I just finished this novel by the author of Once We Were Brothers which was probably my favorite book from 2014.
This one, Saving Sophie, is another fave.
What an exciting, well done story set in Chicago, Hawaii, and the Hebron area of the Middle East.
STORY SUMMARY
Jack Sommers, recently mourning the death of his beloved wife Alina (originally from Hebron), is an accountant from Chicago. His daughter Sophie has been kidnapped by his father-in-law, an Arab terrorist named Al-Zahani. Sophie is living at his compound in Hebron, surrounded by terrorist activity.
Jack is the main suspect in an embezzlement case....88 million dollars is missing! He goes on the run, and is hoping to avoid detection long enough to rescue his 6 year old.
Meanwhile, Catherine Lockhart (a lawyer in private practice) and her partner, Liam Taggart (a private investigator and former FBI), are once again joining forces to work on a CIA operation in the Middle East.......which will hopefully bring Sophie back to her daddy and thwart the dangerous plans of the Arab terrorists. Will they solve this mystery.....who really took Sophie?? How is Jack involved? Will the violence in Palestine end in peace or violence?? Will they be able to save hundreds of lives, including their own??
MY THOUGHTS
I loved that the author brought back the female lawyer and the private investigator. I also like how he continued their personal story from the previous novel he wrote (see first paragraph). This story is vastly different from his first novel even though he uses 2 of the same characters. But it is just as well written as the first...although this first one really stayed with me for quite some time.
I loved that there is a conversation with him at the end of the book about the conflicts and cultures of the Middle East. I really learned alot by reading the author interview. The author also includes real photographs from his journey to the Middle East.
This book is exciting and fast-paced. It is also very well researched and he gets into the background of the Jews vs. the Arabs from Bible times. At first I thought that part might get boring and bogged down.....it was very historical...but it didn't...it actually teaches the reader more about life in the Middle East from the perspectives of Jews, Arabs/Muslims, and Christians/Catholics. I found it fascinating.
The main theme center around family and love and how those bonds are tested.
In my opinion, this book is appropriate for ages 14 and older.
On a scale of 1-10, I rate this a 10.
This is a book that will stay in your mind for a few days.
2 comments:
I think Once We Were Brothers is on my TBR list. I'll have to check. I finally finished To Kill A Mockingbird on boxing day. My second time reading it and in all honesty I only read it because it killed 3 requirements off my 2015 reading challenge. LOL. The competitive sorta came out in me to finish off that challenge. Took me about a third of the book to get into it 'cause all I could think about were the books I'd really rather be reading.
This sounds like one I would like! Thanks for the review. It is now on my "To Read" list! Hope you and your family had a Merry Christmas and that you all have a very happy New Year!
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