Book Review: "Allah's Fire" by Chuck Holton and Gayle Roper

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Straight from the evening news

Liz and her sister Julie are two Americans that live in Lebanon. When the building that Julie was attending a party at is destroyed by a bomb, Liz goes on a mission to find her after finding evidence that she may still be alive. Meanwhile John is a member of a special ops team sent to Beruit to find Palestinian extremists who have discovered a new way to threaten terror in the region. John and Liz's lives intertwine as they try to find Julie and prevent the terrorists from instigating more fear into the lives of the people there. The story is non stop action throughout, an edge of your seat reality read.

While reading this book, I felt like I was watching the evening news. Everything seemed so real and action packed. The situations the characters got themselves in could be ripped right out of the headlines. At first John's story felt a little boring to me with all the military talk and I wanted to get back to Liz's and Julie's story. However as I got more into the book, I enjoyed reading from both angles. I thought it was very interesting learning more about the Arab and Muslim culture. Many Americans don't really understand the religion and get only a one sided view on it. By explaining customs and rituals, the reader is able to have a better understanding of that side of the world. I also liked how the explanation of the way women are viewed in that world. As westerners, it's hard to understand why women would allow men to treat them the way they do in Arab countries. I appreciated that while Liz is an American, her character is used to the customs of the country because she grew up there. She does not act like a fish out of water or have scenes displaying ignorance. This book is recommended for those who like action stories, stories that could have happened, or interested in what life is like in the Middle East.

Allah's Fire by Chuck Holton and Gayle Roper is published by Multnomah (2006)