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Arik Bar Nathan #2
To Kill a Shadow (An Espionage Action Thriller): An Arik Bar Nathan Novel, Book 1
Love and assassination in a Mossad thriller told from the inside.
Life had been fortunate for Arik Bar Nathan. From a poor apartment in downtown Haifa, he had risen to become head of Operations Division of Israel's intelligent services, "the Mossad". He is a daring and successful man that has led missions all around the world and fulfilled every goal and desire. Now, his life is about to change.
A delightful tapestry of intrigue, wit, and dare that enthralls from start to finish
A failed Mossad operation against a Hezbollah official in South America makes Arik a target for a vicious drug-trafficking mafia in Paraguay. A mysterious German woman - an alluring professor of Philosophy - arrives at his birthday party and captures his eye and his heart. He is the son of a Holocaust survivor, and he knows falling in love with this woman means trouble. When a trained assassin arrives in Israel dressed as a Provo Slav clergyman hunting for his head, nothing can save Arik but true love.
Real and unpublished inside information on Mossad operations
To Kill a Shadow is a brilliant espionage thriller that will leave you breathless. It is the remarkable story of those who live in the shadows, working under false identities and behind masks, addicted to the adrenaline and control. An intricate tale of passion, difference, and danger.
Get your copy of To Kill a Shadow now!
Life had been fortunate for Arik Bar Nathan. From a poor apartment in downtown Haifa, he had risen to become head of Operations Division of Israel's intelligent services, "the Mossad". He is a daring and successful man that has led missions all around the world and fulfilled every goal and desire. Now, his life is about to change.
A delightful tapestry of intrigue, wit, and dare that enthralls from start to finish
A failed Mossad operation against a Hezbollah official in South America makes Arik a target for a vicious drug-trafficking mafia in Paraguay. A mysterious German woman - an alluring professor of Philosophy - arrives at his birthday party and captures his eye and his heart. He is the son of a Holocaust survivor, and he knows falling in love with this woman means trouble. When a trained assassin arrives in Israel dressed as a Provo Slav clergyman hunting for his head, nothing can save Arik but true love.
Real and unpublished inside information on Mossad operations
To Kill a Shadow is a brilliant espionage thriller that will leave you breathless. It is the remarkable story of those who live in the shadows, working under false identities and behind masks, addicted to the adrenaline and control. An intricate tale of passion, difference, and danger.
Get your copy of To Kill a Shadow now!
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Published October 13, 2020
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
February 22, 2017
Who wouldn’t want to read about a Mossad Agent? I mean we have all had a bit overdose of CIA and FBI. If you have been watching Quantico on TV, you have probably started feeling that you could be a better agent than those on the cast. So, Mossad is a welcome change!
Arik is a departmental head at Mossad and as is the case with most of these clandestine operations, no one knows what his real job is – not even his family. As a result there are lots of fences to be mended in order to find some balance in his life. On the other hand, with a lot of responsibilities riding on his shoulders, a failed mission lands him in all kinds of trouble on the work front. With a target on his head, he cannot afford to be distracted even if that distraction is in form of a femme-fatale.
One of the things in the blurb that had attracted me to the book was the fact it seemed that a lot was going on in the plot while spanning over a number of countries. In the end that is what turned to be the pitfall of the book. There is just too much going on in the book; most of which could have been easily excluded. The other issue is the pace – a lot seems to be happening in each page yet they were hardly moving the plot along.
The book had great potential and any reader can clearly see that as the central plot is actually engaging.
Arik is a departmental head at Mossad and as is the case with most of these clandestine operations, no one knows what his real job is – not even his family. As a result there are lots of fences to be mended in order to find some balance in his life. On the other hand, with a lot of responsibilities riding on his shoulders, a failed mission lands him in all kinds of trouble on the work front. With a target on his head, he cannot afford to be distracted even if that distraction is in form of a femme-fatale.
One of the things in the blurb that had attracted me to the book was the fact it seemed that a lot was going on in the plot while spanning over a number of countries. In the end that is what turned to be the pitfall of the book. There is just too much going on in the book; most of which could have been easily excluded. The other issue is the pace – a lot seems to be happening in each page yet they were hardly moving the plot along.
The book had great potential and any reader can clearly see that as the central plot is actually engaging.
December 28, 2016
This originally appeared at The Irresponsible Reader.
