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Doha 12
Jake Eldar’s and Miriam Schaffer’s names may kill them.
Jake manages a bookstore in Brooklyn. Miriam is a secretary at a Philadelphia law firm. Both grew up in Israel and emigrated to build new lives in America. Neither knows the other exists…until the Israeli intelligence agency Mossad uses their identities in an operation to assassinate a high-ranking Hezbollah commander in Doha, Qatar.
Now Hezbollah plans to kill them both.
Jake, Miriam and ten other innocents in five countries – the Doha 12 – awake to find their identities stolen and their lives caught between Mossad and Hezbollah in an international game of murder and reprisal. Jake stumbles upon Hezbollah’s plot but can't convince the police it exists. When his wife is murdered in a botched hit meant for him, Jake and Miriam try desperately to outrun and outfight their pursuers while shielding Jake's young daughter from the killers on their trail.
Hezbollah, however, has a fallback plan: hundreds of people will die if Jake and Miriam survive.
Inspired by actual events, Doha 12 will sweep you from the suburbs of Beirut and Tel Aviv to a pulse-pounding climax in the wintry streets of Manhattan as Jake and Miriam race along the thin, faded gray line between good and bad, hero and villain, truth and lies.
Jake manages a bookstore in Brooklyn. Miriam is a secretary at a Philadelphia law firm. Both grew up in Israel and emigrated to build new lives in America. Neither knows the other exists…until the Israeli intelligence agency Mossad uses their identities in an operation to assassinate a high-ranking Hezbollah commander in Doha, Qatar.
Now Hezbollah plans to kill them both.
Jake, Miriam and ten other innocents in five countries – the Doha 12 – awake to find their identities stolen and their lives caught between Mossad and Hezbollah in an international game of murder and reprisal. Jake stumbles upon Hezbollah’s plot but can't convince the police it exists. When his wife is murdered in a botched hit meant for him, Jake and Miriam try desperately to outrun and outfight their pursuers while shielding Jake's young daughter from the killers on their trail.
Hezbollah, however, has a fallback plan: hundreds of people will die if Jake and Miriam survive.
Inspired by actual events, Doha 12 will sweep you from the suburbs of Beirut and Tel Aviv to a pulse-pounding climax in the wintry streets of Manhattan as Jake and Miriam race along the thin, faded gray line between good and bad, hero and villain, truth and lies.
420 pages, Paperback
First published December 23, 2012
26 people are currently reading
90 people want to read
About the author
Lance Charnes
7 books97 followersI’ve been an Air Force intelligence officer, information technology manager, computer-game artist, set designer, Jeopardy! contestant, and now an emergency management specialist. I've had training in architectural rendering, terrorist incident response, and maritime archaeology, although not all at the same time. My Facebook author page (https://www.facebook.com/Lance.Charne...) features spies, archaeology, and art crime.
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Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews
November 15, 2017
Nov2017 I read this with the author in the "Action/Adventure Aficionados" group. The spoiler topic is here: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...
Again, I really enjoyed the book & I'm going to leave 5 stars in place. It's more than a 4 star read. The way Lance draws all the characters, especially the bad guys (terrorists) is fantastic. In their own minds, they're not villains. Sure, some are psycho, but so are some of the 'good' guys. In fact, there's not much difference between them. Most got into this for the best & worst of reasons. They've all been terribly hurt by wars & violence. They're soldiers of a sort & often do crappy things so worse don't happen - at least, they hope so. Many aren't so sure, but they can't quit in the middle of a job, either.
The situation is perhaps too real, too. Its origins are in an actual event:
https://www.criminalelement.com/blogs...
There is some bonus material, a few deleted scenes, some great group questions, & more at the author's web site here:
http://www.wombatgroup.com/doha12/doh...
Highly recommended!
Oct2014 I rarely give books of this sort, a spy thriller, better than a 4 star rating, even when they're really good. I mean, what do they really add to my life besides some entertainment? Are they truly enduring classics? OK, they're never going to be in the same class as "To Kill A Mockingbird", but some can thrill me enough. When an author manages to engage me in such a twisty masterpiece & it's their first book, I have to give them some extra credit, too.
I'm not pushing too hard, either. There is a great message here in the perfectly drawn characters - people can do some really crappy things for really good reasons, hate themselves for it, & yet still go on to do worse. Beliefs can uplift and betray at the same time. And this book has it all.
The plot is straightforward & yet there are plenty of twists within that seemingly confining corridor. Charnes' bio says he was an intelligence officer. I know nothing about that job, but I'd say it accounts for the utter reality of this scenario.
The main character is very easy to sympathize with & like as are many of the others. Even the 'bad' guys, easy to spot, have their good points & then there are some characters I still haven't fully made up my mind about. They were right, but wrong. Some wore white hats & others black. I never did manage to assign a hat color to another.
Highly recommended. It was the best $3 I've spent in a long time.
Again, I really enjoyed the book & I'm going to leave 5 stars in place. It's more than a 4 star read. The way Lance draws all the characters, especially the bad guys (terrorists) is fantastic. In their own minds, they're not villains. Sure, some are psycho, but so are some of the 'good' guys. In fact, there's not much difference between them. Most got into this for the best & worst of reasons. They've all been terribly hurt by wars & violence. They're soldiers of a sort & often do crappy things so worse don't happen - at least, they hope so. Many aren't so sure, but they can't quit in the middle of a job, either.
The situation is perhaps too real, too. Its origins are in an actual event:
https://www.criminalelement.com/blogs...
There is some bonus material, a few deleted scenes, some great group questions, & more at the author's web site here:
http://www.wombatgroup.com/doha12/doh...
Highly recommended!
Oct2014 I rarely give books of this sort, a spy thriller, better than a 4 star rating, even when they're really good. I mean, what do they really add to my life besides some entertainment? Are they truly enduring classics? OK, they're never going to be in the same class as "To Kill A Mockingbird", but some can thrill me enough. When an author manages to engage me in such a twisty masterpiece & it's their first book, I have to give them some extra credit, too.
I'm not pushing too hard, either. There is a great message here in the perfectly drawn characters - people can do some really crappy things for really good reasons, hate themselves for it, & yet still go on to do worse. Beliefs can uplift and betray at the same time. And this book has it all.
The plot is straightforward & yet there are plenty of twists within that seemingly confining corridor. Charnes' bio says he was an intelligence officer. I know nothing about that job, but I'd say it accounts for the utter reality of this scenario.
The main character is very easy to sympathize with & like as are many of the others. Even the 'bad' guys, easy to spot, have their good points & then there are some characters I still haven't fully made up my mind about. They were right, but wrong. Some wore white hats & others black. I never did manage to assign a hat color to another.
