Monday Night Jihad - eBook

Monday Night Jihad, by Jason Elam and Steve Yohn, tells the story of Riley Covington, star linebacker. Formerly in Air Force Special Operations Command, Riley volunteers for duty after terrorists attack the stadium, killing thousands of people including his best friend.

Riley struggles with his reasons for fighting terrorism. He wants revenge, but is it enough? Having sought the advice of his pastor, Riley struggles to reconcile his religious convictions with his desire to retaliate against the death and destruction he witnessed firsthand.

Elam and Yohn use three strands to weave the story. Strand one focuses on the story of Hakeem, the “Cheetah”. From the innocence of childhood he rises to become a master of deceit and death. He is determined to restore his family honor no matter the cost.

Strand two takes us behind the closed doors of Homeland Security as it monitors and attempts to anticipate the movements of the terrorists. Their best is not enough to stop Hakeem and His Cause from wreaking havoc. After a second bombing, a black ops team is formed to stop the Cheetah before he strikes again.

Strand three follows the life and service of Riley Covington. From Air Force Academy graduate to Special Ops team leader to professional football player, Riley first and foremost loves his country. Following Hakeem's attack at the stadium, Riley joins the black ops team to find Hakeem before His Cause can cause further harm. The chase leads them half way around the world, then back to the USA.

The action sequences are detailed; some may be confusing to the reader. There is more than enough description and details of a pro football team and it antics on and off the field. Nothing explicit is shared but some innuendoes are inferred.

The action and suspense of the book are slowed at times by the need to decipher abbreviations and technical descriptions as well as wade through detailed background material.

Monday Night Jihad is not for the faint hearted or for the very young. Many women and some men may find it difficult to read. Football trivia fans will appreciate some familiar details about fictitious teams.

One hopes the struggle against evil never becomes as real as the authors depict. The battle can be won with the determination and faith of a Riley Covington, a man willing to stand for what is right and to do what it takes to eliminate evil. -- Rev. Richard Borgman, Christian Book Previews.com

Just in time for the Super Bowl is this debut suspense novel from a 14-year NFL place kicker and his Colorado pastor. The result yields some nice moments paired with problematic writing and improbable plot twists. Air Force 2d Lt. Riley Covington is given grace to play NFL football instead of serving out his military time, but he opts to return to active duty after a horrific stadium bombing. Hakeem Qasim is an Iraqi groomed for terrorism by tragic events in his childhood. The lives of both the squeaky-clean Christian Riley and the radical Muslim Hakeem intersect in a way that readers will see coming early in the novel. Rich details about life as an NFL player invigorate the story; the details become problematic when the story gets wordy (as in one long and unnecessary chapter toward the end of the book). Although the final safety deposit box plot twist is too easy, unexpected humor helps leaven the serious themes, and the sparks of romance that fly between Riley and an American Muslim woman will pique readers’ interest. (Jan.) Copyright 2008 Reed Business Information.