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Ostensibly, what we have here is an espionage thriller from the point of view of a Mossad operative, juggling intelligence operations, internal politics, revenge, and a messy personal life. I liked that idea, I like the concept, and think I could've liked this book if that's what it delivered. Instead we get a collection of half-baked ideas, story snippets scattered around with an attempt made to squish them into a coherent whole.
Arik Bar Nathan is a Mossad agent -- and apparently can't tell anyone in his family that. His marriage and relationships with his son and daughter have been the major casualties of that. Not that his relationship with his younger sister and mother have fared all that well, either. Events conspire to get him to realize just how badly he's messed things up, and some Oprah-level advice enabled him to start the process of rebuilding things with his kids. This is quite possibly the most successful part of the book.
The heads of Israeli Intelligence (and those close to them) and the Prime Minister all apparently have the emotional maturity of middle-school girls -- they fly off the handle for no reason, have the shortest fuses you can imagine, yell and scream at the drop of a hat, and play petty political games dealing with pettier personal gripes. If people were this mercurial in the real world, the Middle East would be in worse shape than it is. Somehow, these characters are able to pull off a couple of major operations without major loss of life and stability.
There are a few other storylines, too. Like a love story that defies logic, and can only work because this super-spy is super-gullible when it comes to this woman, and because the reader is willing to suspend every once of disbelief.
There is no sense of urgency to anything, really. Well, I take that back -- if there's an event, say, Arik's mother having a medical crisis, or someone being shot -- there's a lot of hustle and bustle surrounding that. But as soon as the immediate situation is addressed, the issue is put on the back burner and ignored. I understand that a lot of intelligence operations are about timing, patience, waiting for dots to be connected and opportunities to arise. But can you tell as story about that without seeming to ignore the issues while waiting for opportunities? Absolutely. If you know there's an assassin in a small country targeting one man, you should maybe, I don't know...hunt for him. Especially if the target is supposed to be a cracker-jack spy.
There is a subplot that shows up for one chapter centering on a secondary character and then disappear -- other than offering a distraction from the story, there's no purpose for its inclusion. Even that secondary character acts pretty differently in this chapter than he does throughout the novel.
Most of the characters are not much more than sketches -- there's no life to them. They're almost well-developed, a few are almost complex -- but Ronen leaves them at almost. Those characters at the beginning of NCIS or Bones that find the dead bodies to kick off episodes are better drawn than just about all of these.*
I do think that Ronen had a bunch of cool things running around in his head -- some to do with espionage, some to do with a spy putting his personal life back together, some to do with descendants of the Holocaust finding peace -- but he didn't know how to execute them in a narrative. I couldn't connect with anyone or any story, but I really wanted to. I honestly didn't know what I was going to say about this book when I started writing this post -- I've been trying to come up with a reason to recommend this one, but I can't.
Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for my honest opinion -- it clearly didn't impact things.
---
Ostensibly, what we have here is an espionage thriller from the point of view of a Mossad operative, juggling intelligence operations, internal politics, revenge, and a messy personal life. I liked that idea, I like the concept, and think I could've liked this book if that's what it delivered. Instead we get a collection of half-baked ideas, story snippets scattered around with an attempt made to squish them into a coherent whole.
Arik Bar Nathan is a Mossad agent -- and apparently can't tell anyone in his family that. His marriage and relationships with his son and daughter have been the major casualties of that. Not that his relationship with his younger sister and mother have fared all that well, either. Events conspire to get him to realize just how badly he's messed things up, and some Oprah-level advice enabled him to start the process of rebuilding things with his kids. This is quite possibly the most successful part of the book.
The heads of Israeli Intelligence (and those close to them) and the Prime Minister all apparently have the emotional maturity of middle-school girls -- they fly off the handle for no reason, have the shortest fuses you can imagine, yell and scream at the drop of a hat, and play petty political games dealing with pettier personal gripes. If people were this mercurial in the real world, the Middle East would be in worse shape than it is. Somehow, these characters are able to pull off a couple of major operations without major loss of life and stability.
There are a few other storylines, too. Like a love story that defies logic, and can only work because this super-spy is super-gullible when it comes to this woman, and because the reader is willing to suspend every once of disbelief.
There is no sense of urgency to anything, really. Well, I take that back -- if there's an event, say, Arik's mother having a medical crisis, or someone being shot -- there's a lot of hustle and bustle surrounding that. But as soon as the immediate situation is addressed, the issue is put on the back burner and ignored. I understand that a lot of intelligence operations are about timing, patience, waiting for dots to be connected and opportunities to arise. But can you tell as story about that without seeming to ignore the issues while waiting for opportunities? Absolutely. If you know there's an assassin in a small country targeting one man, you should maybe, I don't know...hunt for him. Especially if the target is supposed to be a cracker-jack spy.
