The Devil's Shepherd

This was without question a page turner. Our two heros are sent to rescue an individual who has knowledge of a mole within the Isreali government. As usually happens when our two hers go on a mission there is gunfire and action a plenty. The terrible twosome wind up in Africa to rescue their source. They have gun battles and problems all over the country. Hartov uses his vast insider knowledge of the Isreali spy world to make this book very believable. He is quickly becoming a noted author in this field. This book will make you an immediate fan. Read it, you will not be dissapointed.

I put a lot of books right back on the shelf in the book store after reading the blurb or a few page but NOT THIS ONE! Hartov's plot and intrigue capture you right off the top and pull you into a modern day spy story that keeps you turning pages as fast as you can. There is a currency and relevance to his stories (read also the Heat of Ramadan - I haven't read The Nylon Hand of God . . . yet!) that rips you right into the risk and rapid pulse of Israeli intelligence operations like no other subject matter can today. With the cold war over and other great periods of worldwide espionnage ended such as WW II, readers like myself of true grit style spy stories can have a hard time finding compelling excitement in this genre. This is partly what makes his books so great. Hartov uses his real world experience in the spine tingling world of the Israeli conflict to spin phenomenal stories of life threatening excitement. This is the book to get if you love this genre!

From the very first page on, Steve Hartov exposes his reader to the fascinating world of espionage and terrorism unlike any author I have ever encountered. Only somebody who has experienced the Israeli intelligence service himself could have written such a breathtaking book. This might be Hartov's finest work yet, very closely followed by The Heat of Ramadan and The Nylon Hand of God, which are magnificantely written as well. The only problem one might have with this novel is to decide whether an intriguing character such as Eckstein, or the beautifully described locations around the world are the reason one is not able to put the book down. The Devil's Shepard is a true must for anybody who is interested in espionage, or who simply wishes to be completely captivated by a breathtaking story until the very last page of a book.

The Devil's Shepherd, like is previous novels, THE HEAT OF RAMADAN and THE NYLON HAND OF GOD, are masterpieces of the spy and thriller genre. No one today writes spy novels like Hartov. He is up there with the best of the best like Le Carre and Forsyth. Hartov, a former Israeli Paratrooper and Aman (Israeli Military Intelligence) operative, writes with authority and an insiders knowledge. This sense of realism shows on every page. What sets Hartov's work apart from most technothrillers today is Hartov's ability to create living and breathing characters. Even the minor characters are distinct and well drawn. The characters are not supermen or superwomen, but real people with families, hopes and dreams, and fears and desires. Hartov's mastery of characterization also extends to his descriptions of time and place. His descriptions of everytihing from late night planning sessions in smoke filled rooms to covert actions in dark alleys come alive in rich, crisp detail. You will swear that you know these people and that you are there with them as they carry out their derring-do. I also think that this book, as well as his previous books, transcends the genre and will appeal to a wide range of readers who treasure a good story with rich detailed characters and locales. No matter who you are this one will surely blow you away!

As with his book The Heat of Ramadan, Hartov has, with the Devil's Shepherd, painted a portrait of multi-dimensional characters and plot twists viewed through the eyes of one who has himself charted paths in harms way on cold dark nights who also posseses Le Carre like strokes of fiction-writing mastery. The Devil's Shepherd is a global journey through treachery and danger that brings to life the sobering world of the spy, and why we are all fascinated and enamored by them.