the powerful leaders

On the recommendation of a friend, I picked up Rosenberg's first novel, "The Last Jihad." Fast-paced and timely, the book kept me hooked till the last page.

Once again, Rosenberg starts off with a bang. This time, Jon Bennett and Erin McCoy are under intense fire in Palestine. The casualties mount as they try to escape a brewing civil war. Even as violence escalates, the opportunity for a widesweeping peace agreeement arrives from an unexpected source. As the title suggests, "The Last Days" provides a story that many Christians could enjoy, while also showing some understanding toward the Palestinian situation. With a plot that could fit nicely into an apocalyptic thriller, Rosenberg takes us on a rollercoaster through the Middle East and its conflicts.

He also cheats us at a few points. He leads us through an extended dream sequence, convincing us that it's reality until another chapter. Then, he adds a minor plot thread that is useless to the story and nothing more than an improbable wild goose chase. He does not need this to keep the tension ratcheted. I should've suspected such tactics when I noted that every single chapter starts with a one-line paragraph; this smacks of a writer who doesn't trust his own pacing.

These issues aside, I enjoyed the book. Unfortunately, they left me feeling ambivalent by the end. Perhaps in a third novel, Rosenberg will trust his own storytelling and leave the tricks aside.

The year is 2010. Osama Bin-Laden and Saddam Hussein are dead. Al Qaeda and the Taliban have been neutralized. However, the war on terror is far from over in Joel Rosenberg's new political thriller, "The Last Days," a sequel to the author's successful debut novel, "The Last Jihad." Most of the characters who survived the carnage in the earlier book are back, including Jonathan Bennett and Erin McCoy. Bennett is a tremendously successful Wall Street strategist who gave up the good life to join the staff of his old friend, James MacPherson, the President of the United States. Erin McCoy, a gorgeous CIA operations officer, is Bennett's partner. Bennett and McCoy care romantically for one another, but they never seem to have the time or energy to act on their mutual attraction.

President MacPherson has dispatched Jon Bennett to the Middle East to convince the Israelis and Palestinians to sign a peace treaty. It seems that there are tremendous oil and natural gas reserves off the coast of Israel and Gaza. The United States is willing to help turn these reserves into a multi-billion dollar enterprise if the warring factions decide that it is in their best interests to stop the violence.

Before Bennett can get his "oil for peace" plan off the ground, a shocking act of violence throws the region into turmoil. Jonathan's mission appears to be dead on arrival. Furthermore, he and his comrades find themselves in the middle of a bloody civil war with no obvious means of escape.

Rosenberg's staccato writing style is very effective. "The Last Days" is packed with crisp dialogue, fierce battles, fanatical terrorists, and lots of high tech gizmos and weaponry. Although the characters are rather one-dimensional and the plot is only occasionally realistic, the exciting story barrels along so quickly that the reader gets caught up in the adrenaline rush. In addition, Rosenberg's insights on the geopolitical situation in the Middle East add a valuable dimension to this well-researched book. "The Last Days" will certainly satisfy fans of fast-paced action-adventure novels with a political twist.

This book starts out explosive, but seems to get somewhat intrenched in backstory and tends to go on with long periods of time between action sequences. An excellent library read, but maybe not a purchase for those saving money. Joel Rosenberg is an excellent writer, but this novel seems to leave you wanting more.