Curse of the Eagle by Michael E. Nathanson
What happens when two hundred fearsome Jihadis meet in Mecca for a secret meeting during the annual Holy Hajj? Nothing good. But in the hands of Michael E. Nathanson in his chilling follow-up to Cries of the Eagle, it makes for a pulse-pounding thriller of apocalyptic proportions. The second in a projected trilogy, Curse of the Eagle (Oceans of Grace) returns with FBI agents (and now sweethearts) Gerry Bolton and Jan Hanson, as well as newly minted FBI Special Agent Aziz Malawi.
HIGH RISK, HIGH REWARD
Fresh from their last hair-raising episode, the trio is drawn into a complex case after several high-ranking U.S. government officials are assassinated almost out of thin air. Enlisting the help of their new FBI colleague Aziz, an American Muslim patriot, they begin to unravel the skeins of an intricate plot to terrorize and murder millions of “infidels” under the aegis of a diabolical and shadowy organization: The Council of the Practitioners of Jihad.
Continuing its decades-long sponsorship of Jihadist groups and cells around the world, the Council aims to amp its tech with a recent engineering recruit, Hubal, who seethes with hatred for the world and his own physical shortcomings.
His new, innovative drone devices have passed the first test of lethality, and now as the Council prepares to gather for the first time in thirty years in the Holy city of Mecca, the dream of a United World Islam appears closer than ever. But only if the sectarian divide of Sunni and Shia can find a way past its centuries-long animosity, which Nathanson captures for the uninitiated reader in helpful passages of historical and political exposition.
The FBI realizes the murdered American politicians and the nebulous gathering within Saudi Arabia may be linked, requiring more humint (human intelligence) to connect the dots back to the Council of the Practitioners of Jihad and local, homegrown Jihadis. Enter Aziz Malawi, engineer and former unpaid informant who is eager to bring down the terrorist networks who give his faith a bad name. As he tells his colleagues:
“Our religion should make us better, not turn people into savages, tearing each other apart. I cannot reconcile that hatred with a love for God. It is impossible. I was never taught that.”
A NUANCED TAKE ON A TIRED TROPE
Going undercover, Aziz poses as a willing recruit for Jihadi operations and is soon brought into contact with his handler, the “Pale Sunni” Zoltan, and eventually the warehouse factory cranking out thousands of “birds” of prey for the Council. Working alongside the enigmatic and volatile Hubal, Aziz risks everything on his “legend” — his alias, Umar Abdi, a role of his own creation that is the opposite of the movie buff and basketball-loving American Aziz.
Winging back and forth from Texas, Tehran, Mecca, Detroit, and Cleveland, Nathanson twists the tension wheel as Aziz plays the role of a lifetime. Can he stop the delivery and disbursement of Ebola-grade biological weapons? Will the plotting Sunnis overthrow the Shia leadership of the Council? Most importantly, how long can Aziz keep up his dangerous game with Zoltan and Hubal before he is discovered? The penalties are high and the punishments unspeakable in Nathanson’s tight, visceral prose.
Indeed, Nathanson’s novel is a fresh take on the often-over-played trope of “bad Muslims” in today’s glutted thriller market. He blends facts and historical events with a sensitive, Christian recognition of the free will and individuality of every human being, best exemplified in the thoughtful and tender-hearted nature of Aziz. Introducing a love interest for Aziz in Falak, who reappears from the first novel, Nathanson delivers a starring role who portrays the true nature of the people of Islam in the work they do and the lives they live among their colleagues, friends, and neighbors.
The conflict between America and Islamic terrorism became a prevalent backdrop in political fiction more than two decades ago, and fans of political thrillers will appreciate this new, intelligent take found in Curse of the Eagle. People will come for the white-knuckle action but stay for the evolution of Aziz Malawi into a brave government agent seeking to protect, serve and defend the country he loves. Readers will eagerly await the third installment in this original thriller series.