There is a subplot that shows up for one chapter centering on a secondary character and then disappear -- other than offering a distraction from the story, there's no purpose for its inclusion. Even that secondary character acts pretty differently in this chapter than he does throughout the novel.
Most of the characters are not much more than sketches -- there's no life to them. They're almost well-developed, a few are almost complex -- but Ronen leaves them at almost. Those characters at the beginning of NCIS or Bones that find the dead bodies to kick off episodes are better drawn than just about all of these.*
I do think that Ronen had a bunch of cool things running around in his head -- some to do with espionage, some to do with a spy putting his personal life back together, some to do with descendants of the Holocaust finding peace -- but he didn't know how to execute them in a narrative. I couldn't connect with anyone or any story, but I really wanted to. I honestly didn't know what I was going to say about this book when I started writing this post -- I've been trying to come up with a reason to recommend this one, but I can't.
Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for my honest opinion -- it clearly didn't impact things.
-----
* That's not a huge insult, really. They pack a lot of character into those couple of minutes.
July 22, 2018
Very thorough intense strategic and actions packed drama. I was so enraptured with the missions,and completely focused on the importance of the characters. I had mixed emotions of anger,empathy, and sympathy reading this novel. I applaud the author for making this book relatable military wise,yet not so technical. The author really humanized the story in a way the reader doesn't get bored or confused with military talk,and foreign languages. Bravo!👏
May 3, 2021
The Shadows Come Alive
Nathan Ronen breathes life into the spy business through the body and mind of Arik Bar a Nathan, who is more than just a character — Arik HAS character. Mossad is always to be admired and Arik is the new embodiment for our admiration.
Nathan Ronen breathes life into the spy business through the body and mind of Arik Bar a Nathan, who is more than just a character — Arik HAS character. Mossad is always to be admired and Arik is the new embodiment for our admiration.
February 22, 2017
Excellent book
Excellent book on thriller, espionage, and govt functioning at top management system of a country. Elaborate explanations, proper plot and thinking.
Excellent book on thriller, espionage, and govt functioning at top management system of a country. Elaborate explanations, proper plot and thinking.
June 26, 2017
Great Read!
Very good story about an Israeli Mossad officer coming to terms with both the professional and personal sides of his life.
Very good story about an Israeli Mossad officer coming to terms with both the professional and personal sides of his life.
May 27, 2019
Good book.
Kept my interest from start to finish. Lots of character development and twists and turns. Need to read book 1 and book 3.
Kept my interest from start to finish. Lots of character development and twists and turns. Need to read book 1 and book 3.
February 19, 2017
Please note: I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
I wasn't sure what to expect when I started this book. Espionage thrillers is not a genre that I normally read. This book was great at enticing the reader to keep reading. It had drama, action, suspense, forgiveness, and growth as common themes.
I know very little about the politics that were portrayed in this novel, so I will not be commenting on that aspect of this novel.
I loved the suspense that this novel portrayed. I also loved seeing Arik grow in all aspects of his life, especially in his personal life with his kids and Eva. I loved seeing how the people that loved him, always supported him, even when he was not being the nicest person to them. But in the end, he grew as a man, and that is what is important.
The suspense and action of this novel keeps you on your toes. It paints a vivid picture in your mind, and you can imagine that you are there with the characters.
I did not like the mention of "diabetic issues" of Cornfield, but that is based on personal reasons that do not have anything to do with the book itself.
Overall, I found the book to be very well-written, engaging, suspenseful, and a great read.
I wasn't sure what to expect when I started this book. Espionage thrillers is not a genre that I normally read. This book was great at enticing the reader to keep reading. It had drama, action, suspense, forgiveness, and growth as common themes.
I know very little about the politics that were portrayed in this novel, so I will not be commenting on that aspect of this novel.
I loved the suspense that this novel portrayed. I also loved seeing Arik grow in all aspects of his life, especially in his personal life with his kids and Eva. I loved seeing how the people that loved him, always supported him, even when he was not being the nicest person to them. But in the end, he grew as a man, and that is what is important.
The suspense and action of this novel keeps you on your toes. It paints a vivid picture in your mind, and you can imagine that you are there with the characters.
I did not like the mention of "diabetic issues" of Cornfield, but that is based on personal reasons that do not have anything to do with the book itself.
