I read Operation Joktan by Amir Tsarfati and Steve Yohn a few months ago, but it has remained on my mind. I admit I had my doubts about liking this book. Some military-type books set in the Middle East that my husband loves leave my eyes glazed over. 😉 Not the case with Operation Joktan! While the book centers on Israel’s Mossad and their clandestine operations to circumvent terrorists, the characters and their relationships were not lost in the action. (If you know, you know.) The book takes some time to build with backstory for the two main characters and the terrorists. There is a great balance between the edge-of-the-seat action and the characters’ development. A couple of the story threads seemed superfluous to me, until, in retrospect, I found the authors making me see those who are swept up in a terrorist’s plot. Those incidental characters teach of the real human costs and the necessity for action by elite groups like the Mossad. While the operation is concluded, the relationships are left with some loose threads. Last, but certainly not least, the book explores the faith journeys of the characters in a natural, never preachy way. I look forward to reading book 2, By Way of Deception which released last fall.

Recommended.

Audience: adults.

(Thanks to the publisher for a complimentary copy. All opinions expressed are mine alone.) ( )

If you like thrilling adventures of Bond films, the reader will enjoy the heart racing action as the hero & the heroine race against time to prevent a group of evildoers from creating an international disaster. It is this author's first foray into fiction & the reviewer is most impressed & the reader will be too. ( )

There are a few detailed descriptions of dishes from around the world as our heroes follow an international path of action. These show that the author did his research but still felt lifeless for me. He either didn’t actually try these foods or didn’t have the writing skill to describe them in a way that didn’t let me feel dry.

Full review at https://jewishbookworld.org/2022/01/a-page-turner-with-caveats-thoughts-on-opera... ( )