Black Tequila: Love and Drama with Patterson suspense and Grisham intrigue

by J.D. Bernal

Black Tequila is an intriguing and poignant thriller. From the political and religious tensions of the Middle East to the financial intrigues of New York, this is both an intimate tale and one that explores the treacherous world that we live in today.

Rania, a Palestinian whose mother was American, lives in Jericho where she tends the family small vegetable garden and on occasion serves as a guide for tourists visiting the local holy sites. But when she finds herself both a victim and key witness to a horrifying event, she is forced to leave her quiet life behind. Resurfacing in New York she becomes involved with a group of successful media and finance executives. When one of them unexpectedly dies, their lives are shaken and no one can imagine the danger that awaits them.
Black Tequila, Bernal´s first novel, is an exhilarating story full of intrigue and suspense that explores the pain of injustice, and the compassion of love.

About the Author

Internationally reviewed and world traveling author Javier D. Bernal is passionate about life, living and adventurous storytelling.  In this, his first book “opera prima”, he introduces readers to regular people whose lives are forever and abruptly changed by unexpected, even calamitous happenings.  Follow along with high-stakes suspense and intrigue.  Feel the love, drama, twists and turns of lives transformed -- all in a very real, exotic and contemporary setting.  A proven entrepreneur, global marketer and banking executive, he is also a loving husband and doting father who always takes time to dance with 4-year old Claudia, play chess with 6-year old Diego and cheer on the Real Madrid soccer team with his other sons: Sergio, Yago and Diego.

Customer reviews

“Extraordinary story. Drama, intrigue, suspense and romance that deals with some of today political and economic events with realism. Most interesting book I have read this year”

“Excellent, excellent, excellent. Very original plot that take us from ancient Jerico to New York, through amazing characters I couldn’t stop reading”

“Excellent opera prima, his detailed descriptions of Jerico and glamorous life in NYC plus complexity of every character make this novel a must read. Highly recommended.”

485 pages, Paperback

Published November 14, 2018

About the author

There are multiple authors with this name. This profile is for a 21st century writer of fiction.

For the 20th century scientist John Desmond Bernal, see J.D. Bernal.

Reviews

[Laurie]

I really tried to get into this book. The premise sounded interesting and I was intrigued by the description of the main character. Once I started reading, however, I found the writing rather simplistic and the characters one dimensional. I got through the first hundred pages and finally called it quits. The book has possibilities but just didn’t appeal to me. No stars because I didn’t finish.

[Kaye · Rating 2 out of 5]

There was a good story here, but it reminded me of the old military saying about a "30 minute briefing crammed into an eight-hour meeting."

I requested an advance readers copy because of the publisher's blurb likening it to The Kite Runner and The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. My bad. I didn't notice that it was independently published, which usually means inadequately edited.

Again, some good story elements, but it so desperately needed tightening and proofreading and overall clean up of text. There were several supposed-to-be-complimentary references to the lead female's "fleshy lips," which a sharp editor would have recognized as an unflattering description.

So. Opening in Palestine, the story follows Rania, a young woman from Jericho, through military clashes between Israeli and Palestinian forces, interactions with Mossad, and immigration to New York City and an on-camera, fairy tale job.

Interspersed with this is the tale of an entitled financial whiz-kid who gets involved in the Wall Street skullduggery around short selling. Of course, Rania's path crosses this man's, and a convoluted mystery involving murder and general mayhem ensues.

There's a lot going on, but an experienced editor could have made something out of this. Not to the level of The Kite Runner or Dragon Tattoo, but an intriguing, cohesive story.

Thanks to NetGalley and AuthorBuzz for the ARC.

[Howard · Rating 4 out of 5]

Starting with military operation near Jericho after suicide bombing in Jerusalem, which has terrible consequences for an innocent Palestinian girl from an American mother, the book moves to Wall Street and tales on insider trading. Great characters from the West Pointer who moves from Wall Street to the Israeli army, and then back to the US as a PI, to the CNN reporters and others. Lots of red herrings, and a truly sadistic cartel killer play in this as well, but who hired him is they key plot point that is only resolved at the end. Great descriptions of the high flying trader set in NY, and the travails of being in Jericho as a poor Arab female. An excellent read.

[Cindy · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Rollere Coaster Ride!
If you've ever been on or seen a roller coaster you know that the beginning of the ride starts off nice and slow. Then when it gets to the crest of that first hill the harrowing thrills begin; speeding down hill, around corners at lightning speed. That's what happens in Black Tequila by J. D. Bernal. In the beginning the reader is introduced to the characters and given some background information on the. From then on it is "Hold On Tight" because you are in for intrigue, suspense, and thrills that only can compare to that ride after the roller coaster has reached the top of that initial hill and is headed down. Wow! What a ride!

[Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rania, a teenage girl living in Jericho has her dreams shattered when the boy she wants to marry becomes a suicide bomber. Feeling lost and confused she goes out one night for a walk by herself. Unfortunately she encounters an Israeli soldier who lost his sister and niece in the suicide bombing. Drunk and out of his mind with grief and hatred, he rapes and beats Rania. Feeling shame, she knows she can't go back to live with her mother so she accepts help from the Israeli government to start her life over.
I enjoyed this book and will definitely read more by this author.

[Heidi Sandiford · Rating 2 out of 5]

I couldn't get into this book. I felt that the various story lines were disjointed and that the characters were not very well developed and rather simplistic. I felt no connection with anyone. I thought I would like this book as it starts out in Jericho in the West Bank, a Palestinian city occupied by Israel. It sounded like an interesting international spy thriller but left me bored. I couldn't finish it.

[Mary Lou · Rating 3 out of 5]

Avid reader 4 60years

Wow quite a story history romance mystery
Happy joyful sad and gruel war turning hateful vengeful greedy and back to live and it is worth living!
I gave Only 3* because this book should've been SPELL CHECKED & PROOF READ B 4 published!
O MY it was full of errors and hyphenated at wrong part of words :, numerous misspelled words. great story tho.

[Terri · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a free copy of this book.
The books pace was very fast with lots of great twists and turns. The ending was a bit abrupt as I wanted to have that last little bit tied up nicely which it was not.
I definitely will read another book by this author.

[Mary · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent book. I love the writing. The characters are strong and well developed. I give this book 5 stars. I strongly recommend it!

[Gwen · Rating 2 out of 5]

Honestly, the description of the book sounded a lot more interesting than the story itself. It was hard to follow from the beginning and after the first couple of chapters I gave up.

[Nicki · Rating 4 out of 5]

The main story line was interesting and the twists kept me reading. I felt the book was heavy with excess wordiness. The book was longer than needed to tell the story.

[Gail O'Connor · Rating 2 out of 5]

nteresting story of Middle East and politics. This is a very intriguing and riveting novel. It just didn't seem that the plot was cohesive or believable. however.

[Ann Keeran · Rating 5 out of 5]

A story of intrigue that encompasses several countries. From terrorism to big banks, lots of investigations that the together in unusual ways. An excellent read!

[Becky Stanley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Love, loss, intrigue - this book had it all. It started off in Jericho, so I was expecting a story of the Middle East but it ended up being so much more than that. This was a great read by a new author.

[Joan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Review of eBook

Raina Abdullah, a young Palestinian woman, leads a quiet existence until the death of the young man she loves shatters her life. As she tries to make some sense of things, finds herself on a collision course with an AWOL soldier and a horrific attack that leaves her badly injured.

Half a world away in New York City, Max Bogart, working as a trader, follows the fluctuating stock exchange. And when the most powerful banker on Wall Street makes him an offer, Max sees his career skyrocketing. But nothing can prepare him for what lies ahead . . . .

The intriguing, suspenseful story, with its focus on political and financial events, weaves several plotlines together to create an imaginative tale. However, the narrative suffers in its presentation with long sections of expository prose that short-circuit both the action and the suspense. In addition, procedural errors such as having Heather examine Max’s hard drive instead of a clone of the hard drive, tend to pull readers out of the story.

As the unfolding story pulls most of the plot threads together, readers will find unexpected interconnections keep the pages turning and the astounding twist at the end is a humdinger. However, the story ends without providing an explanation for Abdul Sid Alam’s stupefying actions after risking his life for the woman and child. This feels like a massive disconnect and is certain to be particularly disappointing for the reader.

I received a free copy of this eBook from AuthorBuzz and NetGalley
#BlackTequila #NetGalley

[Joyce · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a most unusual novel. One of the heroines was a young Palestinian girl whose “dream” future husband becomes a suicide bomber in Jericho. Among the many people killed in the bombing are a young mother and one of her three year old twin daughters. Her brother, a troubled young man, is in the Israeli army and, when he learns of the deaths becomes intoxicated on Black Tequila and anti-depressants and abandons his post. He ends up running into the girl, assaults her and ends up dead. The army has sent out a search team to find him led by a Captain who has dual American Israeli citizenship. He also rescues the girl. After her overt wounds heal, she is sent to Egypt to peace together her life. Months later she goes to New York when she determines that she cannot return to Jericho. The novel, after giving the backgrounds, primarily takes place in New York and involves financial manIpulations, murders, the FBI, Mossad and a memorable cast of characters. It is well written and the plot has a series of twists that will make the reader wonder. Thanks to Net Galley and the Author for an ARC for an honest review.

