Thrillers are emotional and mysteries are cerebral yet there are many famous authors whose books lack both the emotional and the cerebral. Not with this book. Doha 12 will have you riveted from beginning to end. When I first glanced at the story description, I thought, Israelis and terrorists—not my cup of tea. But I read the first few pages and it grabbed me. At the end of chapter one, the protagonist, a humble bookstore manager, tries to figure out why his identity was linked to the death of a known terrorist:
Why? It couldn’t be random; Mossad didn’t do random. Payback? He braced his elbows on the green laminate desktop, lowered his face into his hands.
Mossad did payback.
Just like that, maybe five hundred words in, and you have a question you want answered. That kind of writing is rare in a debut author and when you discover it, you feel like Howard Carter opening that tomb.
James Patterson owns the thriller market in terms of sales with books that keep you on the edge of your seat. But no one ever accused Mr. Patterson of writing realistic scenarios. No one ever accused Mr. Patterson of creating deep characters that resonate. And no one ever accused Mr. Patterson of writing bad guys made of flesh and blood*.
Mr. Charnes has beaten James Patterson in all categories. His story centers on a new threat to society whose pieces are all in place. Not only could this terrifying scenario happen—its components already have. The fact that his story refers to many historical events you’ve seen on the news underscores his authority as a subject matter expert. This is chillingly real.
The characters are ordinary people drawn from your family, your neighbors, your coworkers. There are no demigods, no super humans, no magical powers, no extraordinary luck. These are people who toil in lower to middle-income jobs reacting to danger the way you would, rising to the occasion as you would, falling apart as you would. Their emotions are deep and visceral. Here is one example:
Cop parties. Jake never knew whether to believe he was incredibly safe or one drink away from a firefight.
And one of my favorites:
Every inch of Miriam trembled. While gallons of adrenaline saturated her system, she was Superwoman, bulletproof, invincible. But her adrenaline had run down a storm drain, leaving her full of watery Jell-O, borderline sick to her stomach.
But the terrorists are where Mr. Charnes sets himself apart from ordinary writers like Mr. Patterson. Where Patterson relies on central casting for cardboard cutouts to represent evil, Mr. Charnes creates sympathetic terrorists, divided on the mission, uncertain about their leadership, argumentative at times, straining under pressure, and breaching their own ethical limits. You will even find yourself rooting for one of them … the one with a conscience.
He’d never been part of a martyrdom operation. He’d never wanted to. What had lured him from the Party’s intelligence group into direct action was the style of operation Alayan advocated— focused, accurate, efficient, with a minimum of collateral damage. The very opposite of what was about to happen. The Party was abandoning its proud adulthood and regressing into its wild-eyed adolescence.
A lot has been said about traditionally published authors presenting a cleaner, more readable story than indie authors. There is a certain amount of truth in that argument because Amazon presents no filter, no standard for editing and proofreading. And, as an indie reviewer, I have seen a disappointing number of indie books that should never have been released. The good news is that there are many great indie books out there rivaling traditionally published novels.
Mr. Charnes has established a higher standard: Doha 12 is better than any traditionally published thriller.
Indie writers have arrived and Lance Charnes is leading the charge. You should buy this book, be one of the first discoverers of an exceptional writer.
Peace, Seeley
* Before Mr. Charnes arrived on the scene, John Sandford wrote the most realistic bad guys.
Sock Puppet NOTE: MY REVIEWS ARE MY REACTIONS TO THE BOOKS I READ and not a response to the voices in my head. I have no relationship, financial or familial, with the author. I do not expect, but would not refuse, any reciprocal reviews or recommendations. Just sayin.