Highly recommended. It was the best $3 I've spent in a long time.
November 28, 2020
Note, Nov. 28, 2020: I edited this just now to delete a sentence that's since been rendered obsolete.
First-time author Lance Charnes and I are Goodreads friends; but I bought my copy of this book, rather than getting it as a gift, and my rating wasn't influenced by the friendship --it was earned, and would have been even if I'd never heard of the author before reading it. This is an exceptionally assured, polished, powerful and insightful work of fiction; at least one other reviewer has stated that it's hard to believe this is a first novel, and I have to concur.
Action-adventure fiction tends to be viewed negatively by the modern-day critical establishment. It appeals to ordinary readers, by providing the kind of excitement and suspense that the average person finds pleasurable; it requires an actual plot, pretty much by definition; and it assumes, and encourages the belief, that there actually ARE things worth fighting and potentially dying for. (Three strikes guaranteed to make critics screech, "You're OUT!") Here, the author is "guilty" on all three counts. But a fair amount of action adventure is also open to the charge of having rather shallow characterization, and often a simplistic world-view that eschews any kind of ethical complexity in favor of a mindless "us against them" fantasy. Those charges, however, won't stick here. All the important characters here --"guilty" or "innocent," Jewish or Moslem, Mossad or Hezbollah-- are rounded, three-dimensional, and come across as people, not as cartoons. Yes, some may be sympathetic and some may be villains (and not all of either are on one side!); but we can see that the heroes have flaws, and understand what makes the villains tick.
Nor are we in a realm of black-and-white "us against them" without ethical reflection here. To be sure, our protagonists don't deserve to die, and our antagonists here are trying to kill them; so yes, that's a basic line in the sand that shapes our sympathies. And the author doesn't deliver an analysis of the whole complex Middle East situation, with a breakdown of the grievances of each side. But within the framework of the storyline, it's made clear that both the Israeli government and its Arab adversaries have innocent blood on their hands, that individuals of both groups are prey to the temptation to dehumanize the other so they can justify anything they want to do them, and that neither hit squad's superiors are playing by genuinely ethical rules. (Starting with the facts that Mossad used innocent people's identities without asking; and that Hezbollah knows the innocents are innocent --and wants to kill them anyway!) And as we go along, we're brought face-to-face with ethical conundrums that may not have easy answers. If you believe you're morally justified in fighting great injustice, and you want to do it by ethical means that spare the innocent, what exactly DO you do when you're stuck with co-belligerents who have no such scruples? Do the ends ever justify the means? What balance do you --should you-- strike between the claims of blood vengeance and the recognition that hate can hurt you more than it does the hated? Does torture become morally okay if it's intended to get information that saves an innocent? And is that really the trade-off we assume it is? Is lying in a police cover-up acceptable if it spares good people from unjust punishment? Is suicide ever the right thing to do? Charnes doesn't preach, or suggest answers; he just makes readers grapple with the questions. And in the best tradition of Western literature, characters on both sides here also have to grapple with ethical questions --and may come up with answers that they didn't expect, and that force them to grow or make sacrifices. As action-adventure fans know, this genre at its best is concerned with these kinds of questions as much as any other type of literature is; and the extreme stakes involved give the questions more force and immediacy than they may have in some other genres!
Charnes is (among other things) a former Air Force intelligence officer, with training in terrorism incident response, and it shows in his obvious knowledge of intelligence background and procedures here. This is an exceptionally realistic novel, and an extremely gripping one. Short chapters, each headed by location and date/time, succeed each other rapidly in setting a quick, driving pace (if I'd had unlimited time to read, I could have finished this a lot quicker than I did, because I'd have read almost non-stop!), and the author's skill in shifting viewpoints from Character(s) A in place X to Character(s) B in place Y --often at a cliff-hanger moment!-- ratchets suspense up to nail-biting intensity in places, especially near the end. Action scenes are done very well, and both male and female characters are full participants as equals in that area. The body count is high; we have a lot of violence here. It isn't gratuitous, and we don't have to wallow through excessive gory description; but not everybody who dies has it coming, and this can include developed characters you've come to like and care about. In places, this can be painful. (I didn't cry; but some readers might, and it wouldn't be any disgrace.) To the author's credit, there's no explicit sex, and little sexual content (there's one instance of implied premarital sex, between a couple who honestly love each other and who've become forcefully aware that they may not have unlimited time to wait for its expression). There is more bad language than I prefer, including the f-word in some places; but it's mostly induced in extremely stressful situations, and comes from characters who have backgrounds in milieus where that kind of language tends to be used a lot. (In this case, I didn't deduct any stars for it; I didn't feel it was used to shock, nor to promote the use of it.)
In places, I have a few minor quibbles with character's actions, as not being as smart as I'd expect from them; but these didn't bother me much overall. This was a quality read from the get-go, and if it had been published by Big Publishing, I believe it would have been a best seller! Hopefully, even in today's glutted market stacked against independent authors, more and more readers will recognize it for the gem it is.
First-time author Lance Charnes and I are Goodreads friends; but I bought my copy of this book, rather than getting it as a gift, and my rating wasn't influenced by the friendship --it was earned, and would have been even if I'd never heard of the author before reading it. This is an exceptionally assured, polished, powerful and insightful work of fiction; at least one other reviewer has stated that it's hard to believe this is a first novel, and I have to concur.
Action-adventure fiction tends to be viewed negatively by the modern-day critical establishment. It appeals to ordinary readers, by providing the kind of excitement and suspense that the average person finds pleasurable; it requires an actual plot, pretty much by definition; and it assumes, and encourages the belief, that there actually ARE things worth fighting and potentially dying for. (Three strikes guaranteed to make critics screech, "You're OUT!") Here, the author is "guilty" on all three counts. But a fair amount of action adventure is also open to the charge of having rather shallow characterization, and often a simplistic world-view that eschews any kind of ethical complexity in favor of a mindless "us against them" fantasy. Those charges, however, won't stick here. All the important characters here --"guilty" or "innocent," Jewish or Moslem, Mossad or Hezbollah-- are rounded, three-dimensional, and come across as people, not as cartoons. Yes, some may be sympathetic and some may be villains (and not all of either are on one side!); but we can see that the heroes have flaws, and understand what makes the villains tick.
