The First Hostage by Joel C. Rosenberg
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
The First Hostage is the second in a trilogy of political thrillers by author Joel Rosenberg involving JB Collins, an international journalist for the New York Times.
Collins finds himself in the middle of a massive manhunt as American and Middle Eastern forces align themselves in a race against the clock to prevent an Isis-initiated jihadist Armageddon.
Rosenberg once again weaves a tale that mixes current affairs in the middle east with fictional scenarios that, a few years from now, might seem like historical narrative.
For example, given the current political climate in the Middle East, it’s not hard to imagine a joint military operation between Israel and neighboring Jordan. After all, these neighbors, once enemies, are now allies and have been allies for a number of years.
But who would imagine a joint Israeli-UAE military campaign? Nobody but Rosenberg. Yet, in just the last few weeks, we’ve learned that these two nations, long opposed to one another, have formally announced diplomatic relations.
If you read any of Rosenberg’s books, you’ll find that he often appears to be clairvoyant, including political details in his stories which seem far-fetched at the time yet often seem to develop not long afterwards in real life.
The First Hostage will keep you glued to the page and, as is the case with many of Rosenberg’s books, when the last page is turned, your next step will be to search when and where you can get the next book in the series!
The First Hostage is available on Amazon and other book sellers’ websites.
The Lowedown 