From Publishers Weekly
Initially, one may think that Easterman's second novel (after The Last Assassin is merely a literate, contemporary suspense thriller that zips along like Raiders of the Lost Ark. The hero, American/Jewish archeologist David Rosen, is in Syria searching for a lost biblical city and its treasures. He comes afoul of descendants of Hitler's Third Reich, who are involved in a plan to destroy Israel. Within this compelling story, Easterman (an Islamic Studies professor) manages to plumb depths of character and mingles fact with fantasy to produce a well-perceived, disturbing antifascist novel. Rosen, an amateur spy for Mossad, becomes the latest near-victim in a series of seemingly unrelated murders and murder attempts. He finds a lover in Leyla, a member of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), while his father, an Orthodox rabbi, berates him for his loss of faith. Once Rosen is propelled to trace his one clue to the murdersall the victims were searching or had knowledge of the fabled city of Iramhe is forced to reevaluate his Jewishness and all that his heritage implies, discovering enemies among friends and allies among supposed enemies as the plot twists and turns unexpectedly to the last page.
Copyright 1987 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From Library Journal
David Rosen, a robust academic whom we meet digging clay tablets at an ancient Syrian site, is pushed to the edge of irrationality by a series of gruesome murders that claim both family and friends. Combining his archaeologist's instincts with a vigilante's aggression, he follows clues that lead to one of the most unusual plots in the return-of-the-Reich genre. Buried under the desert sands of Arabia is a long-forgotten city now populated by the blond remnants of the Nazis. A decrepit mystic intends to lead them to a final victorious surge against Israel. At the end, no one but David really knows how close to success the Valkyrie Brigade has come or at what cost it was stopped. Easterman's The Last Assassin was a well-received thriller. Retaining the Middle East setting of that book, he offers an exciting tale that is slightly more farfetched than reality. Barbara Conaty, Medical Coll. of Wisconsin, Milwaukee
Copyright 1987 Reed Business Information, Inc.
