Customer Reviews

The Blue Widows

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Palestinian-American detective Ben Kamal and former Israeli police official Danielle Barnea work in America for Security Concepts. A powerful Arab businessman hires the duo to extract his kidnapped son from the People's Brigade. The mission goes terribly wrong and to save Ben's life, Danielle is forced to kill a number of men including a FBI agent. Unable to stay in the country after that debacle, she accepts the post of Commander of Israel's National Police.

Leading a raid on a terrorist enclave in Gaza, she discovers a document written in Arabic that she faxes to Ben in America for translation. They learn that it is a plan to bring about the bible prophecy to cause the end of all things. meaning the destruction of America. A supply of small pox is stolen from a military fort and ends up in the hands of the leader of the People's Brigade. Layla Aziz Rahani who is the daughter of a Saudi Arabian billionaire is the mastermind behind the plot to destroy America. Her plan is even more diabolical than what it first seems because she plans to unleash a biological weapons a million times worse than smallpox. When Ben and Danielle realize what her fiendish ploy is, they vow to stop her or die trying.

Jon Land is an insightful, creative and colorful storyteller who has a grasp of the politics and the divisiveness that exist in the Middle East. Readers also gain a fascinating glimpse into the culture of Saudi Arabia as seen from the perspective of the women. THE BLUE WIDOWS is an action-packed provocative tale that has more curves than a twisted pretzel. The plot is action-pack and the two protagonists are easv to admire.

Harriet Klausner

Indeed this novel is formulaic. It is predictable; it covers no new territory in the world of political mystery/thriller. But who cares? If you want Dostoevsky, read Dostoevsky! This book delivered exactly what it promised -- a rolicking good story full of suspense. This story would make a fine action movie, actually, with the opening sequence of Ben and Danielle infiltrating the compound of a homegrown American group of fanatics, the fine touch of Ben's family's involvement, to the surprise about Danielle's family. I thought it was a fine summer day's read. I recommend this book to anyone who has a few hours to spend at the beach reading.

I've read a few of this series which started with the Walls of Jericho, and after reading just the outline of this story, I can tell right away, it is just another rehashment of the first two books in the series. Too bad, because he used to be one of the best action thriller writers in the business.

His formula writing uses very little imagination, and after a reading just a few pages, you get the feeling that you've read the story before, with very few differences in action scenes, and story line. The only thing he changes is the names of the villains, and title, from book to book.

I guess he just got tired of using his God given imagination, like so many great authors before him, who rewrite the same story, over, and over again, expecting the readers to buy his books.

Though Cussler has become formulaic, at least he varies the plot line, and action scenes enough to make the story interesting for the reader. And at 77, at least he has an excuse for formula writing, where Jon Land is no more than his late 40s.

Maybe he's not too old to redeem himself, if he gets away from writing serials, and gets back to the way he used to write when he was a young aspiring author, and wanted to thrill his reading audience with new, and interesting stories with each book.

At least let's hope so!

People need to discover this author. He is one of the great story tellers of our time. Sometimes what he has to say is a little close to home...but if you want to read a great book that will keep you up past bed time, grab this one and then read the next in the series.

This is another good book about the adventures of Ben and Danielle.Danielle has moved back to Israel to become the head of

the National Police.Ben works for a security firm in America.A

group breaks into a American compound and steals a supply of smallpox.In the meantime Danielle leads a raid on a Hamas compound and discovers that the terrorists have all been killed.

She finds some burned pages in a waste basket written in Arabic

She sends the pages to Ben.He discovers that the pages are a fatwa(a religious edict) known as the end of all things.They

discover a conspiracy to destroy America.They also discover that behind this plot is Layla Aziz Rahani,daughter of a Saudi

billionaire.This turns into quite an adventure.There is also a

shocking revelation about Danielle.This is definitely a book

that is hard to put down.

It's sad to see that Mr. Land, once an excellent adventure writer, has taken the position of apologist for terrorists. The poor, put-upon Palestinians that Mr. Land continually lionizes cheered in the streets after 3000 Americans were murdered on September 11. In arguing that the Israelis occupy the same moral plane as those who slaughter children and then hide behind civilians, Mr. Land shows that he has lived too long in a world of fiction.