First-rate supporting characters complement the sprightly pastor, who remains impeccable in this thriller.
In this seventh entry of a series, terrorists attacking Christians in the United States must contend with the proficient recurring protagonist armed with Scripture and a Glock.
When a bloody, nearly dead Fred “Freddie” Pederson stumbles into St. Mary’s Lutheran Church during a service, he has a message for his old SEAL pal Pastor Stephen Grant. Undercover for the FBI, Pederson just managed to escape an Islamic terrorist group planning strikes against “Christian infidels,” a specified target being Pastor Richard Leonard, son of another fellow SEAL. The warning’s unfortunately too late: men strapped with explosives walk into six churches in five states. Leonard, along with badge-carrying congregation members, fights off terrorists at St. Mark’s on Staten Island. But fearing Leonard will still be a target, Grant, who’s also a former CIA operative, offers pastoral assistance as well as protection. Meanwhile, an interrogated terrorist hints at additional attacks, putting many on high alert, including Paige Caldwell, Grant’s CIA partner, who now co-runs a private security firm. No one can foresee or prevent a subsequent assault that rattles the entire country. As a result, Grant and law enforcers are determined to ensure that no one else falls prey to terrorism on American soil. By now, fans of Keating’s (Wine into Water, 2016, etc.) thriller series will anticipate skillfully drawn characters. Grant, for one, is a considerate husband and unquestionably capable in action. But TV interviews with Leonard and Imam Anwar Abdullah bolster the tale by shedding positive light on both Christianity and Islam. The narrative’s swift momentum is retained even during profound moments, as in a scene in which terrorists debate their cause after murdering two men that’s intercut with clergymen reciting biblical passages. Though sequences of Grant or Caldwell and her team engaged in combat are exhilarating, the story’s brimming with everyday heroes. One political figure, for example, is rescued by a neighbor whose courage is measured by the hefty Desert Eagle gun he brandishes.
First-rate supporting characters complement the sprightly pastor, who remains impeccable in this thriller.Pub Date: Aug. 14, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-5489-6418-4
Page Count: 352
Publisher: CreateSpace
Review Posted Online: Sept. 18, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 15, 2017
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
These letters from some important executive Down Below, to one of the junior devils here on earth, whose job is to corrupt mortals, are witty and written in a breezy style seldom found in religious literature. The author quotes Luther, who said: "The best way to drive out the devil, if he will not yield to texts of Scripture, is to jeer and flout him, for he cannot bear scorn." This the author does most successfully, for by presenting some of our modern and not-so-modern beliefs as emanating from the devil's headquarters, he succeeds in making his reader feel like an ass for ever having believed in such ideas. This kind of presentation gives the author a tremendous advantage over the reader, however, for the more timid reader may feel a sense of guilt after putting down this book. It is a clever book, and for the clever reader, rather than the too-earnest soul.
Pub Date: Jan. 1, 1942
ISBN: 0060652934
Page Count: 53
Publisher: Macmillan
Review Posted Online: Oct. 17, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 1943
Hoffman (The Red Garden, 2011, etc.) births literature from tragedy: the destruction of Jerusalem's Temple, the siege of Masada and the loss of Zion.
This is a feminist tale, a story of strong, intelligent women wedded to destiny by love and sacrifice. Told in four parts, the first comes from Yael, daughter of Yosef bar Elhanan, a Sicarii Zealot assassin, rejected by her father because of her mother's death in childbirth. It is 70 CE, and the Temple is destroyed. Yael, her father, and another Sicarii assassin, Jachim ben Simon, and his family flee Jerusalem. Hoffman's research renders the ancient world real as the group treks into Judea's desert, where they encounter Essenes, search for sustenance and burn under the sun. There too Jachim and Yael begin a tragic love affair. At Masada, Yael is sent to work in the dovecote, gathering eggs and fertilizer. She meets Shirah, her daughters, and Revka, who narrates part two. Revka's husband was killed when Romans sacked their village. Later, her daughter was murdered. At Masada, caring for grandsons turned mute by tragedy, Revka worries over her scholarly son-in-law, Yoav, now consumed by vengeance. Aziza, daughter of Shirah, carries the story onward. Born out of wedlock, Aziza grew up in Moab, among the people of the blue tunic. Her passion and curse is that she was raised as a warrior by her foster father. In part four, Shirah tells of her Alexandrian youth, the cherished daughter of a consort of the high priests. Shirah is a keshaphim, a woman of amulets, spells and medicine, and a woman connected to Shechinah, the feminine aspect of God. The women are irretrievably bound to Eleazar ben Ya'ir, Masada's charismatic leader; Amram, Yael's brother; and Yoav, Aziza's companion and protector in battle. The plot is intriguingly complex, with only a single element unresolved. An enthralling tale rendered with consummate literary skill.
Pub Date: Oct. 4, 2011
ISBN: 978-1-4516-1747-4
Page Count: 512
Publisher: Scribner
Review Posted Online: April 5, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2011
© Copyright 2025 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Follow
Popular in this Genre
We can’t wait for you to join Kirkus!
It’s free and takes less than 10 seconds!
Already have an account? Log in.
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Welcome Back!
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
