Authors: Diane and David Munson
Has international terrorism infiltrated the ranks of a reputable Christian charity? Special Agent Eva Montanna heads a task force charged with the investigating and cutting off of terrorist funding that, ostensibly, is being funnelled through dummy charitable organisations. Her stake in operation is both professional and personal: Montanna’s twin sister died at the Pentagon during the 2001 terrorist attacks on U.S. soil. Another dimension is added to the plot when Montanna discovers that the person she is called to investigate is Emile Jubayl, CEO of Helpers International and member of her own church. Jubayl is accused of using his aid organisation to garner donations that can be used to further the evil goals of the Armed Revolutionary Cause (ARC), successor to Al-Qaeda. At the same time, another terror suspect has information that could lead to the capture of El Samoud, the head of the ARC. Montanna and her team are in a race against time as their sources reveal that Samoud intends to launch more terrorism attacks worldwide – this time during the Jewish feast of Purim. Meanwhile, frustrated by the lack of evidence against Jubayl, a young rookie in the team decides to take matters into his own hands and work outside the law.
The authors, a former Federal Prosecutor and a retired Special Agent, draw on their own experiences in the field to explore the intricacies of covert government-run operations and the impact on the family relationships of those whose job it is to protect the freedoms that the Western world takes for granted. Whilst those intricacies add realism, the plot sometimes gets bogged down by the sheer depth of detail…do we really need to know which sub-section of US law applies when filing certain applications with the Federal Court or obtaining wire taps and search warrants?
Whilst there is a good balance and satisfying interplay between protagonists, I found the characters somewhat two-dimensional. This may be caused in part by an impartiality/objectivity the authors no doubt had to foster in their own working careers. For me the most interesting player was Trenton Nash: rookie cop, agnostic, zealot and sinner. His anger and his mistakes mark him as “human†– flawed, yet appealing.
Facing Justice has a good mix of military and legal suspense, with a Christian element that is unforced. The story picked up pace as it went along, with enough twists and turns to keep me reading. The ending threw in enough surprises to make me wonder if there was a sequel in the making. Flesh out the characters a little more, and there is great potential for any further Eva Montanna stories to be a huge success.
Reviewed by Rachel Koopmans
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