Book Review: Where Shadows Meet by Nathan Ronen

Title: Where Shadows Meet
Author: Nathan Ronen
Genre: Espionage, Thriller, Mystery
Rating: 4 stars
Purchase: Amazon
Review copy provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

It’s up to him to stop the assassination of the King of Morocco and stop chaos in the Middle East.

Arik Bar Nathan is head of the Israeli National Security Council. He has a direct contact with the Prime Minister. Due to the sudden death of the Prime Minister, Arik’s entire life is about to change.

The new Prime Minister seeks a better public opinion of him and demands that Arik serve this need to build a political image as Mr. Security, revealing secrets and showing off the success of military operations. Arik, an honest professional is not willing to take part in any of these fraudulent activities. The PM decides to end Arik’s duty and dismisses him, as well as the head of Mossad, from their positions.

The new head of the Mossad is a cunning character whose ties to the new Prime Minister are anything but professional.

It doesn’t take long for the new head of the Mossad to ask Arik for assistance. The Israeli Intelligence Agency has received information about Al-Qaeda operatives planning to assassin the King of Morocco during the Inauguration event of the big mosque in Casablanca.

Arik is the only one person who can put an end to this plot and is asked to use his abilities and contacts, to assist in this underground mission In Morocco, and save the King together with the French DGSE secret service.

If the King of Morocco is assassinated, there will be chaos in the Middle East and thousands of lives will be lost. Arik and his commando team must get to him first!

Where Shadows Meet is a tapestry of intrigue, wit, drama and dare that enthralls the reader from start to finish. A brilliant espionage thriller that will leave you breathless. It is the remarkable story of those who live in the shadows, working under false identities and behind masks, addicted to adrenaline and control. An intricate tale of passion and danger.

Nathan Ronen’s history with Israeli national security easily conjures the stories of extraordinary people, dedicating their lives to ensuring public security while paying a costly personal price. These people live in the shadows, functioning behind masks and borrowed time, and like many of us, remain terrified of loneliness.

In Where Shadows Meet, Arik Bar Nathan has worked as the head of the Israeli National Security Council under the previous Prime Minister, but after the sudden death of the latter, a new Prime Minister is elected who demands Arik helps him craft a better public and political image.

Arik refuses to take part in any unsavory activities, and is promptly dismissed. However, Arik is soon asked for assistance by the Israeli Intelligence Agency regarding Al-Qaeda operatives planning to assassinate the Kin of Morrocco. Arik is the only person who can put an end to this evil scheme, but he will have to risk his own life to do so.

Action, espionage, this book feels like watching a movie, and a pretty good one at that. The dialogue is fast, the scenes are action-packed, the pacing is tight, and overall, this is an excellent read!

 

Book Review: Broken Code by Rafael Malul

Title: Broken Code
Author: Rafael Malul
Genre: Mystery, Thriller
Rating: 3 stars
Purchase: Amazon
Review copy provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Amos thought he’d seen everything… but then along came gorgeous Gabriel!

Amos Barda, a typical Israeli macho man and well-known womanizer, meets beautiful Gabriel, who turns his head and breaks through the many walls of his heart. The love affair between these two highly adventurous individuals leads to some international complications. Gabriel’s father, an agent of the infamous German Stasi turned CIA agent, has in his possession some highly confidential documents wanted by both the Americans and the Soviet Union. He is forced to go underground in order to protect his daughter after the assassination of his beloved wife.

Can Amos outmaneuver spies the world over to save his main lady?

Amos’s relationship with Gabriel’s drags him into a crazy international espionage story, and this former Israeli combat soldier with a rich life story manages to fool the CIA, KGB, and Israeli Security Agency. Amos becomes an Israeli James Bond, but can he rescue the love of his life in this sensual, electrifying tale of adventure?

In Broken Code, protagonist Amos Barda is a womanizer in the vein of James Bond, not looking to settle down any time soon, and always looking for the thrill of adventure. But then he meets Gabriel, who turns his world upside down. As adventurous as he is, as beautiful as he could ever imagined, Gabriel is everything Amos ever dreamed of. But Gabriel’s father is a former Stasi-agent now turned CIA, and he has several documents in his possession that both the Soviet Union and the USA want, at any cost, and he’s forced to go into hiding in order to protect his daughter.

If Amos wants to protect his Gabriel, he’ll have to outmanouver the CIA, KGB and the Israeli Security Agency, all at the same time.

The writing in the book isn’t very lyrical – it’s down-to-earth in a rather raw, blunt style, but I didn’t really mind given the focus in the book was more on action and mystery than on writing anyway. The love story is a little predictable as well, but as it’s a side story and not the main focus, I didn’t mind. The mystery itself is a solid one, the thriller/espionage aspects are well thought through.

All in all, a good read for fans of epsionage/thrillers and James Bond.

Book Review: A Trap in Paris by Uzi Eilam

Title: A Trap in Paris
Author: Uzi Eilam
Genre: Thriller
Rating: 4 stars
Purchase: Amazon
Review copy provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Gideon Ben Ari wants to settle down, but Israel’s military won’t let him do it

Having achieved an impressive career in Israel’s armed service and years of successful civilian business activity, Dr. Gideon Ben Ari yearns to settle down to a tranquil life. But then he is recruited to rejoin the defense forces and once again direct his efforts to fighting international terror organizations.

Pitted against Iranian terrorists, can Gideon navigate an espionage battlefield in Paris?

