Getting Away with Murder

Benazir Bhutto's Assassination and the Politics of Pakistan

By: Heraldo Muñoz

Narrated by: Fajer Al-Kaisi

Length: 6 hrs and 48 mins

Publisher's summary

By the lead commissioner of the UN investigation, an authoritative account of Benazir Bhutto’s assassination

On December 27, 2007, a suicide bomber killed Benazir Bhutto, the former prime minister of Pakistan. Brilliant and charismatic, the head of a political family as important to Pakistani history as the Gandhis in India or the Kennedys in the United States, Bhutto had recently returned from exile to challenge military dictator Pervez Musharraf in a democratic election. In the aftermath of the assassination, some blamed Musharraf; others blamed terrorists linked to the Pakistani security service, the ISI; still others pointed the finger at Bhutto’s own spouse and entourage; and some speculated that it was a lone wolf attack. Though the individuals behind the conspiracy have never been found, in Getting Away with Murder Heraldo Munoz goes further than anyone else to unravel the mystery of Bhutto’s death. Moreover, he explains the unexpected role America played in the tragic events, the byzantine relationship between Pakistan and the United States, and how Bhutto’s assassination impacted world politics.

In a country ruled more often by military dictators than by elected governments, Bhutto offered a secular, democratic hope. Arguably one of Pakistan’s most iconic political figures, she became one of the world’s few female heads of government. Her assassination tore the country apart, destabilizing the entire region.

Leading the United Nations’ inquiry, Munoz delved into murky world of Pakistani politics and the infamous Bhutto family, awash in charisma and power, controversy and violence. His year-long investigation frames a story of betrayals, corruption, foreign influence, and unsolved political assassinations.

Munoz provides new insight into Bhutto’s unprecedented rise and an unflinching, minute-by-minute narrative of the assassination itself. With impeccable research, Munoz also situates Bhutto in the decades-long history of U.S.-Pakistan relations and the emergence of global terrorism, pinpointing her death as the moment when those relations changed forever.

The result is a gripping narrative of Pakistan’s turbulent political realities and the death of its leading politician.

©2014 Heraldo Munoz (P)2014 Audible, Inc.

great book, poor narration

it's a gripping book but very poorly narrated. the narrator mispronounced names throughout the narration!

good but no accent please

the narrations random and almost comic changes in the accent when quoting Pakistani government figures left a bad taste. Good book but narrator needs work on the accent or better yet not have one.

A Fascinating Read

Heraldo Munoz was assigned by the United Nations to investigate the assassination of Benazir Bhutto in 2007. Munoz came from Chile, a country that has little business with Pakistan. Therefore, he approached the investigation as a neutral investigator.

Bhutto had been prime minister of Pakistan twice. She was educated at Oxford and Harvard universities and was considered too western for some Pakistani. She had returned to Pakistan from England to again run for prime minister. She was killed by a suicide bomber along with 38 other people.

Bhutto knew that Pervez Musharraf wanted to kill her as well as some extremist groups. Nevertheless, she felt she had to risk going back to Pakistan and run again for prime minister. There was no autopsy performed, but the evidence uncovered indicated she was shot in the head by a sniper just as the suicide bomber set off the bomb near her vehicle. Munoz discovered that al-Qaida ordered the assassination and the Pakistani Taliban executed it. The local police were involved in a cover up by immediately removing important evidence and they also failed to provide the required security. But Munoz was unable to discover the names of the individuals responsible.

The book is well written and researched. The story reads like a crime thriller. I like the fact that the investigator was neutral. Munoz tells an interesting story of his investigation. The Pakistan government was not very co-operative with the investigation and a good case could be made that it was actively involved in the assassination. The book is seven hours long.

Fajer al-Kaisi does a good job narrating the book. Al-Kaisi is an actor, voice over artist and audiobook narrator. He is an Iraqi born Canadian.

some highs and some lows

it's a gripping book but very poorly narrated. the narrator might have sometimes mispronounced names

Comprehensive but Biased

As the lead commissioner of the relevant UN investigation, Muñoz gives a full account of Benazir Bhutto’s assassination from a ultra-informed perspective. He also supplements the assassination narrative with an insightful overview of Pakistan’s history. Muñoz does give Benazir Bhutto the benefit of the doubt in regards to governing hurdles, brushing aside corruption scandals and claiming that, having matured politically, she would have avoided such scandals in any future administration.