Persian Betrayal
by Terry Brennan
Series: Empires of Armageddon #2
Series Rating:
Published by Kregel Publications
Publication Date July 28, 2020
Genres: Christian Fiction, Suspense, Action/Adventure
Setting: Israel, Turkey, Iraq, Washington DC, Jordan Contemporary
Main Character Ages: 35-60, 60+
Written for: Adults
Pages: 310
Synopsis:
How much can Brian Mullaney risk to serve God and save lives--without losing his own? DSS Regional Security Officer Brian Mullaney has been tasked with an incredibly dangerous mission. When a synagogue in Jerusalem is destroyed by an explosion, burying the second key prophecy Mullaney is hunting--and the deadly box that protects it--the answers he desperately needs are also crushed. How can he discover the meaning of the centuries-old prophecy now? Why are he and the ambassador he's assigned to protect being targeted? And is there any way this lone man can thwart a nuclear arms race between three ascendant empires of the past?
An otherworldly servant of evil known only as the Turk is maneuvering all three nations into an intricate dance designed to undermine prophecy about the end times. And he won't let Mullaney or anyone else get in his way.
Wounded in a bloody shoot-out, pressured by his wife to come home, and mourning the death of his best friend, Mullaney doesn't need a powerful enemy. Who is he to save the Ishmael Covenant, the treaty promising peace in the Middle East? Despite angelic intervention, Mullaney wants nothing to do with his final assignment. But without him, evil will win the ultimate struggle . . . and humankind will have no hope left.
I received a complimentary copy of this book. This gift did not influence my opinion or review.
Also in this series: Ottoman Dominion
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My Thoughts
The second book of the Empires of Armageddon series, Persian Betrayal continues Brain Mullaney’s adventures in protecting the US Embassy and the ambassador in Israel. Just as in Ishmael Covenant, it is filled with explosions, intrigue, and treachery. If you have not yet read Ishmael Covenant, be warned that there might be spoilers for that story in my review. (And the synopsis of this book.)
I really enjoyed seeing Brian’s humanity. Despite his strength and abilities to handle most situations well, he struggled with fears and questioned his purpose. He grappled with finding balance between his duty and his family and he wrestled with trusting God through his trials.
One of the events that particularly got my attention was the cleanup of the explosion at the Hurva Synagogue. Brian and his team had to limit their activities to helping just the US citizens. How hard would it be to have to ignore hurting people because they are outside your jurisdiction! I had never considered anything like that before.
The faith message is quite strong. I liked seeing Brian and Palmyra both process the events they had been experiencing in the past few days in light of Scripture and come to the realization that angels are active in our current fight and to really come to understand the concept of spiritual warfare and the fight of good versus evil.
There were places that the story dragged. Many of the relationships from Ishmael Covenant were reiterated and it felt like some of the recap from that story could have been integrated into the story more. Many of the political details already explained in the first book were explained again here as were the details behind the prophecy. There are several pages of authors notes at the end that explain many of these same things – I would have preferred them to remain in the author’s notes and to leave me to search out the details I need to know.
Overall, it is a story worth reading and I’m looking forward to reading the conclusion Ottoman Dominion after its November 2020 release.
Giveaway
One winner will receive a copy of Persian Betrayal by Terry Brennan.
Giveaway ends August 20, 2020
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About Terry Brennan
Terry Brennan is the award-winning author of The Sacred Cipher, The Brotherhood Conspiracy, and The Aleppo Code, the three books in The Jerusalem Prophecies series. His latest series is Empires of Armageddon, which includes Ishmael Covenant and Persian Betrayal.
A Pulitzer Prize is one of the many awards Brennan accumulated during his 22-year newspaper career. The Pottstown (PA) Mercury won the Pulitzer Prize for Editorial Writing for a two-year series published while he led the team as the newspaper’s Editor.
Starting out as a sportswriter in Philadelphia, Brennan became an editor and publisher for newspapers in Pennsylvania, Illinois, and New York and later moved to the corporate staff of Ingersoll Publications (400 newspapers in the U.S., Ireland and England) as Executive Editor of all U.S. newspaper titles.
In 1996, Brennan transitioned into the nonprofit sector, spending 12 years as VP Operations for The Bowery Mission and six years as Chief Administrative Officer for Care for the Homeless, both in New York City.
Terry and his wife, Andrea, now live in Danbury, CT.
