Tuesday, June 1, 2010

The Last Operative-Jerry B. Jenkins

The Last Operative
Jerry B. Jenkins
Tyndale, Jul 1 2010, $14.99
ISBN: 9781414309200

For the past two decades, Jordan Kettering has worked as an NSA field analyst. His job made him a stranger to his wife, daughter and son. To make up for his neglect when the kids were growing up, Jordan arranges to meet his spouse at Heathrow Airport for a European vacation. Before Jordon goes to the airport, he meets with author Stanley Stewart, who insists there are MIGs in a Quonset hut brought there by al Qaeda to use them to attack the United States after missiles are smuggled into the country.

At Heathrow, a sniper opens fires on Jordan wife and the man she is talking to killing many bystanders. While being debriefed in DC, Jordan meets with his former handler Chuck Wallington. He learns that Stanley was murdered too. Irate and grieving Jordon hides at his Uncle Denton’s house. Wallington conceives a plan to stop the missiles from being loaded on a ship in Ecuador, but the enemy is one step ahead of the American counteragents. Kettering ponders whether NSA has a mole working for the enemy as time is running out to prevent the worst attack on American soil since 9/11.

The Lost Operative is a rewriting of Jerry B. Jenkins’ first stand-alone The Operative written two decades ago and freshened with a revision of the political situations since the original publication. The story line is a pulse pumping thriller starring a fascinating patriot who goes about his dangerous mission with no time to stop to mourn his loss; yet consequently he remains in the early stages of grief compounded by remorse and regret as he for the first time questions the personal cost. Nathan Hale stated that his only regret was he could only give one life for his country, but that was comparatively easy as Hale bravely gave his own. Loaded with action, this is a character driven taut thriller as the hero faces personal demons he puts on hold while he confronts those killers who claim God on their side while murdering his children.

Harriet Klausner

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