Behind the Green Water [Paperback]

J. M. Taylor (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 1879043114 | ISBN-13: 978-1879043114 | Publication Date: August 15, 2001

Behind the Green Water is the story of Nash Devon, a Carolinian claiming ancestry back to the Croatan Indians and Sir Walter Raleigh’s Lost Colony. Devon had been hailed as a hero and damned as a murderer in the Gulf War, then haunted over the years by his actions. Assigned back to Saudi enroute to the UN weapons inspection team in Iraq, Devon is shanghaied by US military intelligence and sent to the Northern Iraq Sanctuary Zone for duty with the UN High Commission for Refugees as an agricultural advisor.

Devon’s real mission is to locate a hidden Iraqi nuclear research facility.

In his search Devon discovers more than he bargained for: a nuclear conspiracy and an opportunity to have the family he thought he had lost forever as Renee Granwin deciphers the riddle of the tablet, an encrypted message described by the monks as the Image of Christ.

Editorial Reviews

Review

An April 25th posting from Louise Crawford, award-wining author: J. M. Taylor's political thriller shows clear knowledge of Iraq and its neighbors, the danger and fear of living under constant threat of death, and what that does to a person, or a culture - a culture shown in vivid technicolor through the eyes of the main character, U.S. soldier Nash Devon. . . From day one, when Devon is saved from a firing squad, to the end, he faces life and death drama, rescuing his co-workers, sometimes winning, sometimes losing and sometimes losing track of his goal. . . Taylor does a masterful job of dragging the reader into a world of extremes, through grassy fields laced with mine where a wandering goat or child is readily blown apart, into the rubble-strewn streets of Baghdad, and into villages where friend and foe are indistinguishable until guns are waving and bullets are blasting... If you haven't read this book, and you like action/adventure/thrillers, check out this book!

James Able, lawyer, author and literary teacher: I thought the book was great! I'm not that militarily literate (mine was "basic grunt, c. 1950, Korea") but, what I do know, it sure struck me as dead on target. Literately, I can't find a thing to criticize, plotwise, presentation, or anything. It kept me totally immersed until the end. In all, I think it's a damned fine book and think it should sell well.

--This text refers to the Kindle Edition edition.

From the Publisher

Relevance? Just look at recent headlines. They could be a plot outline for Behind the Green Water, a map for Nash Devon to follow from Saudi to Iraq to the Golan Heights. Timelessness? The underlying conflict began over a thousand years ago, and will probably continue – who knows how long?

Behind the Green Water is an adventure, a romance, a political and cultural shocker, in the sense that the reader can feel at home – or uncomfortable, as the case may be – with the people, customs, conflicts and lands of the Middle East.

The settings are accurate. The behaviors are all too realistic. Ask anyone who has been there.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 361 pages
• Publisher: Taylor Communications (August 15, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1879043114
• ISBN-13: 978-1879043114
• Shipping Information: View shipping rates and policies
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #10,374,125 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

J. M. Taylor's latest release, GULF WINDS, won First Place in the Florida Writers Association 2007 Royal Palm Awards for unpublished Mystery/Thriller. His original series of award-winning thrillers have been republished as LOST KEY which begins in Cuba and takes the reader across south Florida, and DESERT WINDS, where an Army officer searches for and finds Saddam's nuclear arsenal. MISSING STICKS is a historical military action novel with the Screaming Eagles of the 101st Airborne on D-Day. All are filled with suspense, action, and a bit of romance.

Before he turned to writing Taylor served with the 101st Airborne Division as a platoon leader and battalion commander. Airborne and air assault qualified, a scuba diver and trained as a system engineer, he also designed military command and control systems in civilian life. Using his background in nuclear weapons and extensive travel in the Far and Middle East, Europe and across the States, he packs a ton of adventure into an action-filled page-turner.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars A Timely Thriller, December 1, 2001

By 

Ann T. Cook (Temple Terrace, Florida United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Behind the Green Water (Paperback)

I have never thought of myself as a thriller fan, but the timely Middle East setting of Behind the Green Water and its fast pace captured my interest from the beginning. The protagonist Nash Devon, an American military officer, is complex, believable, and unlike many inflexible and unfeeling male characters, has heart. The back story comes forth gradually, supplying his motivation and creating his sympathetic personality. The novel satisfies our curiosity in particular about Iraq and reveals why this nation is potentially so dangerous. Yet we also meet some admirable Iraqi people and kind, if often discouraged, United Nations refugee workers. The author clearly has experience with the culture, towns, and countryside of Iraq, as well as Syria and Saudi Arabia, and convincingly describes the military environment and hardware. The intrique Devon confronts rings true, as well. Surprisingly, the novel develops an undercurrent of spirituality that relates to the title. Devon is on a cruelly difficult mission. Few will be able to set the book aside without knowing if he is successful, and few will be able to stop reading until they know whether Devon and the woman and boy he befriends can all escape their enemies.