Lion of Babylon by Davis Bunn - REVIEWED

This week, the
Christian Fiction Blog Alliance
is introducing
Lion of Babylon
Bethany House (July 1, 2011)
by
Davis Bunn



ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Born and raised in North Carolina, Davis left for Europe at age twenty. There he first completed graduate studies in economics and finance, then began a business career that took him to over forty countries in Europe, Africa, the Middle East and Asia.



Davis came to faith at age 28, while living in Germany and running an international business advisory group. He started writing two weeks later. Since that moment, writing has remained both a passion and a calling.



Davis wrote for nine years and completed seven books before his first was accepted for publication. During that time, he continued to work full-time in his business career, travelling to two and sometimes three countries every week. His first published book, The Presence, was released in 1990 and became a national bestseller.



Honored with three Christy Awards for excellence in historical and suspense fiction, his bestsellers include The Great Divide, Winner Take All, The Meeting Place, The Warning, The Book of Hours, and The Quilt.



A sought-after speaker in the art of writing, Davis serves as Writer In Residence at Regent’s Park College, Oxford University.



ABOUT THE BOOK

Marc Royce works for the State Department on special assignments, most of them rather routine, until two CIA operatives go missing in Iraq--kidnapped by Taliban forces bent on generating chaos in the region. Two others also drop out of sight--a high-placed Iraqi civilian and an American woman providing humanitarian aid. Are the disappearances linked? Rumors circulate in a whirl of misinformation.



Marc must unravel the truth in a covert operation requiring utmost secrecy--from both the Americans and the insurgents. But even more secret than the undercover operation is the underground dialogue taking place between sworn enemies. Will the ultimate Reconciler between ancient enemies, current foes, and fanatical religious factions be heard?


My Thoughts:

"The rifle slots fought the air-conditioning, letting in city smells of diesel and dust and sizzling lamb. And charcoal. And tobacco. And a thousand other things, all of which carried a chili-hot spice of menace.” (p. 68)


With word pictures as only Davis Bunn can paint, the reader is plunged into the heart of the most turbulent place on the planet! At first, the reader is given two different scenarios – missing missionaries and a missing child. Only a few chapters in, the stories are woven together to form an intricate web of danger and intrigue that will keep the pages turning at a very brisk pace!!



Marc Royce is a somewhat tragic character in this story. He has already suffered immense heartache, and lost a job that pumped life into his veins. It is only on the back end of personal loss, that he is contacted and asked to find a personal friend and intelligence agent that has gone missing. In tandem, Sameh, an Iraqi Christian and lawyer, is pursuing the tip of a very large iceburg – missing and kidnapped children. Sameh has also been contacted by a very powerful and ominous person, and like Royce, his loyalties become torn and conflicting almost immediately.


Both men are in a very dangerous game within a war-torn country, seeking ever elusive answers to very difficult questions. Whether they survive the story is anyone’s guess! Literally!! If you enjoy exploring dangerous situations in the heart of Baghdad itself, hurry and pick up a copy of Lion of Babylon today!! You won’t want to miss this latest thriller from Davis Bunn!!




If you would like to read the first chapter of Lion of Babylon, go HERE.