[P Bernhardt · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is an incredibly difficult book for me to review. It has an interesting plot, quality characters - especially the strong females, a good storyline, and several twists and turns. The author builds tension throughout the story with several exciting scenes. He takes us from Jericho to New York, involves the Israeli Army, the Palestinian Forces, trading on Wall Street, and drug dealers. However, and this is where my difficulty comes in, he interrupts the tension with backstory. Several times I put the story down vowing not to finish. If I hadn't agreed to review it, I wouldn't have finished. For example, he provides a good beginning hook with, "The day it all happened..." Then it takes ten chapters to find out what "it" was. Sometimes I felt he was adding backstory only to lengthen the book.

Once again, the plot and characters are interesting there is just too much interruption of action with backstory.

[Breeze Henke · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the first book by J.D. Bernal that I’ve read. I was given a copy for my honest review. The story is great! Engaging, fast paced and entertaining. I just wish Bernal had a good editor. When I started the story I actually went back and checked to see who published it because it didn’t seem like it could be the finished work. There were several typos and occasionally it just didn't flow well. In fact, it is basically two separate stories that almost merged together but not quite. I did enjoy the stories and read it til the end. There were some great characters, story twists and surprises. I’m having a hard time deciding between 3 and 4 stars. Please J.D. Bernal, get a great editing team to help with those issues and I’ll promise to read whatever comes next! The novel just needs some fine tuning.

[Jean A. · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great book and, again, thanks to NetGalley for introducing me to an author I might not have read. Black Tequila takes the reader from the Israeli/Palestinian conflict to New York in lightening speed. A young, beautiful Palestinian woman, raised in a sheltered Islamic home, has a horrific experience at the hands of an Israeli solder setting off a calamity of a series of events. Leaving her homeland, she finds herself in New York, the recipient of help and a situation as equally joyous as the horror of what drove her to leave Palestine. Just wishing to live her new life in New York, meeting new friends and learning a culture totally foreign to her becomes impossible as those previous events begin to catch up to her. Intermingled with other mysterious plot lines, this is a story that will keep you guessing until the very end.

[Christy Bravo · Rating 5 out of 5]

David Ackerman has a strong sense of duty and responsibility. When he decided that his life lacked satisfaction, he joined the Israeli Army, quickly rising in ranks. Rania Abdullah was very content and enjoyed her life in Jericho, helping her mother, showing tourists her beloved Jericho. Tania was in love with her best friends brother, Abdul and always knew one day they would marry. But then the unthinkable happens and spins all their livestock of control. As each one tries to regain some semblance of a decent life events reunite them in devastating ways.
I truly enjoyed this book and love how the author used a "ripple effect" to entwine the lives of these characters.

[Heidi Sandiford · Rating 2 out of 5]

I couldn't get into this book. I felt that the various story lines were disjointed and that the characters were not very well developed and rather simplistic. I felt no connection with anyone. I thought I would like this book as it starts out in Jericho in the West Bank, a Palestinian city occupied by Israel. It sounded like an interesting international spy thriller but left me bored. I couldn't finish it.

[Cheryl · Rating 3 out of 5]

l really really really wanted to like this. Maybe I blew it up to big in my mind. It was an intense read, with multiple scenarios, characters and issues. They do tie in through the book. It really throws out that mankind is influenced by beliefs, how they were raised, and greed. This is a "big" book, i.e. huge plot. Mankind is its own worst enemy but there is always hope. .Thank you for the arc of Black Tequila. I freely offer my opinions.

[Cindi · Rating 3 out of 5]

I would like to thank the author, publisher and Net Galley for providing me with an advance reader copy of this book in exchange for my review.

This book was not what I was expecting, but I'm not really sure what I was expecting. There was so much going on, it took a while to really get into the groove and read, and it was hard to pull myself out of the book once I got going. But I'm not sure this is a type of book I would normally read, either.

[Laurie · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really tried to get into this book. The premise sounded interesting and I was intrigued by the description of the main character. Once I started reading however, I found the writing rather simplistic and the characters one dimensional. I got through the first hundred pages and finally called it quits. The book had possibilities but just didn’t appeal to me.

[Terri · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a free copy of this book.
The books pace was very fast with lots of great twists and turns. The ending was a bit abrupt as I wanted to have that last little bit tied up nicely which it was not.
I definitely will read another book by this author.

[Nancy Graben · Rating 2 out of 5]

I received an ARC of this novel from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

The book's plot was not relatable to me. It read like an action movie.