Nor are we in a realm of black-and-white "us against them" without ethical reflection here. To be sure, our protagonists don't deserve to die, and our antagonists here are trying to kill them; so yes, that's a basic line in the sand that shapes our sympathies. And the author doesn't deliver an analysis of the whole complex Middle East situation, with a breakdown of the grievances of each side. But within the framework of the storyline, it's made clear that both the Israeli government and its Arab adversaries have innocent blood on their hands, that individuals of both groups are prey to the temptation to dehumanize the other so they can justify anything they want to do them, and that neither hit squad's superiors are playing by genuinely ethical rules. (Starting with the facts that Mossad used innocent people's identities without asking; and that Hezbollah knows the innocents are innocent --and wants to kill them anyway!) And as we go along, we're brought face-to-face with ethical conundrums that may not have easy answers. If you believe you're morally justified in fighting great injustice, and you want to do it by ethical means that spare the innocent, what exactly DO you do when you're stuck with co-belligerents who have no such scruples? Do the ends ever justify the means? What balance do you --should you-- strike between the claims of blood vengeance and the recognition that hate can hurt you more than it does the hated? Does torture become morally okay if it's intended to get information that saves an innocent? And is that really the trade-off we assume it is? Is lying in a police cover-up acceptable if it spares good people from unjust punishment? Is suicide ever the right thing to do? Charnes doesn't preach, or suggest answers; he just makes readers grapple with the questions. And in the best tradition of Western literature, characters on both sides here also have to grapple with ethical questions --and may come up with answers that they didn't expect, and that force them to grow or make sacrifices. As action-adventure fans know, this genre at its best is concerned with these kinds of questions as much as any other type of literature is; and the extreme stakes involved give the questions more force and immediacy than they may have in some other genres!
Charnes is (among other things) a former Air Force intelligence officer, with training in terrorism incident response, and it shows in his obvious knowledge of intelligence background and procedures here. This is an exceptionally realistic novel, and an extremely gripping one. Short chapters, each headed by location and date/time, succeed each other rapidly in setting a quick, driving pace (if I'd had unlimited time to read, I could have finished this a lot quicker than I did, because I'd have read almost non-stop!), and the author's skill in shifting viewpoints from Character(s) A in place X to Character(s) B in place Y --often at a cliff-hanger moment!-- ratchets suspense up to nail-biting intensity in places, especially near the end. Action scenes are done very well, and both male and female characters are full participants as equals in that area. The body count is high; we have a lot of violence here. It isn't gratuitous, and we don't have to wallow through excessive gory description; but not everybody who dies has it coming, and this can include developed characters you've come to like and care about. In places, this can be painful. (I didn't cry; but some readers might, and it wouldn't be any disgrace.) To the author's credit, there's no explicit sex, and little sexual content (there's one instance of implied premarital sex, between a couple who honestly love each other and who've become forcefully aware that they may not have unlimited time to wait for its expression). There is more bad language than I prefer, including the f-word in some places; but it's mostly induced in extremely stressful situations, and comes from characters who have backgrounds in milieus where that kind of language tends to be used a lot. (In this case, I didn't deduct any stars for it; I didn't feel it was used to shock, nor to promote the use of it.)
In places, I have a few minor quibbles with character's actions, as not being as smart as I'd expect from them; but these didn't bother me much overall. This was a quality read from the get-go, and if it had been published by Big Publishing, I believe it would have been a best seller! Hopefully, even in today's glutted market stacked against independent authors, more and more readers will recognize it for the gem it is.
September 29, 2013
It has only been a few months since Robert Ludlum passed, leaving us with a treasure trove of ready for television action adventure and suspense thrillers with tight plots that flow together with the precision of a Swiss watch from Geneva. He also left a fun series behind with his name on it, written by a handful of other skilled espionage and suspense writers. Since his passing, I began to wonder if we'd ever see somebody on the scene that could bind the same tight plots together with always interesting but not always like able characters.
Enter Lance Charnes. He's a former Air Force Intelligence officer, as a Navy guy I won't hold that against him, with the same deft touch for precision and complex clockwork plots. That's high praise. I know, and nobody knows if Lance Charnes will leave us the same lengthy list of great novels as Ludlum. We do know that his first novel is a great start to any list. Doha 12 reminded me of Ludlum's tight plots and interesting characters with creative, yet believable histories. It's a really good first book.
Doha 12 starts with a strike at the heart of terrorism. A bombing, plotted and executed by the legendary Mossad rips through a hotel in Doha. The bombers used names of Israeli ex-patriots living scattered through Europe and the United States of America. Terror has a long memory, one that reaches back to the Terrorist attack on the Olympic Games in Munich, and how the Mossad built their reputation by tracking every one of those involved down and eliminating them. Now it's Terror's turn to make "a statement."
Synopsis
Enter Jacob Elder who happens to have one of the 12 names used by the Mossad. But, something else is afoot, something is happening to each of these twelve, one at a time and all evidence says that it's not a coincidence. Terror is at work again and they've returned to their roots and a time when they managed complex operations of their own and they want more than revenge.
Characters
I'm not going to go trough the characters one by one here because there were so many good characters. Charnes manages to write all of his characters, even those of lesser importance and smaller roles so that each has their own motivations, loves, hates and reasons for wanting to make their mark on the western world. This is of course expected. What's not expected and Charnes succeeded in doing was building characters, even villains that seemed very human. He was able to tap into those pseudo emotional ties that bind all people to the universe and helps them stand out as recognizable human beings. This was particularly well done with the villain set. Not only were they twisted thinkers who wanted death and Martyrdom, but we got just enough from them to recognize them as human with living breathing souls.
I'm not saying I liked the bad guys, only that, to me, it seems Charnes was able to go below skin, bone and photographic evidence of ethnic diversity and allow us, if not enough room for sympathy, these were terrorists, but enough room to see them as humans, frightened, angry and hurt, and much like their counterparts on the others side. I'd say this is one of those times where I wanted them "stopped," more than killed. It's rare that an author of a book, with such obvious boundaries between the good guys and the bad, allows enough humanity to have compassion for them. Especially in a world where Arab Born, Muslim Terrorists are so hard for western Europeans and people from the United states to understand. That's great stuff!
As for the good guys and the not so good guys? Well, their stories will bring tears to your eyes. See, this is one place where Charnes differs from Ludlum. Ludlum's characters are good and well made but they tend to have hard edges and few soft spots, even when there is a love story. With Charnes, these guys and girls suffer grievous and outrageous fortune and much of what you read them through will bring tears to the eyes of the toughest Curmudgeon. It's wonderful writing and a great example of not sparing the heroes hardships. It's something other writers could learn from. Even though I was never fond of Jacob, I did feel for him and what he went through. I know this is leaving out a set of the most complicated characters but talking about them would be too much of a spoiler, so, you'll just have to find out about them on your own.
