Pillars of Solomon

The seething tensions, hatreds, barbarisms and political pitfalls of Israeli-Palestinian relations form the shifting sands of daily life and police work in Jon Land's "Pillars Of Solomon," featuring the second pairing of Palestinian American detective Ben Kamal and Israeli police inspector Danielle Barnea.Kamal and Barnea, who fell in love in "The Walls of Jericho" but were parted by political realities, are working separately as the book opens; Barnea investigating the murder of an old Jewish shopkeeper and Kamal looking into the disappearances of Palestinian children.Their paths cross in prickly information sharing but the cases do not converge until Barnea digs into the shopkeeper's war-hero days and Kamal unearths a conspiracy of slavery and child-selling which dates to the early days of Palestinian refugee camps.The story seethes with political complexities small and large. These realities - hampered movements, sabotaged phone systems, suicide bombers - do much to enhance the action and suspense and Land leads the reader into a labyrinth of past and present where hides a secret so great no one alive can be trusted with it.Land fuels his thriller with a realistic sense of man's horrifying inhumanity and the glimmers of hope to be found in individuals.

Jon Land's brilliant sequel to THE WALLS OF JERICHO once again pits Palestinian cop Ben Kamal and Israeli detective Danielle Barnea against nefarious forces determined to wreak havoc in the Middle East. Only this time the enemy is a white slavery ting that is somehow connected to a terrifying secret that's been buried for half a century. This labyrinthine tale is not only Land's top effort ever, it is the best thriller of the year from the best suspense writer going. A tour de force of trachery and intrigue that begs to be read in a single sitting.

Mr. Land has continued a great story line and characters in his latest release. While the title recieves a fleeting reference in the novel you are none the less caught up in the intrique in the often explosive Middle East "political" scheme of things. The premise of the story is entirely plausible, and makes you wonder if it is really possible, and the answer being a beliveable YES.This novel has everything a reader could possibly want and more. The Middle Eastern area will be sure to make future novels by Mr. Land a reality due to the changing political climate, and the characters of Kamal and the Pakad should make for great reading.

Palestinian Detective Ben Kamal investigates the disappearance of a twelve-year-old Jericho resident. At approximately the same time, Ben's former girlfriend Jerusalem police inspector Danielle Barnea investigates the murder of an elderly store owner, a former war hero. Soon Ben and Danielle find their two cases converge as their roots are traced back to the 1947 war that established a Jewish state in Palestine. As they work together as they always used to do, Ben and Danielle find themselves uncovering an international conspiracy to sell children to the lucrative global white slave trade. As they place themselves in danger, they realize that governments could topple if the truth finally sees the light of day. THE PILLARS OF SOLOMON starts off like firecracker as the novel rapidly moves forward. However, about three-fourths into the book, the story line abruptly slows down to a near halt. However, readers should not quit because it quickly returns to hyper-speed for the climax. Ben and Danielle are a warm but sad couple, who represents a microcosm of the problems in the Middle East confronting even the moderates on both sides. As with the brilliant WALLS OF JERICHO, Jon Land has captured the essence of a land in turmoil in an overall terrific tale.Harriet Klausner

Jon Land has written his best novel thus far. Characters Ben Kamal and Danielle Barnea are back in a great plot that I won't spoil for you. Having read all of the Land novels (except the hard-to-find The Doomsday Spiral), I confess wishing a return of Jared Kimberlain, however, The Walls of Jericho and The Pillars of Solomon have brought Jon Land to a new level of great story telling.