelids that "blinked slowly, as though he had difficulty keeping them open." To date, only two prominent Khmer Rouge perpetrators are in prison: Comrade Duch and Ta Mok, aka "the Butcher." For Dunlop, it is but a small step in a long journey toward justice. Allison Block

Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

'In this haunting, elegant book, Nic Dunlop takes us into a poisonous era, and into the thought world of a idealistic mathematician who believed that his society would become pure when all of its enemies were killed. There are frightening lessons for all of us in these absorbing pages.' David Chandler, author of VOICES FROM S-21: TERROR AND HISTORY IN POL POT'S SECRET PRISON and BROTHER NUMBER ONE: A POLITICAL BIOGRPAHY OF POL POT

“How can the same rich culture that produced the temples at Angkor Wat be the same culture where 2 million people perished under the Khmer Rouge regime? Photographer Nic Dunlop shows a fine appreciation for that contradiction...and provides more than a few fascinating glimpses through that keyhole in his book...a fascinating story”—Rocky Mountain News

“A brilliant and haunting tale...Dunlop interweaves his search for Duch with poignant character sketches, intimate interviews and insights about Cambodian folktales, rampant corruption, repressed peasants and frustrated scholars with nowhere to go.”—Seattle Times

“Harrowing yet engrossing.”—San Francisco Chronicle

“Dunlop’s interviews with former Khmer Rouge members are both wrenching and revelatory…To date, only two prominent Khmer Rouge perpetrators are in prison: Comrade Duch and Ta Mok, aka “The Butcher.” For Dunlop, it is but a small step in a long journey toward justice.”—Booklist, starred review