Plot
Okay, Charnes doubles as the Ring Master for a three ring circus. There are at least three distinct plot threads at work here, not to mention the sub-plots dragged into the story through the characters back stories. Like gears a ticking clock, all three plot-lines turn on each other leaving bodies, buildings and lives shattered in its wake.
This is more of a police story, than the kind of espionage stories written by Ludlum and Bagely. Rather than the CIA against terror, or the FBI, this story is more the NYPD and some unexpected friends. It gets hard to tell the good guys from the bad and trust me, there's lots of things blowing up, getting shot and destroyed. But the story is tight. Things don't get frayed towards the end.
It's just a multi-layered plot with complex parts and in the center of it, two lost souls tryin' to stay alive. I'll also add that it's very well researched.
World Building
All authors have to build a world for their stories, even those who write autobiographies. This is a realistic modern world taken from the headlines. There's a little bit of super-spy embellishment, but even that is believable and frightening. There's another level to Jacob the Doha 12 and each of their stories remind me of people trying to escape an old life and start a new one as if the first didn't count, or didn't matter. Yet all lives matter, even if you get to start it over. This wold of the Expatriate Israeli, as each tried to build their new lives had a rich feel to it. I also liked Jacob's family. I consider this world building. I also liked the way it felt like New York City and Detroit. Charnes wrote pictures that made sense in my head and they were recognizable. That's just good writing. I also applaud Charnes ability to write a story that takes place mostly on U.S. Soil that isn't a Rah-Rah admiration exercise glorifying the United States in some way. In that respect, writing people with character, heroism, terror, and those who just wanted to stay alive and find themselves with hope for tomorrow painted a better picture deserving of more respect for those who do go on the front line. Battling on the front line is easy if your a superhero. It's not if your just like everyone else, and for some reason, you choose to hang on to your courage a fraction of a second longer than the next guy. That's what makes you a real hero.
Summary
5 stars for a new suspense/espionage thriller by Lance Charnes. Doha 12 reads like a Ludlum Thriller, with endearing human characters, both villan and hero. The book has a tight complex plot that clicks through the pages like clockwork. Through it all, the thread of humanity that binds us all together is on display and what you see there will bring tears to your eyes and make your heart ache as the story takes us to the worse emotional places. It's a great story, well written and highly recommended. Keep a box of tissues nearby.
Warning:
1) There is a lot of violence in this book. What would you expect from terrorists and those out to stop them. I feel the violence is within the scope of the plot and story and in no way is gratuitous. It is violent so if you don't like reading about somebody getting really hurt or killed, take it easy with this book.
2) The main characters have difficult stories. Not just their past, but what they survive in this book, or don't survive. It's what I'd call a "lethal" story in the sense that the good guys, the ones we care about get hurt or killed. You'll like these characters and those at home around them, and they'll get hurt. It's part of what makes them so human and I approve of the way Charnes wrote them through these hardships. Still, if you get connected with the characters in books you read, this one's going to hit where it hurts. Keep a box of tissues close by as you read.
3) Pain and hardship is delivered upon youth. Again, I feel this is not gratuitous or over the top, and it's well managed by Charnes. It's also part of what helps us learn to love and pull for the heroes as well as what makes us mourn for the villains as well. It's also difficult to read if your a father of two small children. To me, as it is presented here that makes this very good writing in that it could affect me so. I also know that means that it might be hard to read for some people. This is an adult story set in a realistic, if fictional world. Like I said, keep the tissues handy.
4) This doesn't' go the direction most people might expect it to go. It allows for compassion towards all people from all places. Strange as it is, some people have trouble doing that, especially when speaking of Terrorists. Some people also have valid reasons for having trouble with anything that allows compassion for the enemy. For the rest, trust me, it's only a sign that this is a well written story. Have faith.
This review is also posted at:
As the Curmudgeon Grumbles
Enter Lance Charnes. He's a former Air Force Intelligence officer, as a Navy guy I won't hold that against him, with the same deft touch for precision and complex clockwork plots. That's high praise. I know, and nobody knows if Lance Charnes will leave us the same lengthy list of great novels as Ludlum. We do know that his first novel is a great start to any list. Doha 12 reminded me of Ludlum's tight plots and interesting characters with creative, yet believable histories. It's a really good first book.
Doha 12 starts with a strike at the heart of terrorism. A bombing, plotted and executed by the legendary Mossad rips through a hotel in Doha. The bombers used names of Israeli ex-patriots living scattered through Europe and the United States of America. Terror has a long memory, one that reaches back to the Terrorist attack on the Olympic Games in Munich, and how the Mossad built their reputation by tracking every one of those involved down and eliminating them. Now it's Terror's turn to make "a statement."
Synopsis
Enter Jacob Elder who happens to have one of the 12 names used by the Mossad. But, something else is afoot, something is happening to each of these twelve, one at a time and all evidence says that it's not a coincidence. Terror is at work again and they've returned to their roots and a time when they managed complex operations of their own and they want more than revenge.
Characters
I'm not going to go trough the characters one by one here because there were so many good characters. Charnes manages to write all of his characters, even those of lesser importance and smaller roles so that each has their own motivations, loves, hates and reasons for wanting to make their mark on the western world. This is of course expected. What's not expected and Charnes succeeded in doing was building characters, even villains that seemed very human. He was able to tap into those pseudo emotional ties that bind all people to the universe and helps them stand out as recognizable human beings. This was particularly well done with the villain set. Not only were they twisted thinkers who wanted death and Martyrdom, but we got just enough from them to recognize them as human with living breathing souls.
I'm not saying I liked the bad guys, only that, to me, it seems Charnes was able to go below skin, bone and photographic evidence of ethnic diversity and allow us, if not enough room for sympathy, these were terrorists, but enough room to see them as humans, frightened, angry and hurt, and much like their counterparts on the others side. I'd say this is one of those times where I wanted them "stopped," more than killed. It's rare that an author of a book, with such obvious boundaries between the good guys and the bad, allows enough humanity to have compassion for them. Especially in a world where Arab Born, Muslim Terrorists are so hard for western Europeans and people from the United states to understand. That's great stuff!
As for the good guys and the not so good guys? Well, their stories will bring tears to your eyes. See, this is one place where Charnes differs from Ludlum. Ludlum's characters are good and well made but they tend to have hard edges and few soft spots, even when there is a love story. With Charnes, these guys and girls suffer grievous and outrageous fortune and much of what you read them through will bring tears to the eyes of the toughest Curmudgeon. It's wonderful writing and a great example of not sparing the heroes hardships. It's something other writers could learn from. Even though I was never fond of Jacob, I did feel for him and what he went through. I know this is leaving out a set of the most complicated characters but talking about them would be too much of a spoiler, so, you'll just have to find out about them on your own.