Paris is his new battlefield, and blocking Iranian efforts to develop long range missiles and nuclear weapons is his mission. Gideon will have to make good use of his experience, his wisdom, and his friends to block an invisible and sinister enemy. He will discover that a person he once regarded as a friend has actually become a foe.

Read this stunning, realistic thriller at the edge of your seat!

A Trap in Paris is an authentic, breathtaking thriller that reads as if it were taken from media headlines. Its vital and vibrant plot is an espionage mystery all rolled together with a quick-paced intelligence narrative, replete with intrigue and traitors.

More books in this series: In The California Triangle, Gideon finds himself involved in an American espionage affair which includes the FBI, Mossad and groups interested in overturning the Iranian government. Singapore Under Attack finds Gideon trapped in the capital during a cyber attack, the magnitude of which the world has not yet experienced. He joins the struggle.

A Trap in Paris was a chilling, exciting thriller that kept me on the edge of my seat. Dr. Gideon Ben Ari, the main character, yearns to settle down. After having an impressive career in Israel’s armed service, he’s worn out, and he just wants to live a quiet life. Unfortunately, that’s not about to happen anytime soon as he’s recrutied to rejoin the defense forces, and fight against international terror organizations.
Pitted against Iranian terrorists in Paris, Gideon will have to use all his wits, experience, and his friends to stop their enemy. But what when it turns out the people he trusted might be involved too? Who can he trust when danger lurks everywhere?
Fans of thrillers and espionage will definitely enjoy this book. The plot is fast-paced, thrilling, and full of twists and turns, and has an authentic feel to it despite being fiction.

Book Review: I Am Not A Traitor by Y.I. Latz

Title: I Am Not A Traitor
Author: Y.I. Latz
Genre:  Espionage, Thriller
Rating: 4 stars
Purchase: Amazon
Review copy provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Henry Stein is a former Israeli Navy cook with a huge secret…
Dive into the story of an exciting espionage case that takes place in the most covert unit of the Israeli Defense Forces. Henry Stein, the 50-year-old veteran chef of the Israeli Navy’s submarine fleet is laid off from his job after thirty years. Due to his big secret, he cannot reveal this fact to anyone, not even to his wife.
A secret that is intertwined with a serious of international calamities
How does his secret relate to the murder of his grandmother in London thirty-five years ago, to the arrest of his backpacker daughter in Colombia, to his love affair with a sexy Korean-American who almost gets him killed, and to his longstanding personal relationship with the British MI6?
A compulsive page-turner full of courage, terror, and passion
Step by step, the secret life of the “innocent cook” is exposed. As he fights a war of survival opposite the CIA, MI6 and the Israeli Mossad, he is revealed as a courageous man who follows his heart, until the arrival of the inevitable moment when he must decide once and for all where his loyalty lies—with his country or with his homeland.

 

I’m not usually a fan of espionage novels. I find them often over the top, and not that entertaining – I prefer to watch movies about the topic, to be honest. Still, I Am Not A Traitor did something for me that most espionage novels can’t: it made me care about the main character. Despite his many flaws, not least of all having an affair with a sexy Korean-American who is an alleged CIA operative, I did like Henry Stein.

Henry Stein was a former Navy cook, with thirty years experience, until he’s laid off. But he may have been more than a cook all these years… And as his enemies rally against him, he’ll have to decide once and for all where his royalties lie.

The book reads like watching a movie. The scenes unfold at record-speed, right in front of the reader’s eyes. The characters are endaring, especially Henry Stein himself, and the writing is fast-paced, kind of like being on a rollercoaster of excitement.

Recommend to people who enjoy thrillers and espionage books.

Book Review: A Blue-Eyed Asset by Dana Arama

Title: A Blue-Eyed Asset
Author: Dana Arama
Genre: Thrillers, Suspense
Age Group: Adult
Rating: 4 stars
Purchase: Amazon
Review copy provided by Enchanted Book Promotions in exchange for an honest review.

What if you had to choose between saving your son or protecting your daughter?

Beguiling Iranian secret agent, Nahid, is forced to plant a bomb at Israel’s nuclear plant. Just before the point of no return, she then finds out that it will kill her son if it is goes off. But if she stops the detonation, her daughter will be tortured and executed in Iran. Left with no choice, she plans the attack using her ample sex appeal and intimate knowledge of explosives.

Harrowing tension and a race against the clock in this chilling page-turner

Will Nahid manage to overcome the demons from her past, or will she succumb to the agonizing forces that are pressuring her? Guy Niava is the dashing Israeli Mossad agent who has been tasked with blocking the security breach at the Israeli nuclear plant and terminate its source. Can she outsmart him in this electrifying race against time?

An ironic twist in the secret world of espionage

Nahid’s bold solution for saving her family takes us completely by surprise. She decides to join forces with Guy Niava, the very Israeli agent who is pursuing her! Can they work together in the shadowy world of intrigue and espionage to succeed in undermining a horrible and deadly Iranian plot?

In A Blue-Eyed Asset, Iranian secret agent Nahid is forced to plant a bomb at Israel’s nuclear plant. However, just before she plants the bomb, she figures out that if the bomb goes off, it will kill her son. However, if she stops the detonation, her daughter will be tortured and executed in Iran.

Nahid has to come up with a solution to save her family, and in doing so, risk everything. Guy Niava, an Israeli agent tasked to block the security breach at the very nuclear plant Nahid has entered, will do anything he can to stop her… Until everything changes, and they decide to work together.

This book kept me on the edge of my seat. The characters were compelling and the narrative never slowed down. The writing was fast-paced and once I started reading, I couldn’t stop. Fans of thrillers and espionage will love this book.