Joel C. Rosenberg | Tyndale House Publishers
Author Joel Rosenberg combines fears of a nuclear-armed Iran with speculation, in the espionage thriller The Twelfth Imam, the first of a new series. The title alludes to an event in Muslim eschatology tantamount to Christ’s Second Coming.
Iranian by blood, but born American after his parents fled Khomeni’s 1979 revolution, David Shirazi excels as an undercover CIA operative in the Middle East. Under the guise of a German-based telecom consultant seeking to modernize Iran’s cellular networks, he hopes to gain intelligence on the country’s nuclear weapons program while Israel vies for a pre-emptive strike.
Meanwhile a miraculous healer reveals himself to Iran’s leadership as the long-awaited Twelfth Imam, calling for an apocalyptic attack on Israel and America to usher in the end of the age. Shirazi’s best hope for averting the crisis may be a high-ranking Iranian nuclear scientist who has begun to question the Muslim faith and converts after an encounter with Jesus.
Rosenberg’s narrative is fast-moving and engaging, despite a shifting point of view. Some readers may find the resolution overly dependent on the supernatural, but others will appreciate the reference to visions that many believe still lead Muslims to Christ today.
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