Plot
Okay, Charnes doubles as the Ring Master for a three ring circus. There are at least three distinct plot threads at work here, not to mention the sub-plots dragged into the story through the characters back stories. Like gears a ticking clock, all three plot-lines turn on each other leaving bodies, buildings and lives shattered in its wake.
This is more of a police story, than the kind of espionage stories written by Ludlum and Bagely. Rather than the CIA against terror, or the FBI, this story is more the NYPD and some unexpected friends. It gets hard to tell the good guys from the bad and trust me, there's lots of things blowing up, getting shot and destroyed. But the story is tight. Things don't get frayed towards the end.
It's just a multi-layered plot with complex parts and in the center of it, two lost souls tryin' to stay alive. I'll also add that it's very well researched.
World Building
All authors have to build a world for their stories, even those who write autobiographies. This is a realistic modern world taken from the headlines. There's a little bit of super-spy embellishment, but even that is believable and frightening. There's another level to Jacob the Doha 12 and each of their stories remind me of people trying to escape an old life and start a new one as if the first didn't count, or didn't matter. Yet all lives matter, even if you get to start it over. This wold of the Expatriate Israeli, as each tried to build their new lives had a rich feel to it. I also liked Jacob's family. I consider this world building. I also liked the way it felt like New York City and Detroit. Charnes wrote pictures that made sense in my head and they were recognizable. That's just good writing. I also applaud Charnes ability to write a story that takes place mostly on U.S. Soil that isn't a Rah-Rah admiration exercise glorifying the United States in some way. In that respect, writing people with character, heroism, terror, and those who just wanted to stay alive and find themselves with hope for tomorrow painted a better picture deserving of more respect for those who do go on the front line. Battling on the front line is easy if your a superhero. It's not if your just like everyone else, and for some reason, you choose to hang on to your courage a fraction of a second longer than the next guy. That's what makes you a real hero.
Summary
5 stars for a new suspense/espionage thriller by Lance Charnes. Doha 12 reads like a Ludlum Thriller, with endearing human characters, both villan and hero. The book has a tight complex plot that clicks through the pages like clockwork. Through it all, the thread of humanity that binds us all together is on display and what you see there will bring tears to your eyes and make your heart ache as the story takes us to the worse emotional places. It's a great story, well written and highly recommended. Keep a box of tissues nearby.
Warning:
1) There is a lot of violence in this book. What would you expect from terrorists and those out to stop them. I feel the violence is within the scope of the plot and story and in no way is gratuitous. It is violent so if you don't like reading about somebody getting really hurt or killed, take it easy with this book.
2) The main characters have difficult stories. Not just their past, but what they survive in this book, or don't survive. It's what I'd call a "lethal" story in the sense that the good guys, the ones we care about get hurt or killed. You'll like these characters and those at home around them, and they'll get hurt. It's part of what makes them so human and I approve of the way Charnes wrote them through these hardships. Still, if you get connected with the characters in books you read, this one's going to hit where it hurts. Keep a box of tissues close by as you read.
3) Pain and hardship is delivered upon youth. Again, I feel this is not gratuitous or over the top, and it's well managed by Charnes. It's also part of what helps us learn to love and pull for the heroes as well as what makes us mourn for the villains as well. It's also difficult to read if your a father of two small children. To me, as it is presented here that makes this very good writing in that it could affect me so. I also know that means that it might be hard to read for some people. This is an adult story set in a realistic, if fictional world. Like I said, keep the tissues handy.
4) This doesn't' go the direction most people might expect it to go. It allows for compassion towards all people from all places. Strange as it is, some people have trouble doing that, especially when speaking of Terrorists. Some people also have valid reasons for having trouble with anything that allows compassion for the enemy. For the rest, trust me, it's only a sign that this is a well written story. Have faith.
This review is also posted at:
As the Curmudgeon Grumbles
February 25, 2013
Thrillers are emotional and mysteries are cerebral yet there are many famous authors whose books lack both the emotional and the cerebral. Not with this book. Doha 12 will have you riveted from beginning to end. When I first glanced at the story description, I thought, Israelis and terrorists—not my cup of tea. But I read the first few pages and it grabbed me. Five hundred words in, and you have a question you want answered. That kind of writing is rare in a debut author and when you discover it, you feel like Howard Carter opening that tomb.
James Patterson owns the thriller market in terms of sales with books that keep you on the edge of your seat. But no one ever accused Mr. Patterson of writing realistic scenarios. No one ever accused Mr. Patterson of creating deep characters that resonate. And no one ever accused Mr. Patterson of writing bad guys made of flesh and blood*.
Mr. Charnes has beaten James Patterson in all categories. His story centers on a new threat to society whose pieces are all in place. Not only could this terrifying scenario happen—its components already have. The fact that his story refers to many historical events you’ve seen on the news underscores his authority as a subject matter expert. This is chillingly real.
The characters are ordinary people drawn from your family, your neighbors, your coworkers. There are no demigods, no super humans, no magical powers, no extraordinary luck. These are people who toil in lower to middle-income jobs reacting to danger the way you would, rising to the occasion as you would, falling apart as you would. Their emotions are deep and visceral.
For a full review, read it on my website (better formatting).
Peace, Seeley
James Patterson owns the thriller market in terms of sales with books that keep you on the edge of your seat. But no one ever accused Mr. Patterson of writing realistic scenarios. No one ever accused Mr. Patterson of creating deep characters that resonate. And no one ever accused Mr. Patterson of writing bad guys made of flesh and blood*.
Mr. Charnes has beaten James Patterson in all categories. His story centers on a new threat to society whose pieces are all in place. Not only could this terrifying scenario happen—its components already have. The fact that his story refers to many historical events you’ve seen on the news underscores his authority as a subject matter expert. This is chillingly real.
The characters are ordinary people drawn from your family, your neighbors, your coworkers. There are no demigods, no super humans, no magical powers, no extraordinary luck. These are people who toil in lower to middle-income jobs reacting to danger the way you would, rising to the occasion as you would, falling apart as you would. Their emotions are deep and visceral.
For a full review, read it on my website (better formatting).
Peace, Seeley
February 7, 2015
This thoroughly entertained me..and I love that in a thriller :-) The author did a really good job humanizing all of the characters (good and bad...and in between). I'm excited to see what Mr. Charnes comes up with next.
February 8, 2013
Doha 12 (Lance Charnes)
Jake and Miriam lead the average life. Jake works at a book store, Miriam a law firm. They both grew up in Israel and came to America to start new lives. They do not know each other until Jake makes a discovery. 12 people have had their identity stolen and all twelve lives are in danger.