Overall, I found the book to be very well-written, engaging, suspenseful, and a great read.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 12, 2017
This is a great story to read in one sitting. It is a story about an agent of Mossad and what happens in his life and how he hunted because of something he did in the line of duty.
At times I like crime books if they are well written and this one was. The characters were brought to life and you felt like you were watching a crime drama fit for TV. One similar to NCIS with the character of Ziva, this being her side and if she were male. It gives you a glimpse into the world of world issues and battles.
It is full of twists, turns, romance, and even a lot of humor if you can see it in the semidarkness of the plot. This is a great read if you are reading it in one sitting. It was fast and kept you on the edge of your seat especially wondering if the female lead was “good guy” or not.
What I did not like about it was that if you put it down it took a bit to get back into the flow of what you were reading. It was also written like an episode or series of an American crime drama. I also did not like the fact that at times it was hard to keep my interest.
I rate books differently than others. I use my stars as
(*1) Will keep, reread, buy and pass on another copy and promote the author as best as I can.
(**2) Will pass on and share with others it was a great book.
(***3) Will donate it to thrift store. Glad I read it but not worth reading again.
(****4) Not worth reading, great for a fire starter though.
This was a 2* for me. I have already began telling my family about it.
At times I like crime books if they are well written and this one was. The characters were brought to life and you felt like you were watching a crime drama fit for TV. One similar to NCIS with the character of Ziva, this being her side and if she were male. It gives you a glimpse into the world of world issues and battles.
It is full of twists, turns, romance, and even a lot of humor if you can see it in the semidarkness of the plot. This is a great read if you are reading it in one sitting. It was fast and kept you on the edge of your seat especially wondering if the female lead was “good guy” or not.
What I did not like about it was that if you put it down it took a bit to get back into the flow of what you were reading. It was also written like an episode or series of an American crime drama. I also did not like the fact that at times it was hard to keep my interest.
I rate books differently than others. I use my stars as
(*1) Will keep, reread, buy and pass on another copy and promote the author as best as I can.
(**2) Will pass on and share with others it was a great book.
(***3) Will donate it to thrift store. Glad I read it but not worth reading again.
(****4) Not worth reading, great for a fire starter though.
This was a 2* for me. I have already began telling my family about it.
February 14, 2017
excellant book.
I discovered 2 problems. there is no 22mm hand gun and therevis no malibu in florida. malibu is close to los angeles. a 22mm hand gun would shoot a bullet about .88 to .90 inches in diameter. book stated a small handgun. book ended just right. the suspence level varied as different situations arose. I f eel I could use the descriptions of israel for a travel map. very well written.. i enjoyed it very much. thanks to author. mp
I discovered 2 problems. there is no 22mm hand gun and therevis no malibu in florida. malibu is close to los angeles. a 22mm hand gun would shoot a bullet about .88 to .90 inches in diameter. book stated a small handgun. book ended just right. the suspence level varied as different situations arose. I f eel I could use the descriptions of israel for a travel map. very well written.. i enjoyed it very much. thanks to author. mp
December 28, 2016
A thriller featuring love and murder, To Kill a Shadow by Nathan Ronen will have readers enrapt and turning the pages until the reach the last one. Set against a powerful political background. Arik Bar Nathan is the kind of character that readers will want to follow, an ordinary man whose rise to become the head of the Israeli intelligence is phenomenal. He has never known failure in any of his operations, but when one goes awry, he becomes the target. And the one who hunts him seems more skilled that anything he's known. Can he find a way out? Love could be the answer to the enigma.
A thriller with an international setting, To Kill a Shadow is a book that deftly combines drama, romance, crime, and intrigue, to deliver a huge dose of entertainment for readers. Nathan Ronen is one of those players in the field that thriller fans should watch out. Fast-paced and laced with unexpected twists, this story features well-developed and very compelling characters. I couldn't help but think about how the drama would play out on a Big Screen. It is breathtaking and one could feel the pulse rise as one reads from page to page.
A thriller with an international setting, To Kill a Shadow is a book that deftly combines drama, romance, crime, and intrigue, to deliver a huge dose of entertainment for readers. Nathan Ronen is one of those players in the field that thriller fans should watch out. Fast-paced and laced with unexpected twists, this story features well-developed and very compelling characters. I couldn't help but think about how the drama would play out on a Big Screen. It is breathtaking and one could feel the pulse rise as one reads from page to page.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews