Damascus Count Down by Joel Rosenberg

The 12th Imam has consolidated his power, convincing most all the Islamic countries to not only pledge their support to the Iman, but also to put their military under his command and control in preparation for war against the Zionists. 

But Israel has taken the proverbial bull by the horns. They have initiated a first strike against Iran and have wiped out Iran's nuclear capabilities and their nuclear arsenal . . . all but two that are missing. From earlier books, a CIA operative (of Iranian descent) has worked his way into the inner circle, sort of. His cover is with a German telecom company that provides encrypted sat phones to the governing council. Of course, now the CIA can listen in on the most secret of phone calls. It's this operative that has been tasked by his bosses to find the two nukes and destroy them (I half expected 'if any of your IMF team are caught or killed, the secretary will disavow any knowledge of your actions.'). 

I've read most of Rosenberg's products and his early work is entirely engaging and believable. He managed to be 6mo to a year or two ahead of events that actually occurred. But in his last 3ish books, he has been incorporating Christian beliefs and practices in ever increasing frequency. For many, this could be both inspiring and joyful while for others it can be tedious. For me, I get my inspiration from my church, not from my political thrillers. The plot was entirely plausible and should have been a winner. Early on, Rosenberg was in my power rotation because of plots like this. Sadly, the amount of religiosity has resulted in my first author to drop from that lofty presence. I didn't even get 100 pages read before I closed the book, removed my bookmark, and returned it to the library.

East Coast Don