When Jake's wife gets killed he digs deep to find out what is happening. He finds a connection. He finds that the Mossad, Israeli intelligence agency are using the identity of innocent people for a plan to assassinate the Hezbollah commander in Doha, Qatar.
Jake teams up with Miriam in a race for time to stop the terrorist attack that is about to happen, an attack that will kills hundreds of innocent people.
Fast paced action packed psychological thriller that takes the reader on an emotional journey across the globe. I would love to read more by Lance Charles.
Jake and Miriam lead the average life. Jake works at a book store, Miriam a law firm. They both grew up in Israel and came to America to start new lives. They do not know each other until Jake makes a discovery. 12 people have had their identity stolen and all twelve lives are in danger.
When Jake's wife gets killed he digs deep to find out what is happening. He finds a connection. He finds that the Mossad, Israeli intelligence agency are using the identity of innocent people for a plan to assassinate the Hezbollah commander in Doha, Qatar.
Jake teams up with Miriam in a race for time to stop the terrorist attack that is about to happen, an attack that will kills hundreds of innocent people.
Fast paced action packed psychological thriller that takes the reader on an emotional journey across the globe. I would love to read more by Lance Charles.
June 8, 2013
Wow, great story. I don't read espionage thrillers but this one was much more than that. You might call it a literary thriller. I feel the people, you will too. If you've never thought much about the mideast, this one drops you in the middle of it and makes the news articles real. I've never read anything like it. You will love it and want Charnes to write more.
June 16, 2013
High Quality, Compelling Thriller. Terrific Reading!
If recent thrillers by big name authors have disappointed you, run to get a copy of DOHA 12. Like me, you’ll be glad you did.
When a fellow independent novelist and prolific reviewer mentioned DOHA 12 and my own thriller as “gems” in the pile of independent submissions, I knew I had to read it. I’d heard of DOHA 12, but needed a push to it to the top of my TBR list. Boy, I’m glad I did. This is a great read and a terrific thriller. It ranks right up there with anything Robert Ludlum or James Patterson ever wrote. The story is totally compelling and believable, but the thing that makes this thriller stand out is that—unlike many others in this genre—DOHA 12 has heart. Mr. Charnes has created a cast of characters that you can care for (even some of the bad guys). You understand their motivations and feelings. Identifying with these characters will keep you riveted to the story. That’s hard to do with the large cast of characters that populate DOHA 12.
But above all, DOHA 12 is a page-turner. The Mossad has made a horrible error in using the identities of twelve real people to pull off the assassination of a Hezbollah leader, hence the title
DOHA 12. Now, Hezbollah is going to make the Zionists pay. They are going to assassinate the real people whose identities the Israeli intelligence service used. They begin by picking off their European targets, but then they move to America. Caught in the crosshairs are two of their three American targets, Jake and Miriam. Both veterans the Israeli armed forces, they now reside in the U.S. To avoid spoilers, I’ll just say that their story is the engine that propels DOHA 12 to its dramatic and exciting climax.
Concerned about taking a chance on an independent novel? Don’t be. DOHA 12 should be on the Bestseller table at your local book store.
If recent thrillers by big name authors have disappointed you, run to get a copy of DOHA 12. Like me, you’ll be glad you did.
When a fellow independent novelist and prolific reviewer mentioned DOHA 12 and my own thriller as “gems” in the pile of independent submissions, I knew I had to read it. I’d heard of DOHA 12, but needed a push to it to the top of my TBR list. Boy, I’m glad I did. This is a great read and a terrific thriller. It ranks right up there with anything Robert Ludlum or James Patterson ever wrote. The story is totally compelling and believable, but the thing that makes this thriller stand out is that—unlike many others in this genre—DOHA 12 has heart. Mr. Charnes has created a cast of characters that you can care for (even some of the bad guys). You understand their motivations and feelings. Identifying with these characters will keep you riveted to the story. That’s hard to do with the large cast of characters that populate DOHA 12.
But above all, DOHA 12 is a page-turner. The Mossad has made a horrible error in using the identities of twelve real people to pull off the assassination of a Hezbollah leader, hence the title
DOHA 12. Now, Hezbollah is going to make the Zionists pay. They are going to assassinate the real people whose identities the Israeli intelligence service used. They begin by picking off their European targets, but then they move to America. Caught in the crosshairs are two of their three American targets, Jake and Miriam. Both veterans the Israeli armed forces, they now reside in the U.S. To avoid spoilers, I’ll just say that their story is the engine that propels DOHA 12 to its dramatic and exciting climax.
Concerned about taking a chance on an independent novel? Don’t be. DOHA 12 should be on the Bestseller table at your local book store.
July 26, 2013
An excellent look at the terrorists and the people who try to stop them. In this case, two innocent people are drawn into the fray by events outside their control. This is an action-packed novel that is not over-the-top action, leaving time for some of the best characterizations of terrorists ever written. Instead of making the bad guys easy-to-hate, he makes them conflicted, with different opinions about where to draw the line on their work. The good guys are well drawn too. Not Hitchcock-wrong-place people or mistaken identity, these people were drawn into the story in a realistic way with motivations that hold up over the course of the book.
I recommend this book to anyone who likes a great thriller.
I recommend this book to anyone who likes a great thriller.
December 26, 2012
It's not often I read a suspenseful thriller that is also realistic and thought-provoking. The main characters are believable, interesting and even the good guys have faults and make mistakes; in other words, they're human. The author lays out the motivations and choices both sides have without preaching to one side or the other and that is something almost unheard of in this type of novel. The plot will take you for a few surprise turns, so enjoy!
June 11, 2014
The unending conflict between Israel and its Arab neighbors has moved from the mideast to America as agents of Hesbollah and Mossad duke it out on US soil. Complicated with political conflicts within different factions of these secret agencies with US police forces mixed in all make for a "can't put it down" page turner.
Completely different from Charnes' other published novel 'South' which I liked even better.
Completely different from Charnes' other published novel 'South' which I liked even better.
January 23, 2018
I thought I might get lost keeping up with all the different characters in this book, but that was definitely not the case. The author's use of short chapters and continual changing points of view, made it quite easy to follow. It's been a long time since I've read a book with such great characterization of so many characters. I heard the thoughts and feelings of not only the "good guys" but the "bad guys" as well. (I felt emotions for them all). I may not have agreed with all their actions, but at least I got insight into why they were doing what they were doing. This story was most definitely a thriller, and I would be remiss if I didn't mention the action....plenty to go around. At times the action was taking place at multiple locations simultaneously, but I never felt lost...just lots of suspense (in a good way)! This book also had a little bit of an "unlikely hero" feel to it. Although the lead character had police/military background, he had been working at a "quiet" job for a long while and living the life of a "family man" with a wife and young daughter when he found himself caught up in an unpredictable, dangerous situation beyond his control. He definitely had some "skills", but lacked the cockiness and arrogance that usually goes with them (which I found refreshing). The story was extremely entertaining and the writing superb...I will definitely be reading more from this author in the future!
September 21, 2014
There was a time I thoroughly enjoyed thrillers. I still do, but there was a time I would read them almost exclusively. I went through a phase of reading whatever the fuck I wanted for a while and then picked up the Millennium trilogy. That is a thriller trilogy and Goddammit I hated it. Coming off of that clusterfuck of a series I read this novel.
I really enjoyed it.
This book does this thing that I feel all thriller books should do, and that is be engaging within the first 20 pages. And I mean thoroughly engaging. Very early in the book I had a million questions and was already swept up in the story.
What is the story? Well, between the Israeli intelligence agency Mossad in Tel Aviv and terrorist sect Hezbollah in Lebanon, Miriam Schaffer, Philadelphia secretary and Jake Eldar, Brooklyn bookshop owner become unwittingly wrapped up in an international terror scandal. Along with 10 other civilians, their names were used by Mossad in an extermination mission of a high ranking Hezbollah commander in Doha, Qatar hence the Doha 12. A Hezbollah hit team is now knocking off the civilians one by one.
There is so much to the book. Such a rich backdrop to what is unfolding. The characters have their own backstories which are great and the scale of what is going on is amazing. Besides following Miriam and Jake, the author fleshes out the secondary characters like the Mossad agents and the members of the hit team. Alongside Miriam and Jake's story, there are several subplots which are really great and do well to build the story, it being an INTERNATIONAL thriller, it has a lot to it. literally. These characters are humanized, and the weight of what they do is shown to weigh on them, more than in the physical manner.
I felt for a lot of the book that it was a few steps ahead of me. The action was very fast, and many things in many places happened at once. This kept it exciting and gave an urgency to everything. The book only spans a matter of months, but things become so drastically different in the individual characters' lives. There were a few parts that were so ridiculously sad, and others where I felt, 'Isn't it too much? Haven't they had enough?' The treatment of life and death in the literal, figurative and spiritual sense is remarkable, as well as living in fear and allowing circumstances to leave you shortchanged. The ending was satisfying but so much had been lost since the beginning, there is truly something ferocious and manic which allows us to exceed what we think ourselves capable of.
This book made me sweat. It was great. There are some visceral emotional and violent portions in case anyone avoids those but what a great read regardless. Stars out of five... four.
Purchase on Amazon HERE.
Stalk the author AT HIS SITE.
Follow him on Twitter HERE.
I really enjoyed it.
This book does this thing that I feel all thriller books should do, and that is be engaging within the first 20 pages. And I mean thoroughly engaging. Very early in the book I had a million questions and was already swept up in the story.
What is the story? Well, between the Israeli intelligence agency Mossad in Tel Aviv and terrorist sect Hezbollah in Lebanon, Miriam Schaffer, Philadelphia secretary and Jake Eldar, Brooklyn bookshop owner become unwittingly wrapped up in an international terror scandal. Along with 10 other civilians, their names were used by Mossad in an extermination mission of a high ranking Hezbollah commander in Doha, Qatar hence the Doha 12. A Hezbollah hit team is now knocking off the civilians one by one.
There is so much to the book. Such a rich backdrop to what is unfolding. The characters have their own backstories which are great and the scale of what is going on is amazing. Besides following Miriam and Jake, the author fleshes out the secondary characters like the Mossad agents and the members of the hit team. Alongside Miriam and Jake's story, there are several subplots which are really great and do well to build the story, it being an INTERNATIONAL thriller, it has a lot to it. literally. These characters are humanized, and the weight of what they do is shown to weigh on them, more than in the physical manner.
I felt for a lot of the book that it was a few steps ahead of me. The action was very fast, and many things in many places happened at once. This kept it exciting and gave an urgency to everything. The book only spans a matter of months, but things become so drastically different in the individual characters' lives. There were a few parts that were so ridiculously sad, and others where I felt, 'Isn't it too much? Haven't they had enough?' The treatment of life and death in the literal, figurative and spiritual sense is remarkable, as well as living in fear and allowing circumstances to leave you shortchanged. The ending was satisfying but so much had been lost since the beginning, there is truly something ferocious and manic which allows us to exceed what we think ourselves capable of.
This book made me sweat. It was great. There are some visceral emotional and violent portions in case anyone avoids those but what a great read regardless. Stars out of five... four.
Purchase on Amazon HERE.
Stalk the author AT HIS SITE.
Follow him on Twitter HERE.
March 3, 2013
This book is really good. I read some during my break at work and could hardly wait to get home to continue. Intrique, action, it is a thrilling read. I can see why it was getting such good reviews.absolutely enjoyed this book. Great read.
July 15, 2013
Superb action. Predictable characters and setting: Brooklyn, Israel, bookseller as Clark Kent.
May 21, 2013
Mossad uses the identities of Jake Eldar and Miriam Schaffer in a plot to assassinate a Hezbollah commander in Doha, Qatar. However, Hezbollah plans to kill them both and ten other innocents - the Doha 12 of the title.
The first few chapters were tempting and the story easy to follow. We meet them both and are introduced to their lives, however, although they are supposed to be the two lead protagonists, they have so few scenes in the first 25% of the book (which is the point where I gave up).
All the chapters are short and one after the other, they feature different characters each time. The story flits from locations, secondary characters and points of view like a butterfly with ADHD. The book has a sprawling cast, and to be honest, it's just too sprawling. If it wasn't for the blurb, I wouldn't have known who the main protagonists actually were. It's difficult to keep up with the constant location/character/point of view shifts and I got exasperated a quarter of the way into the book. As a reader, there's little opportunity to get to know Jake or Miriam, therefore, you can't engage with the characters or the story, or care about them. Because of the constant jumping around, you forget what the hell is going on in these people's lives.
I think this story has potential. Although I didn't realise Jake's wife had been murdered until after the event, the author dealt with the aftermath effectively. There are also some interesting points of view regarding the Hezbollah guys' thoughts about western women, and I like that the author remained quite impartial on the subject of Mossad/Hezbollah.
This story needs to be re-worked so that readers get to know Jake and Miriam early in the story. We need to see the events more through their eyes, otherwise the author may lose his readers' interest.
I received a free copy of this book from the author in exchange for my fair and honest opinion.
The first few chapters were tempting and the story easy to follow. We meet them both and are introduced to their lives, however, although they are supposed to be the two lead protagonists, they have so few scenes in the first 25% of the book (which is the point where I gave up).
All the chapters are short and one after the other, they feature different characters each time. The story flits from locations, secondary characters and points of view like a butterfly with ADHD. The book has a sprawling cast, and to be honest, it's just too sprawling. If it wasn't for the blurb, I wouldn't have known who the main protagonists actually were. It's difficult to keep up with the constant location/character/point of view shifts and I got exasperated a quarter of the way into the book. As a reader, there's little opportunity to get to know Jake or Miriam, therefore, you can't engage with the characters or the story, or care about them. Because of the constant jumping around, you forget what the hell is going on in these people's lives.
I think this story has potential. Although I didn't realise Jake's wife had been murdered until after the event, the author dealt with the aftermath effectively. There are also some interesting points of view regarding the Hezbollah guys' thoughts about western women, and I like that the author remained quite impartial on the subject of Mossad/Hezbollah.
This story needs to be re-worked so that readers get to know Jake and Miriam early in the story. We need to see the events more through their eyes, otherwise the author may lose his readers' interest.
I received a free copy of this book from the author in exchange for my fair and honest opinion.
February 25, 2015
Exciting thriller with many unexpected twists and turns.
May 7, 2024
Hezbollah and Mossad agents battle it out on the streets of America in Doha 12, a novel inspired by the 2010 assassination in Dubai of Hamas commander Mahmoud Al-Mabhouh.
This time, Hezbollah terrorist Masoud Talhami has been murdered in Doha, Qatar. Twelve people are suspected of involvement in the hit. Their identities are known, yet, the names appearing on their passports actually belong to innocent people. Now Hezbollah seeks revenge for what it assumes to be a Mossad operation.
"If these people let Mossad use their identities, they're part of the same gang," charges Fadi Alayan, leader of the Hezbollah hit team.
One by one, the innocent included among the Doha 12 fall victim to very strange, tragic accidents. Soon there are only a few Americans left. Jake Eldar is a bookstore manager in Brooklyn and Miriam Schaffer is employed as a legal secretary in Philadelphia. United when they realize their lives are endangered, Jake and Miriam can't convince the police that the plot against them is real.
In what develops into breathtaking cat and mouse pursuit, Mossad agents chase Hezbollah operatives across the American urban landscape. "Mossad isn't supposed to operate in America," notes one, but nobody is following the rules. Telling the FBI that "a Hezbollah direct-action team is going to start killing American citizens because we used their names" is "crazy" says another.
Doha 12 (Wombat Group, January 2013) by Lance Charnes is an action-packed thriller in which one exciting climax follows another. Firefights shoot up crowded train stations, cemeteries, and even Temple Emanu-El in New York City. Agents may wear bullet-proof vests, but no one can escape injury in a powerful battle in which it is difficult to determine which side is good and which is evil.
The Mossad leans "heavily on its sayanim, the civilians who helped it around the world," writes the author. "It was the only way an organization with a mere 1200 members could maintain a global reach." The Israelis portrayed in the book ring true; everyone has a personal tragedy in his or her past, a reason to avenge Hezbollah terror.
Lead characters Jake and Miriam, drawn together by absurd, violent circumstances, are "two people screwed by the system, first in Israel, now in their adopted home." They swiftly realize that the only way they can stay alive is by personally fighting back against impending terror. It's a bit of a stretch to see how the two transform themselves into badass "I can save the world" heroes, yet as readers, we certainly understand their motives. Will Jake and Miriam succeed in escaping Hezbollah's revenge, or will they be the last of the Doha 12 to lose their lives as the thriller reaches its explosive conclusion?
This time, Hezbollah terrorist Masoud Talhami has been murdered in Doha, Qatar. Twelve people are suspected of involvement in the hit. Their identities are known, yet, the names appearing on their passports actually belong to innocent people. Now Hezbollah seeks revenge for what it assumes to be a Mossad operation.
"If these people let Mossad use their identities, they're part of the same gang," charges Fadi Alayan, leader of the Hezbollah hit team.
One by one, the innocent included among the Doha 12 fall victim to very strange, tragic accidents. Soon there are only a few Americans left. Jake Eldar is a bookstore manager in Brooklyn and Miriam Schaffer is employed as a legal secretary in Philadelphia. United when they realize their lives are endangered, Jake and Miriam can't convince the police that the plot against them is real.
In what develops into breathtaking cat and mouse pursuit, Mossad agents chase Hezbollah operatives across the American urban landscape. "Mossad isn't supposed to operate in America," notes one, but nobody is following the rules. Telling the FBI that "a Hezbollah direct-action team is going to start killing American citizens because we used their names" is "crazy" says another.
Doha 12 (Wombat Group, January 2013) by Lance Charnes is an action-packed thriller in which one exciting climax follows another. Firefights shoot up crowded train stations, cemeteries, and even Temple Emanu-El in New York City. Agents may wear bullet-proof vests, but no one can escape injury in a powerful battle in which it is difficult to determine which side is good and which is evil.
The Mossad leans "heavily on its sayanim, the civilians who helped it around the world," writes the author. "It was the only way an organization with a mere 1200 members could maintain a global reach." The Israelis portrayed in the book ring true; everyone has a personal tragedy in his or her past, a reason to avenge Hezbollah terror.
Lead characters Jake and Miriam, drawn together by absurd, violent circumstances, are "two people screwed by the system, first in Israel, now in their adopted home." They swiftly realize that the only way they can stay alive is by personally fighting back against impending terror. It's a bit of a stretch to see how the two transform themselves into badass "I can save the world" heroes, yet as readers, we certainly understand their motives. Will Jake and Miriam succeed in escaping Hezbollah's revenge, or will they be the last of the Doha 12 to lose their lives as the thriller reaches its explosive conclusion?
June 9, 2021
probably would rate it a 2.5 if I could. plot was okay -- just not good development of follow-through....
June 13, 2021
A little too melodramatic for me, but a page turner. Great summer read and I could definitely see this being made into a TV serial.
June 2, 2023
Picked this book in a hurry. Never heard of the author before. Ended up liking the story and the characters. Would read this author again.
April 24, 2016
This an excellent suspense-filled thriller. Mr. Charnes tells a story that will keep you on the edge of your seat, turning pages. It is complex, with multiple characters that the author manages to keep separate, and has twists and turns that kept me guessing. For many this will be a 5-star book, but as I've explained elsewhere ( http://jdrewbrumbaugh.com/book-rating... ) 5-stars have a very special place for me and he just missed that criteria. Nonetheless, if you like thrillers, this one is worth reading.
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